Living la vida loca with a move to Mexico, as the locals say, can give you an adventurous, new lease on life in one of the most diverse, vast, and beautiful Latin American countries out there, as well as all the good, bad, and ugly that go with it!
In my time spent in living in various cities framed by the azure waters of the Mayan Rivera, as well as my travels all over the country, I encountered many things that stood out to me, for better or for worse, that I thought definitely gave me a great overall view of what life as an American expat is really like south of the border. So without further ado, here’s my main Pros and Cons list for you, to help you see what it’s really like moving to Mexico as an expat! Vamos!
Pros: Amazing Year Round Weather
Being so close to the equator does great things for your country and your complexion, and in Mexico this is no different. With a balmy, warm tropical climate year round surrounding most places on the coastal plains, cities from Cabo to Cancun enjoy nearly perfect climate twelve months a year, all the better to enjoy beach and margarita days whenever you feel like.
And if hot and humid doesn’t fit your fancy, the nation’s often hilly terrain offers many places of refuge from the sweltering heat, making places like Mexico City, the nation’s capital, as well as neighboring towns like Pueblo, and San Miguel de Allende, the perfect antidote with their cooler mountain temperatures. If you choose to move to Mexico, you’ll have your pick of whatever climate you prefer, all in a beautiful Latin American setting.
Pros: Unbelievably Great Food
This should go without saying, but Mexican food is truly the food of the gods, and despite how good those Mission style tacos from San Francisco might be, they got nothing on the taquerias here in the land of the luchadores. And each Mexican state has it’s own regional culinary flare, giving you 32 different varieties of delicioso, from mole to machaca, to everything in between. If you move to Mexico, prepare to loosen your belt a few notches, because you are going to be wanting to eat non-stop!
Oh, and just in case you’re having avocado cravings, fret not, because routinely you’ll find the local grown fatty fruit just about everywhere, some the sizes of small watermelons, to help get your ‘guac’ on, or a particularly huge piece of toast!
Pros: Beautiful, Easy to Learn Language
Despite being well acquainted with tourists and expats over the years, and as such a very high understanding of English can be widely found, as the largest Spanish speaking country on Earth, Mexico possesses a native tongue that is not only lively and alluring, but also remarkably one of the easiest to pick up as a second language.
Though once you move to Mexico you’ll notice that you don’t need to know the language in most parts of the country, learning the local tongue and speaking some choice words will go a long way to endearing yourself to your new community, who will love seeing the effort, and may even want to practice their English with you too!
Cons: Higher Crime Rates (in certain parts of the country)
Of course, trouble can happen even in paradise, and when it comes to ongoing drug wars that have plagued Mexico for years, the violent murders that have happened in the country remain in the back of every person’s mind who steps foot in the country. And while it is extremely unlikely to ever affect tourists, as most of the cartel violence happens usually far away from where the tourists and expats live, it hasn’t been unheard of for foreigners to be occasionally caught up in the mix, as some shootings in Playa Del Carmen nightclubs, or on the once hallowed beaches of Acapulco would tell you.
That said, though I personally believe Mexico is on the whole a very safe country for foreigners on the whole, precautions to avoid certain areas in the north and center regions of the country, as well as simply exercising simple common sense, can go a long way towards keeping you and your loved ones safe, should you choose to move to Mexico, and make this country your new home.
Cons: Can Tend to be Over-touristy
Of course it would be remiss to not add that while a move to Mexico is a great idea, it isn’t exactly a very unique one. It’s time as a hidden gem on the world’s tourism scene is well and truly over – the country is routinely one of the most popular travel destinations on the planet, and has only gained even more of an appeal, as they were one of the only countries on Earth to remain fully open during the coronavirus pandemic.
This of course leads to all the good and bad that comes with that, from seedy hustlers and belligerent salespeople in certain areas of Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, as well as an increase in prices in the most popular locales. However, there are amazing deals to still be had in even the most popular regions (think Merida instead of Tulum, Puerto Vallarta instead of Puerto Escondido, etc), and there are still many undiscovered parts of Mexico that don’t suffer nearly as much as others from the snake-oil salesman pitch, that can get rather corrosive after a while.
Pros: Incredibly Friendly People
The warmth and closeness of the people translates towards a very laid-back, welcoming vibe that Mexicans have in absolute strides. There are few better countries in the world to move to as an expat if you want to make local friends quickly, than here in Mexico – as the openness to new neighbors, and the strong sense of community give this nation top ranks for those looking to find camaraderie in a new culture and place.
Passionate, cheerful, and vibrant, Mexicans are some of the most hospitable people on the planet, and once you make friends with the locals as a new expat to the country, you’ll soon be wondering why you didn’t try packing those bags even sooner for your exciting move to Mexico!
Pros: Never Run out of Fun Things to Do
In a country a big and diverse as Mexico, there are literally so many things to do, and places to see that it can honestly be a bit overwhelming at first! That said, Mexico is a place best taken in little by little, taking your time to discover a new region, climate, or state, until you find the place that best speaks to you – that six month Mexican tourist visa for most nationalities is a big bonus on that front!
Whether you want to be sun-tanning at the beach, with some of the best quality sand in the world, or hiking in the mountaintops, deep in the jungle, or even walking around old colonial towns, picturing yourself walking around in a different time entirely, the choice is up to you – and the possibilities are truly endless once you move to Mexico!
Cons: Less Good Quality Healthy Options
Though the food is honestly amazing in Mexico, I unfortunately did find the overall quality of the produce to be lacking somewhat. Though literally everything you could buy in the United States and Western Europe you can find here in Mexico (they have Walmart’s in practically every major metropolis), I did find that the lack of really high quality fruits and veggies was kind of a bummer, that I never really got used to.
Of course, if you go super local, and eat as the locals do, avocados, tomatillos, potatoes and the like can be had for super cheap, and super high quality as well. And of course, where one can get cheap local fare, one can also get cheap local vices – cigars, alcohol, and cigarettes are also very affordable, so once you move to Mexico, enjoy the gran fiesta – responsibly. 😉
Cons: Air Quality and Environment can be Lacking
Unfortunately, one of the side effects of becoming a rapidly developed industrial powerhouse like Mexico has become over the years is the unfortunate impacts that has on the environment. Think morning air smog over Mexico City, that at times can become hazardous to ones health, or the lackluster view on trash collection in some parts, where it isn’t uncommon to see random bits of garbage lying around in the streets.
That said, though air quality can leave a lot to be desired, there are also plenty of places further up-field from the major population zones (instead of Guadalajara, think Lake Ajijic for example) that are perfectly clean and environmentally clean – it seems to be a major rule of thumb that if you stay a little bit away from the crowds, and closer to nature, things seem to truly be healthier, and more down to Earth, pardon the pun!
Pros: Location, Location, Location
And even if you somehow manage to wake up one Taco Tuesday, and decide you’re feeling the urge to change things up a little, Mexico is well positioned geographically to not only be a great gateway to many of the other nations in Latin America, but also is often only a few hours flight away from the United States too.
Major airports in cities like Mexico City and Cancun are also very well connected internationally to other places outside the region as well, with flights to Europe and Asia flying out of the country on quite a regular basis as well, with Aeromexico offering flights to Tokyo, and even Turkish Airlines offering a direct route to Istanbul, straight from the shores of the Riviera Maya.
Destination: Mexico, Living la vida loca at the Heart of Latin America!
Well there you have it – 10 Different Things to Consider when moving to Mexico! Have you or loved ones ever lived in Mexico? What was your experience as an expat there? Let me know in the comments below!