Interesting article on RV park vacancy rate in Mazatlan.

...know lot of folks that do not travel down in there rigs because of Costs. and now rent apts and homes here.

...I think you nailed it (at least for us). The cost of hauling an big honking RV from northern North America all the way down to central Mexico (and, back!) is brutal. There are many costs that most RVers, who aren't CPAs, don't figure properly or at all into the cost (but they mysteriously see it at the end of the year in their financial situation): buying, insuring, maintaining, depreciation and feeding "the beast".

Those US citizens that live near the Mexican "frontera" would still take a full hit on all the above costs, but less so on food (metaphor for diesel/gasoline). Think about it. We went through the same exercise, and came to the conclusion that RVing in Florida (we're on the east coast: south/Central Florida is the closest guaranteed warm spot; The RGV is, well, too cold: weather-fickle) at a 3 month "Snowbird Special Price" of $510 a month + electricity @ fairly low kilowatt cost, and a good long 2 day drive, is WAAAAY less expensive (mileage/wear & tear/time-to-destination, etc) than the huge "Overland" needed to get to a decent beach-- mostly on Mexico's west coast; The Yucatan Riviera Maya is just far too long-haul for us with an RV.

Safety isn't even a concern for us in Mexico (we're both old hats at living/working in Latin America, and speak the language perfectamente bien). So, we decided when we "want Mexico, or Costa Rica, or Panama", we'll fly there (from Plattsburgh Air Force base-turned-civilian airport: an hour's drive for us) for a few hundred bucks return, and rent a nice cheap condo with an ocean view, for peanuts$.

Anyhow, this is just one voice of the many hundreds of thousands who carefully considered "RVing in Mexico" as a snowbird, or alternative. I don't claim to speak for more than myself, nor do I claim to represent the voice of thousands of Snowbirds contemplating said locales...

Silver-