Where Americans have actually settled in Mexico, who each place suits, and the practical detail that decides whether you enjoy living there.
Lake Chapala: Ajijic, Chapala, San Antonio Tlayacapan
The single largest American and Canadian retirement community outside the United States, with tens of thousands of foreign residents.
A climate that has been described as the second best in the world, sitting at 1,500 metres with daily highs in the low to mid 20s Celsius almost year round, needing neither heating nor air conditioning. Guadalajara international airport and world-class hospitals are 45 minutes away. Everything from bridge clubs to English-speaking hospice care already exists.
Typical couple’s budget: $2,200 per month
San Miguel de Allende
Culturally minded retirees with a higher budget.
A UNESCO colonial city with an arts and literary scene built by seventy years of American residents. Beautiful and safe. Prices have risen to the point where it is no longer a value destination.
Retirees who prioritise safety and a real Mexican city over a foreign enclave.
Consistently among the safest cities in the Americas, with excellent private hospitals, a magnificent colonial centre, Gulf beaches 30 minutes away and a rapidly growing American population. The heat is the trade-off.
Typical couple’s budget: $2,100 per month
Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit
Beach-focused retirees, and a large and long-established LGBTQ community.
A genuine international airport, full-service hospitals, walkable neighbourhoods and a foreign community large enough that services are built around it.
Typical couple’s budget: $2,600 per month
Baja California Sur: La Paz, Todos Santos, Los Cabos
Retirees from the western United States who want to stay drivable.
Desert-and-sea climate, direct flights to the West Coast, and for La Paz specifically a calm real city rather than a resort. Water supply and summer heat are the constraints.
Retirees who want modern infrastructure and are indifferent to a foreign community.
Among the safest and most prosperous parts of Mexico, with excellent hospitals, clean modern cities, temperate highland climates and very few foreign retirees.
Typical couple’s budget: $2,200 per month
Practical detail
Climate
Mexico is not one climate. The central highlands sit above 1,500 metres and are temperate year round with no need for heating or cooling. The coasts are hot and humid, with a rainy season roughly June to October. The north is desert. Altitude, not latitude, is the variable that matters most.
Spanish is genuinely necessary outside the established expat towns. Inside Lake Chapala, San Miguel and parts of Puerto Vallarta you can function in English indefinitely, which many residents regard as a mixed blessing.
Banking
Most Mexican banks require a residence card and a CURP before opening an account. Once open, transfers from U.S. accounts are straightforward, and many retirees keep Social Security going to a U.S. account and move money as needed. Card acceptance is widespread in cities and cash still rules in small towns and markets.
Driving
A valid U.S. licence is accepted for driving in Mexico, and most states will issue a Mexican licence to residents with minimal formality. Mexican liability insurance is mandatory and U.S. policies are not valid. Note the vehicle rule: temporary residents may keep a foreign-plated car under a temporary import permit, permanent residents may not.
Internet
Fibre is widely available in cities and expat towns and is inexpensive. Starlink has made rural and coastal locations viable in a way they were not five years ago.
Bringing pets
Mexico simplified pet entry considerably. Dogs and cats generally enter without a rabies certificate requirement, subject to a health inspection at the point of entry. Airline rules and summer heat embargoes are usually a bigger obstacle than the regulations.
Shipping your belongings
Residents can import household goods under a menaje de casa permit obtained through a Mexican consulate before shipping, with a detailed inventory. Driving your belongings across the border is common and the permit still applies.
Presence requirements
No minimum presence requirement, but you must be in Mexico to renew a temporary card.
Where Expats Live in Mexico: common questions
Should I buy or rent first?
Rent, for at least six to twelve months. Neighbourhoods that look identical online differ enormously in noise, water pressure, internet reliability, walkability and winter light, and none of that is visible from a listing. Almost every experienced expatriate gives this advice and almost every new arrival ignores it.
How do I choose between these places?
Work backwards from healthcare and climate, which are the two things you cannot change once you arrive. Then weigh community, cost and language. Most people over-weight cost at the start and under-weight distance from a hospital that can handle something serious.
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Applying for the visa itself
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