One of the top winners in this year’s Overseas Retirement Index was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, which is no surprise when you see all it has to offer…
A vibrant coastal lifestyle combined with strong infrastructure, affordable health care, excellent air access, and a large, welcoming expat community are just the tip of the iceberg…
Mexico’s Pacific Coast offers year-round warmth, and this historic city boasts abundant dining and cultural options, reliable public transport, and an overall luxury lifestyle at a bargain price.
Puerto Vallarta stands out as one of Mexico’s most livable, well-rounded retirement and expat destinations—but it’s far from the only good option! This massive country offers a wide range of livable destinations with different climates, costs, and lifestyles.
This week’s video delves into Puerto Vallarta as well as shining a light on two other standout alternatives, each offering its own blend of affordability, culture, and quality of life elsewhere in the country—discover them now…
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Happy trails,
Kat Kalashian,
Editor LIOS Confidential
Video Transcript
Intro
Hi, I’m Kat Kalashian for Live and Invest Overseas. Today we’re looking at the top three places in Mexico for a relaxing and affordable life.
Mexico is a classic and remains one of the favorite retirement destinations for Americans and Canadians because of its proximity, affordable cost of living, warm sunny weather, established expat communities, quality healthcare, relatively easy residency process, and rich culture, lifestyle, and culinary scene.
Here are three of our top havens for retirement in Mexico.
Mazatlán
Mazatlán sits on the Mexican Riviera and is the most northerly of these featured havens. With stunning beaches, growing tourism, and a rich cultural heritage, it stands out as a strong choice for retirees who want coastal living with convenience.
This Pacific-side city has a population of about half a million people and lies only around 200 miles south of the U.S. border. Many expats even drive there from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, or California, which makes it an especially easy place for part-time residents to move back and forth from the United States.
There are also plenty of direct flights from several cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Mazatlán is warm year-round and offers beautiful sandy beaches, nearby islands, hiking in the surrounding mountains, and nature reserves close at hand.
The city also boasts a large historic center full of colorful Spanish colonial architecture, lively plazas, and cobblestone streets.
It is an excellent place for dining, drinks, live music, outdoor cafés, theaters, art galleries, and shopping. It also hosts major festivals, including Carnival every February, which brings parades, live music, and elaborate costumes.
The Golden Zone, or Zona Dorada, is where nightlife is most vibrant, with bars, clubs, music, and dancing. Mazatlán remains one of our favorite retirement cities in Mexico because it offers upscale coastal living at a price that is still hard to beat.
People are friendly, and the expat community is active, welcoming, and supportive, which makes it easier for newcomers to feel at home quickly.
Anyone looking for an easy transition to life abroad, beachside living at a fraction of back-home costs, and a waterfront city with a Spanish colonial center full of entertainment and dining options should find Mazatlán especially appealing.
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is one of the better-known retirement destinations in Mexico, and for good reason. It is also on the Pacific coast, a few hours south of Mazatlán, and sits on Banderas Bay, one of the largest natural bays in the world.
The city has a population of around 230,000, so it is not overly dense, and it remains well connected with direct flights from the U.S. and Canada. Those flights are especially frequent from November through April, when travelers are escaping colder climates for the beach. Off-season flights are still available, though less frequent.
This is a very easy resort destination to reach, and as a beach city it offers multiple beautiful stretches of coastline for swimming, snorkeling, parasailing, jet skiing, sunbathing, and many other water activities.
The city’s long oceanfront promenade is one of its highlights. You can stroll along the bay with ocean views on one side and restaurants, bars, shops, and clubs on the other. Street performers, sculptures, artists, and monuments often line the route.
Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town is another major draw. It is a maze of cobblestone streets, cafés, markets, colorful buildings, galleries, boutiques, and varied restaurants.
The city also offers a botanical park, a marine park, a marina, and many outdoor adventure activities, from ziplining and hiking to ATV tours and fishing.
Puerto Vallarta has something for nearly everyone, whether you are looking for relaxed beach life or more active outdoor adventure. Because it is bordered by the Sierra Madre Mountains to the east, the scenery is stunning in every direction.
It also offers strong culture, excellent food, wellness centers, a large expat community, welcoming locals, and plenty of English speakers.
Anyone dreaming of living by the sea in a charming destination with a vibrant lifestyle should take Puerto Vallarta seriously.
Oaxaca
Our third and final featured destination is Oaxaca, which is somewhat less known than Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta and farther south as well.
Oaxaca City is not directly on the beach. It lies about 150 miles north of the Pacific coast, so the beach is still accessible, but not right outside your door. It is also not quite as well connected as some other Mexican destinations, though there are direct flights from places such as Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas, with some service being seasonal. Direct flights from Canada are more limited, though you may find seasonal options from cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
Oaxaca is surrounded by mountains, which means excellent hiking opportunities nearby. One of the standout attractions in the area is Hierve el Agua, a dramatic petrified waterfall formation that rises high above the surrounding landscape.
You can also drive to the coast for a weekend trip to places such as Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. The mountain roads can be a little nerve-racking, but there are also short regional flights available.
Oaxaca boasts a historic center that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is a wonderful place to spend a weekend walking through the main square, visiting churches, cathedrals, museums, and soaking in the city’s atmosphere.
You can also visit the ancient ruins of Monte Albán, one of Mesoamerica’s earliest cities, originally built by the Zapotecs around 500 B.C.
Oaxaca is especially famous for its cuisine, and you can enjoy that through both its markets and its varied restaurants. Signature foods and drinks include mole, tlayudas, and mezcal.
For retirees looking for a less touristy part of Mexico, one with a more authentic feel, vibrant local culture, and a sizable expat community, Oaxaca is an especially strong option.
It stands out for its charming colonial architecture, nearby ruins, waterfalls, mountain setting, and overall small-town feel. It is easy to get around on foot and still offers many of the conveniences of a larger city without as many of the headaches.
If culture is your priority, Oaxaca arguably has even more to offer than Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta, which tend to cater more directly to beach-seeking and sun-seeking visitors.
It is also known for its historic landmarks, indigenous culture, local art, and handicrafts.
When it comes to healthcare, affordability is one of the main reasons expats choose Mexico as a whole. Medical care is high quality, especially in larger cities and established tourist destinations.
In both Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, private healthcare can be comparable in standard to what many people expect in the United States, but at a much lower cost. Many doctors are fluent in English and many have trained abroad, including in the United States.
Oaxaca is somewhat smaller and does not have as many large-scale medical centers as Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta, but most routine healthcare needs can still be handled very well there.
Another practical benefit of relocating to Mexico is proximity. Because it is so close to the United States and Canada, retirees may choose to maintain Medicare or Canadian coverage back home and return when necessary for certain treatments.
