Moving to Mexico

The idea of living in Mexico tends to arrive softly.

Sometimes it starts as a vacation that lingers in your memory longer than it should. Sometimes it’s a growing sense that life has become more expensive, more hurried, or more constrained than it needs to be. And sometimes it’s simply curiosity — a feeling that there might be another way to live, somewhere else, without fully knowing what that would look like yet.

Mexico often appears early in that exploration. It offers proximity to the United States, cultural richness, dramatically different costs of living, and a way of life that can feel more human and grounded. But it also brings real tradeoffs — legal, financial, logistical, and emotional — that don’t always show up in glossy guides or social media posts.

This guide is for people who are considering Mexico, whether it’s one of several countries on your shortlist or the place you keep returning to in your thinking. You don’t need to be decided. You don’t need a timeline yet. What matters is understanding how life in Mexico actually works — and whether it truly fits the life you want to build.

We’ll explore the practical realities of living in Mexico, the questions most people overlook, and the decisions that tend to shape whether the move feels liberating or quietly stressful over time. The goal isn’t to sell a dream. It’s to help you think clearly, early, and with fewer regrets.

Is Moving to Mexico Right for You?

For many people, Mexico enters the picture as a feeling before it becomes a plan. It can represent relief — from cost pressures, from constant urgency, or from a sense that daily life has become unnecessarily complicated.

Rather than asking, “Is Mexico good or bad?” the more useful question is, “Is Mexico a good fit for me, given how I actually live, earn, and plan?” That distinction tends to determine whether the experience feels expansive or quietly stressful over time.

Visas and Legal Residency in Mexico

Many visitors arrive on a tourist entry and discover that they’re allowed to remain for months at a time, which creates the impression that residency is informal or flexible. In practice, long-term life in Mexico still rests on clear legal categories.

For most people considering a longer stay, the decision eventually comes down to temporary or permanent residency. These categories mirror patterns found in many countries, though the details differ. For a broader framework on how residency systems typically function — including discretion, eligibility, and long-term implications — see Pathways to Visas, Residency and Citizenship.

Residency is not just an immigration issue. Your status can affect banking access, healthcare enrollment, tax exposure, and housing decisions. These connections are rarely discussed together, but they tend to surface later, often when people are already committed.

Housing in Mexico: Renting vs Buying

For many newcomers, renting first provides space to learn. Neighborhoods that look similar on a map can feel very different day to day.

Buying can make sense in the right circumstances — but timing and structure matter. These questions mirror issues that arise in many countries, and they’re explored more generally in Renting vs Buying While Living Abroad.

Free guide: Renting vs Buying While Living Abroad

One of the most common — and expensive — mistakes people make when relocating internationally is committing to housing too early, or for the wrong reasons.

Get the free guide

Tip: You can read this later — it’s a reference for when housing decisions get real.

A Smarter Way to Decide

Mexico can be a deeply rewarding place to live, but it isn’t the right fit for everyone. Some people ultimately discover that another country — such as Costa Rica — better aligns with their priorities around infrastructure, pace of life, or long-term stability.

Clarity often comes not from solving each question in isolation, but from stepping back and evaluating how the pieces fit together. That’s the intention behind All Points Intelligence.

The Guidebook to Living in Mexico expands on the topics above with practical detail — including residency pathways, healthcare, housing decisions, and regional differences.