Best Places to Live in Mexico

Use Our Interactive Map To Explore Some Special & Safe Places In Paradise That We Love

Click on the gold buttons on our interactive map for information on “living” in that place. The green buttons will tell you about a day-trip, or tour, to the named area. The blue buttons are simply for reference – to give you an idea of where our “places” are relative to known Mexican cities. So, now sit back and start shopping for your new “place.”

Best Places To Live & Visit In Mexico

All of our “best places” are in the safe areas for living in Mexico (as designated by the U.S. State Department) and most have established ex-pat communities with whom you can connect for help and advice on how to muddle through the miasma that is often inherent in living outside the United States and Canada.

Find Your Ideal Place To Live In Our Expat Guide

Inside The Guide You’ll Get

Our suggested best places to live
A report on how truly safe it is
The real cost of living
The steps for planning a move
Real estate purchasing advice
Health care coverage options
Insider Expat Tips and more!

Facts and stats on different places to live in Mexico.

For detailed information by state on safety, go to “Murder in Mexico. What a Joke!”

In our “At a Glance” charts on each “place” page, you will find ratings for Lifestyle and Safety. For the Lifestyle codes, a “-” will mean the low end of the range and a “+” will be the high end. For the safety ratings, the Mexican states are coded by number of Americans murdered in 2010 and 2011. For a reality check regarding safety in Mexico, be sure to check our chart on the “Murder in Mexico. What a Joke! page. North of the Mexican border is far more dangerous for Americans and Canadians than Mexico is.

These place articles will give you some general information on what to expect in the areas we have highlighted. Each place article starts with a “Lifestyle” rating from our “Lifestyle Rating” chart which will give you an idea of what kind of net income it requires to live comfortably in the area. If you haven’t rated your lifestyle yet, you can do so by using our Lifestyle chart and the related forms found on the Lifestyle menu. You will read about attractions in the area, shopping, international air travel, hospitals and medical care and the cultural distinctions that are unique to that part of Mexico.

	Pacific Coast Here’s where you’ll find the some of the best surfing beaches in the world. And, the well-known, glamour beaches, like Acapulco, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and, of course, the surfer haven of Sayulita. The Pacific coast of Mexico is rugged terrain falling into beautiful, and sometimes dangerous, beaches. If the ocean is your bag, [...]
	The Mayan Riviera The Riviera Maya area of the Yucatan Peninsula stretches from Cancun through Playa del Carmen southward to Tulum, and includes the island of Cozumel, located 20 kilometers from Playa del Carmen into the Caribbean. Many people, both visitors and residents, believe this area has the best beaches in the world. If you are into scuba diving, [...]
	Central Mexico In central Mexico are two of the most popular spots for expats to move: the Lake Chapala area and San Miguel de Allende. Both places have large gringo populations – large enough to affect the local economy. San Miguel de Allende has been around a long time, but after its colonial architecture was discovered in the 1930s, it blossomed into [...]
	Yucatan Peninsula Unique among the mix of peoples who have become Mexico, are the Yucatecans. Once an independent country, by mutual agreement, Yucatan became part of Mexico in 1821, went independent again in 1823, and finally rejoined Mexico for good in 1825. However, the defining observation about this blend of Mayan, Spanish, Caribbean, French and Middle Eastern (yes, Middle Eastern!) cultures [...]
	Baja California Sur There is a lot more to Baja California (Sur) than surfing, sand and rocks. Wonderful wine growing areas and fresh seafood make the tip of the Baja peninsula a great place to live. In fact, here is where you’ll find the best fish, oysters, clams and scallops you’ll ever taste. Winter brings the whale migration from Alaska, and [...]