Living in Mexico Guide 2021

"I love the weather. It's only rained twice in the last 3 months. The beaches and Malecon are clean and beautiful. However the trash issue is obvious everywhere else although the city is making a noticeable effort. The stray dogs are an issue in town if you are a pet owner. The rent is super cheap but sometimes so are the amenities so don't expect to find a bathtub in any home and most hotels and remember, even with such affordable housing you get what you pay for in the end. The people are a mixed bag. But mostly great with foreigners because that's their bread and butter. I have only encountered a few anti-Americans and the young adult generation don't think twice about it. 2021 Expat Exchange Best Places to Live Survey

Key Facts about Mexico

Population: approximately 126,014,000 (2020 Census) Climate: Varied - Tropical to Desert Language: Spanish Only: 93% - Spanish & Indigenous: 6% Cost of Living: Moderate - Varies by Location Are Residents Taxed on Worldwide Income? Yes for Residents of Mexico Can Foreigners Own Property? Yes (some significant restrictions) (Info) Healthcare System: Public & Private, Health Insurance Recommended, Better Hospitals in Developed Areas vs. Rural Areas (Info) Visa & Residency: Temporary vs. Permanent Residency Work Visas: Temporary Residents Need Permission - Permanent Residents Do Not Best Places to Live: Merida, Ensenada, Nuevo Vallarta, Lake Chapala, Puerto Vallarta, many others. (Info) COVID-19: Current information about COVID-19 in Mexico (Entry & Exit Requirements, Testing, Vaccines, Restrictions)

Religion: Roman Catholic 83%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, other Evangelical Churches 5%, other 2%, none 5%, unspecified 3% (2010 est.) Urbanization: 81% of population living in urban areas Type of Government: federal presidential republic Capital City: Mexico City Economy: Mexico's $2.4 trillion economy, which is the 11th largest in the world, has become increasingly oriented toward manufacturing since the passage of NAFTA in 1994. Literacy Rate: 95% Crime: Mexico has a high crime rate and can be violent, from random street crime to cartel-related attacks.

Best Places to Live in Mexico

While Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico, there are many other places that expats choose to live. Most expats prefer to live on the coast or on or near places like Lake Chapala, which is home to tens of thousands of expats and has an amazingly consistent climate with temperatures almost always in the mid 70s. Other popular options include: Merida, Ensenada, Nuevo Vallarta, Manzanillo, San Miguel de Allende, Sayulita, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, or Cabo San Lucas.

If you want to live on the beach in Mexico, there are several options for you to consider.

The Riviera Maya is one of the popular places to consider. It is a stretch of coastline on the Yucatan peninsula along the Caribbean Sea. It starts south of Cancun with the city of Puerto Morelos and runs south to the city of Tulum. (The limits of it are described somewhat differently by varying sources.) Playa del Carmen is perhaps the most famous destination.

Our article the 9 Best Places to Live on Mexico's Pacific Coast is a great place to start to get a sense of what towns in that part of the country would be a good fit for you.

Cost of Living in Mexico

As with anywhere else, it's important for people interested in living in Mexico to understand the cost of living there. Monthly living expenses are very subjective - location, lifestyle and medical insurance costs are among the many factors that influence your monthly expenses. If you want to live frugally without a car, dining out infrequently and traveling little, your monthly expenses will be far lower than those who choose otherwise. If you want to enjoy dining out, drinks, traveling and entertaining, the expenses will obviously go up.

An expat in Playa del Carmen offered: "The cost of living here is one of the most expensive in Mexico but is still much more affordable than the US. We eat out everyday....spend about $20 for two - for a complete meal, then tend to eat something light at night. I attend Zumba and pay for my monthly classes about $30, My husband goes to an amazing gym - classes included - about $50 a month. I never do my own laundry because there are laundry services everywhere. We spend about $5 a week. Gas is more expensive about $4 a gallon. Many appliances and sheets are about double the cost of what we pay in the US. So these items I try to bring from there."

Healthcare in Mexico

Mexico has universal (public) healthcare and a private healthcare system. Expats typically choose more than one type of healthcare coverage and use them differently based upon the care they need. For example, an expat may use the public system for routine medical issues and prescription medicines and the private system for surgeries, serious health issues and emergencies. Depending upon where they live in Mexico, some expats will choose to return home for care when that makes the most sense for them. It's important to consider all of this when researching and obtaining international health insurance for Mexico.

Carefully research all of the options you'll find listed here on Expat Exchange. There are a variety of expat and nomad insurance providers that suit a variety of different needs based upon coverage, age, costs and more.

Visa & Residency

Expats in Mexico have to make a few choices in terms of how to manage their visa & residency status. Mexico generously allows people from the United States and some other countries to live there for up to 180 days a year. However, if you would like to exceed that time period, you will need to gain temporary, and eventually permanent, residency status.

The process involved in gaining temporary or permanent residency status is not overly complicated but it must be followed exactly or you risk having to go back and start from the beginning.

One expat in Mexico advised: "The main thing to know is that you must start your residency request outside of Mexico, at a Mexican consulate. Then you have 30 days to present yourself to the Mexico immigrations. There are professional groups that will do all of this for you, for a fee, of course."

Pros & Cons of Living in Mexico

Expat and global nomad life can be full of adventure, but they come with a long set of challenges to go along with all those rewards. It's much different than being a tourist, but you'll need to navigate day-to-day life where the language is often not your native tongue and the sights and smells will not remind you of home. If you're seriously considering a move to Mexico, take off the rose-colored glasses and get a realistic view of what life there will be like - the good, the bad and everything in between. Read through the articles referenced here and use our Mexico Forum to talk with expats on the ground.

"I love Mexico City because there are a lot of things to do and it's a very walkable city. However, I recognize that it can be unsafe and this is the only negative," shared an expat in our 2021 Best Places to Live Survey.

Another expat in Mexico shared: "The weather is perfect, the food is good. Many people are kind but some just want to rip you off. I like learning a language and a new culture. We don't get cruise ships or big boats but I miss sailing. This is a surfer's ocean and too rough to swim in. The streets are not paved evenly so it is easy to fall if you miss something small. Taxis, doctors and many meds are all affordable. Certain meds are over the roof. Many drugs are not available even to doctors. The health system sucks for everyone. Thank goodness I can afford to use the services of the one private hospital.

Moving to Mexico

SHOPPING is great. Many do their grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Chedraui (the Mexican version of Wal-Mart that is fantastic) the Mega store and others. Fifth Avenue is known for its lively, atmosphere with stores, restaurants with all types of specialty foods such as Mexican, Argentinian, Brazilian, French, Italian, Seafood, Steak and even fast food places like McDonald's and Burger King, Domino's Pizza, KFC. We have Office Depot, Home Depot, DHL, Fedex...just about everything.

An expat in Lake Chapala shared: "Rent your first house for a 2-3 month period while you look over the entire area and decide where you really want to rent, then go for a long term lease at a reduced rate. Use every resource available to you in your new area. Don't think you can learn it on your own. We thought we could and suffered for it. Take the help that others want to give."

Retiring in Manzanillo, Mexico

"We have a small but active expat community. We have a ladies lunch group once a month to hear speakers on local issues and meet other expats, plus keep up on what is happening in town. We have a couples group that has dinners every Thursday at different restaurants also to meet the other expats. We have golf groups, tennis, bridge, cards, a church service or two in English. We also have a new Gold's gym. The University of Colima has a great music department that has brought us some classical music concerts the last few years, this year we are having Romeo and Juliet. We have many great restaurants and most have live music and dancing."

Real Estate in Mexico

Foreigners absolutely can buy real estate in Mexico. While restricted zones were written into the Mexican constitution, the government circumvented these restrictions decades ago in order to monetize the nation's beautiful geography and desirable weather. While historically, foreigners were prevented from purchasing property within ~60 miles of an international border or ~30 miles of the coastline, there is now a process that makes it possible via indirect acquisition through a trust owned by a Mexican corporation or other financial entity.