Mexico
United Mexican States · Capital: Mexico City
Mexico offers low living costs, warm climate, vibrant culture and easy access to the US, drawing huge expat and remote-worker communities to Mexico City, Mérida and the coasts. The Temporary Resident visa (based on income or savings) is the main route, with a four-year path to permanent residence.
Migration statistics
Who is arriving
Top source countries and the make-up of recent arrivals into Mexico.
Policy overview
6 visa routes into Mexico
Eligibility, fees, processing times and whether each route leads to permanent residence.
Temporary Resident Visa
InvestorTemporary Resident
Up to 4 years' residence for those who show sufficient monthly income or savings, the main route for remote workers and the financially independent.
Eligibility
- Proof of monthly income (~$4,300) or savings (~$73K)
- Apply at a consulate abroad
- Clean record
Document checklist (10 items)
Core
Professional
Financial
Background
Permanent Resident Visa
Permanent residencyPermanent Resident
Indefinite residence for higher income/savings, retirees with pension income, or after holding temporary residence.
Eligibility
- Higher income/savings threshold, or
- Qualifying pension, or
- 4 years as a temporary resident
Document checklist (10 items)
Core
Professional
Financial
Background
Work Visa
Temporary residence with work permission, sponsored by a Mexican employer holding an immigration registration.
Eligibility
- Job offer from a registered Mexican employer
- Relevant qualifications
- Employer immigration filing
Document checklist (10 items)
Core
Professional
Background
Investor / Business Route
InvestorInvestor
Temporary residence for those investing in or owning a Mexican company above the qualifying threshold.
Eligibility
- Qualifying investment or company ownership
- Proof of capital
- Business registration
Document checklist (11 items)
Core
Professional
Financial
Background
Student Visa
StudentStudent
Residence to study at a Mexican institution, with options to switch status afterward.
Eligibility
- Acceptance from a recognised institution
- Proof of funds
- Apply at a consulate
Document checklist (9 items)
Core
Professional
Financial
Background
Family Unit Residence
FamilyMX-FAM
Join a spouse, partner or close family member who is a citizen or resident.
Eligibility
- Genuine relationship to a citizen/resident
- Sponsor meets income/housing rules
- Relationship evidence
Document checklist (9 items)
Core
Professional
Financial
Background
Economic context
The numbers behind the move
Pay reflects the local market in Mexico, what you'd typically earn there, not your current salary.
Skill shortages
Sectors actively recruiting from abroad
Where Mexico needs foreign talent most, and what those roles pay.
Manufacturing & nearshoring
Nearshoring boom drives heavy demand for manufacturing and process engineers.
Technology
Guadalajara and CDMX tech hubs hire bilingual developers.
Healthcare
Private hospitals and medical tourism sustain clinical demand.
Aerospace & automotive
Querétaro aerospace and Bajío auto clusters need specialists.
Recent changes
What's changed lately
Recent policy changes that affect migrants, newest first.
No policy changes recorded in the last 90 days. The intelligence agent is monitoring.
Quality of life
What living there feels like
Mexico City
Capital & cultureA world-class food, art and startup scene at a fraction of US costs, pick the neighbourhood carefully.
- Cost index
- 55
- 1-bed rent
- $1,100
- Quality
- 74
Guadalajara
Mexico's tech hubThe country's tech capital, warmer and cheaper than the coasts, with deep cultural roots.
- Cost index
- 48
- 1-bed rent
- $850
- Quality
- 76
Monterrey
Industrial powerhouseMexico's industrial and corporate heart, with high wages and US business ties.
- Cost index
- 52
- 1-bed rent
- $950
- Quality
- 75
Playa del Carmen
Caribbean nomad hubA Caribbean-coast magnet for digital nomads and retirees with strong expat infrastructure.
- Cost index
- 50
- 1-bed rent
- $1,000
- Quality
- 78
Mérida
Safest big cityConsistently ranked Mexico's safest city, colonial, walkable and very affordable.
- Cost index
- 45
- 1-bed rent
- $750
- Quality
- 80
Querétaro
Safe & fast-growingA safe, prosperous colonial city booming on aerospace and manufacturing investment.
- Cost index
- 49
- 1-bed rent
- $800
- Quality
- 80
Puerto Vallarta
Pacific beach townA welcoming Pacific resort town with a large, established retiree and LGBTQ+ community.
- Cost index
- 50
- 1-bed rent
- $950
- Quality
- 79
San Miguel de Allende
Expat retiree favouriteA picturesque highland town that is a long-standing favourite with North American retirees.
- Cost index
- 52
- 1-bed rent
- $1,000
- Quality
- 81
Living essentials
The practical day-to-day of settling in Mexico.
Affordable private care of good quality in cities; public IMSS available to residents.
Public, private and bilingual/international schools; good private universities.
Low to moderate, rent and food are cheap by US standards; imported goods cost more.
Good in cities and nomad hubs; patchier rurally.
Tropical coasts, temperate highlands (CDMX), and arid north.
Safety & climate
The reception you can expect
How welcoming the public and political mood is, how safe it is, and how geopolitically stable the country is right now.
Anti-migrant sentiment
trendHospitable to expats and retirees; the main concern is regional security rather than sentiment.
Higher = more hostile public/political climate.
Geopolitical stability
A composite of governance, security and regional-risk signals. Higher means a more predictable environment for settling long term.
Higher = more stable.
Safety
Security varies enormously by state and neighbourhood, expat hubs like Mérida are very safe, others much less so.
Higher = safer (crime index 54/100).
Where to live
Which Mexico city fits you?
Cities matched to who you are, career, family, retirement, study or remote work. We flag the ones to consider and the ones to approach with care.
Mérida
Colonial and calm
Consistently ranked Mexico's safest city, colonial, walkable and very affordable.
Querétaro
Aerospace boomtown
A safe, prosperous colonial city booming on aerospace and manufacturing investment.
Playa del Carmen
Beach + remote work
A Caribbean-coast magnet for digital nomads and retirees with strong expat infrastructure.
Guadalajara
Silicon Valley of Mexico
The country's tech capital, warmer and cheaper than the coasts, with deep cultural roots.
Mexico City
Megacity creativity
A world-class food, art and startup scene at a fraction of US costs, pick the neighbourhood carefully.
San Miguel de Allende
Artsy highland town
A picturesque highland town that is a long-standing favourite with North American retirees.
Puerto Vallarta
Bay-side retirement
A welcoming Pacific resort town with a large, established retiree and LGBTQ+ community.
Monterrey
Business-first city
Mexico's industrial and corporate heart, with high wages and US business ties.
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