Puerto Vallarta , Mexico ( CNN ) -- It 's the life Sara Wise always dreamed of : a place with unbeatable weather , sunny beaches , good medical care and an active social life -- and all at very affordable prices . The former manager of retail businesses did n't find what she wanted in her native U.S. , but rather just south of the border in Mexico . For the last six years , the 63-year-old Minnesotan and her 70-year-old husband Mike Wise , both retired , have been enjoying the warm weather and friendly beaches of Puerto Vallarta , a resort on the Pacific coast . They have a very active social life and say they have more friends in Mexico than they ever did in the United States , mainly because Puerto Vallarta is full of people just like them . According to local government estimates , there are around 35,000 U.S. and Canadian citizens living in Puerto Vallarta , many of them retired like Mike and Sara . `` We get together and we have happy hours , we have wine and appetizers , we have coffees in different neighborhoods and we get together at different restaurants , '' Sara Wise says . Medical care is another factor they considered when they decided to move here . To their surprise , they found more options for quality health care and at much more affordable prices than in the United States , including procedures like surgeries and advanced dental care . `` The accessibility to the doctors is something that we never experienced in the United States and from what we understand it 's getting more difficult , not less , '' Mike Wise says . `` And the cost is somewhere between a quarter to a half of what things cost in the U.S. '' Puerto Vallarta has adapted to this relatively new , foreign clientele . Around town , doctors and dentists put out signs in English , and often have English-speaking employees . Kimberly Altman , 63 , a retiree from California who has been living in Puerto Vallarta for three-and-a-half years , says a doctor 's visit is usually $ 40 . `` No matter what they do , $ 40 per visit and you can get to see them the very same day you need them . It 's very convenient in a lot of ways , '' Altman says . Mike Altman , 68 , Kimberly 's husband , says affordability goes well beyond just medical care . For him , part of the beauty of living in Puerto Vallarta is how far dollars go when it comes to real estate . `` We have an ocean view , 3,000-square-foot condominium that I can afford on my Social Security . How 's that ? We have 24-hour security and indoor parking , '' Altman says . According to the U.S. Department of State , 1 million American citizens of all ages live in Mexico , and 20.3 million visited as tourists -- making it the No . 1 destination for U.S. travelers . The number of expats living in Mexico has continued to grow , local officials say , despite safety concerns from the drug violence which has made headlines around the world . Jesus Gallegos Ã .
Mexico has drug violence but it is still attractive to retirees . Cost of homes and medicines are cheaper , they say . In Puerto Vallarta , local businesses employing English speakers . About 1 million U.S. citizens are living in Mexico , State Department says .