Mexico
Closest to home, easiest logistics: fly back in hours, huge expat infrastructure, temporary residency that's simple if you have savings, and your dollar goes far.
Temporary residency via financial solvency (roughly $4,300+/mo income or ~$72k savings; consulates vary); becomes permanent at 4 years. 180-day tourist entries for scouting.
Foreigners buy freely inland; within 50km of coast/100km of border you buy via a bank trust (fideicomiso) — routine but adds fees.
Excellent private care in major cities at 30–50% of US prices; quality varies outside them. Many expats pay cash + private insurance.
Good fiber in cities and expat hubs; patchy rural.
Widely spoken in expat hubs (San Miguel, Lake Chapala, PV, Mérida); Spanish needed for bureaucracy.
Comfortable on $2k/mo in most of the country; beach hotspots cost more.
Hugely variable by region. Expat hubs (Yucatán, highlands) are safe; check specific states, not national headlines.
Good highways and airports in the center; water/power quirks and topes everywhere else.
CDMX has a massive metro and intercity luxury buses (ADO) are superb; expat towns are walkable but car-ish between them.
Fine once you learn topes and toll roads; night driving between cities is a no.
UTC-6: ~8h of a 9–5 Pacific workday falls in local waking hours.
Among the easiest pet imports anywhere — health cert, done.
Stable federal democracy with corruption and cartel-influence pockets.
Air quality and enforcement lag; conservation gems exist.
CDMX is a world art capital; muralism-to-galleries depth everywhere.
CDMX eats globally (5/5 city); smaller towns are gloriously, relentlessly Mexican.
Colonial-city homes and Yucatán builds still strong value; beach hotspots have gringo pricing.
The unbeatable card — same-day travel to almost anywhere in the US.
Citizenship after 5 years (2 if married to a Mexican); dual OK; straightforward exam.
The largest American expat population in the world, hubs everywhere.
CDMX and tourist zones very open (same-sex marriage nationwide); rural areas more traditional.
Real seismic risk (center/Pacific) and hurricanes on both coasts; highlands like San Miguel are calmer.
Supreme Court decriminalized personal use; regulated market never fully legislated — possession small amounts tolerated, sale illegal.
Residents taxed on worldwide income, but US treaty + foreign tax credits mean most retirees owe little extra; many keep US-source finances untouched.
Upsides
- +2–5 hr flights home to see kids/grandkids
- +Massive, mature expat communities
- +US goods, banks, and Amazon all reachable
- +Highland cities = eternal spring weather
Downsides
- –Security situation varies sharply by state
- –Noise, infrastructure quirks
- –Fideicomiso adds cost on coastal property
- –Bureaucracy runs on patience
Before you go
- !Consulate shopping matters — solvency thresholds differ
- !Don't buy property for a year; rent in 2–3 towns first
- !Private health insurance gets expensive to start after 65 — enroll early
Plan your scouting trip
Check what Mexico requires for a long stay and apply online.
Health cover that travels with you — scouting trips and after the move.
An eSIM with data in Mexico the minute you land.
Book a month in Mexico for the scouting trip before you commit.
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Making the move to Mexico?
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