How Moving to San Miguel de Allende Changed Everything for This Single Mom

For Canadian-born Michelle Wedderburn, the decision to move to San Miguel de Allende was life-changing. “Living here has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she says, reflecting on her new life with her son Micha in this vibrant Mexican city.

As a single mother seeking a better life for her family, Michelle meticulously researched potential destinations, considering Costa Rica and Italy before Mexico kept resurfacing in her search. “I did a lot of research,” Michelle recalls. “I checked out Costa Rica and Italy, but Mexico just kept coming up.”

In 2017, during a research trip to San Miguel de Allende, Michelle fell in love with the city’s unique charm. “It’s a Spanish colonial city full of art and culture with a great blend of the old and the new. It has a history I haven’t experienced living in the U.S., the cultural connections to the land, and all the holidays and festivals. It’s beautiful,” she describes.

Michelle and her son Micha moved from Miami to San Miguel in 2018 and love their new life. Michelle shares, “My son is thriving here. He attends an amazing local school, is fluent in Spanish, takes piano lessons, does Tae Kwan Do, and is involved with robotics and robotic competitions.”

The lower cost of living means Micha has more opportunities to explore interests. Robotics in the U.S. cost $275 for mornings at a one-week summer camp. In San Miguel, he goes twice a week, and the month only costs $125 with one-on-one teachers. It’s the same with piano lessons. In the U.S., it was $150 a month for one lesson a week. Here in San Miguel, it’s $20 a lesson, so only $80 a month. His Tae Kwan Do is less than half the price at $60 a month twice a week and includes competitions.

Michelle and Micha are embracing their vibrant new life in San Miguel.

Greater affordability indulges Michelle’s love of traveling as well. They regularly travel and go on road trips to explore the beauty of Mexico. They’ve jumped off waterfalls, hiked mountains, ridden trains, and taken trips to Mexico City for Micha’s birthday.

She is very grateful for her life in San Miguel. Michelle explains, “The relationship I have with Micha is stronger because we can afford to do more things together. We’ve been to Oaxaca and did the 20-hour bus ride to Chihuahua to ride the El Chepe train for nine hours and have adventures.”

“Because Mexico is so diverse and interesting, I find myself going on many road trips within about five hours of where I live.” Last week, Michelle and Micha went to Zamora, a local town a few hours away, which was amazing. “We also went to Lake Camécuaro, about three hours away, and it had the most amazing water. It’s so beautiful there.”

Greater affordability also means healthcare is more accessible. Michelle explains, “I had a medical emergency with Micha and went to a medical consultation at a pharmacy, and there was no cost attached. He said, ‘You give what you want.’”

Health insurance and specialized healthcare are also cheaper. Michelle says, “I went to La Joya Hospital and got a mammogram and an ultrasound, and it was 800 pesos ($47) for both. For health insurance, you can get great coverage here for a lot less.”

It’s not just healthcare. While talking with Michelle, she realized it was time for Micha to be picked up from school, so she sent her driver to pick him up (he had permission from Michelle with the school). She said, “I’m very thankful for my life here; back in Florida, I could never afford to do that.”

Even with luxuries like this, Michelle says, “For my son and me, we spend about $1700 to $2000 a month. That’s rent, including all utilities, school fees, and tuition at a really good school. I expected the utilities, like water, would be more, but they were less.”

This monthly budget includes their favorite Sunday pastime—gorging themselves at a taco stand after shopping. “There’s a taqueria in town we go to, and we always eat for around $12 for both of us.”

But some Sundays are for indulging with friends. Michelle says her favorite thing is “going to Sunday brunch with friends at a local vineyard in San Lucas. It offers unlimited food with healthy options for $45. It has a Mexican station, salad bars, grill stations with salmon and meats, a dessert bar, etc. You can sit there all day and eat and chat. Over ten years ago in Miami, I went to a similar brunch which started at $75.”

Being a single mother embraced by the community, Michelle has never felt unsafe in San Miguel or anywhere else in Mexico. She loves the warmth of the people and didn’t find it hard to integrate at all. Quickly making friends by welcoming the culture with open arms, Michelle says, “I have made beautiful Mexican friends by doing local traditions like a Temazcal. Even my housekeeper has become a dear friend, like family. We’re doing a cooking class at her aunt’s house in October, and being invited to their home for holidays and birthdays is always a treat.”

Of San Miguel, she says, “Once I moved here, it just opened itself up to me. People were so welcoming, warm, inviting, and supportive that I wanted to share that with others. That’s why I started Casa Elm.”

Casa Elm: Your welcoming haven in San Miguel de Allende.

Casa Elm is a beautiful guesthouse and safe haven for her clients (and anyone else) she is helping move to San Miguel and get established. “I wanted people to see life through my lens to formalize that this is for anyone.” A life like this is very achievable for every person.

Her business brings her great satisfaction, just like her morning walks, which are Michelle’s favorite part of the day. Her neighborhood, Los Frailes, just out of town, is quiet and peaceful. The cool mountain air is heavy with the perfumes of the abundant flowering gardens, and in her words, “magnificent trees and flowers” while listening to birds singing is a relaxing way to start the day.

Finally, when asked if she had any words of advice for those thinking of moving to San Miguel, Michelle summed it up perfectly: “Respect the culture, respect the people, respect the fact that they receive us as foreigners. I always say walk lightly; walk with grace.”

And Michelle certainly does that well in her vibrant new life in San Miguel.

You can find more info on Casa Elm here:

• Website: Casa Elm

• YouTube: Casa Elm in San Miguel

• Facebook: Casa Elm Boutique Guesthouse

• Instagram: Casa Elm in San Miguel