Mexico has become one of the most popular destinations for families relocating from the US, Canada, and the UK, and for good reason. The cost of living is significantly lower than most western countries, the climate is excellent, the food is excellent, the culture is warm and family-friendly, and the time zone overlap with North America makes remote work straightforward.
It also has real complexities that some families underestimate before they arrive.
Which Mexico are you moving to?
This is the question that matters most and gets skipped too often. Mexico is enormous and enormously varied. Mexico City is a 22-million-person metropolis with world-class restaurants, culture, and infrastructure. Oaxaca is a smaller, artsy, lower-cost city with a different pace entirely. Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Maya are resort towns with large expat communities and higher prices. San Miguel de Allende is popular with retirees and artists. Mérida in the Yucatán is warm, affordable, and has grown significantly as an expat destination.
Each has different costs, different safety considerations, different school options, different social scenes, and different vibes. Families who've done well in Mexico almost always chose based on a clear-eyed assessment of what kind of life they wanted, not just "somewhere in Mexico."
For families with children, our most commonly recommended cities are: Mexico City (for infrastructure, international schools, cultural richness), Mérida (for affordability, safety, and a good balance of local and international community), and Oaxaca (for quality of life, but limited international school options).
The cost of living reality
Mexico is cheap by US or European standards — but not as cheap as people sometimes imagine, and the gap is narrowing in the most popular expat areas.
A family of four can live very comfortably in Mérida for $2,500-$3,500/month including rent for a nice house, groceries, activities, and eating out regularly. Mexico City runs higher, particularly for rent — $3,500-$5,000 for a comfortable family lifestyle in a good neighbourhood.
The significant costs: international schools ($5,000-$12,000/year per child depending on the school and city), and private healthcare ($150-$300/month for a family, which you should get — the public IMSS system requires paid-in employment to access properly). Budget for both and the numbers still typically work in your favour versus home.
Residency and visas
Mexico is one of the more accessible countries for residency. The Temporary Resident Visa requires demonstrating financial solvency — roughly $2,600/month in income, or savings of around $43,000. This is applied per family, not per person, which makes it more achievable than many European equivalents.
Temporary residency is valid for one to four years and is renewable. After four years of temporary residency you can apply for permanent residency, which has no renewal requirement and permits working in Mexico.
The process requires an appointment at a Mexican consulate in your home country to obtain the visa, then a visit to the INM (immigration office) in Mexico within 30 days of arrival to exchange it for your actual residency card. This is a two-step process that confuses people and causes problems if they don't plan for it.
One thing to know: if you enter Mexico on a tourist card (FMM) and want to switch to residency from inside the country, the path is complicated and varies by interpretation. Apply at the consulate before you travel. Don't assume you can sort it on arrival.
Safety: the honest conversation
Mexico's reputation for safety is mixed and contextual. The headline crime statistics are driven by cartel-related violence that is largely concentrated in specific regions (parts of Sinaloa, Guerrero, Michoacán) and largely not targeting foreign nationals going about family life.
The cities most popular with expat families — Mexico City's international neighbourhoods like Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacán; Mérida; San Miguel de Allende; Oaxaca city — have safety profiles broadly comparable to major cities in southern Europe. Petty theft exists, common sense applies, and most families with kids live normally there without incident.
The advice we give: research the specific neighbourhood, not the country. Don't rely on general country-level safety ratings. Talk to families who currently live in the specific area you're considering.
What surprises families most
The warmth towards children. Mexico is a genuinely family-centred culture in a way that feels different from northern Europe and North America. Children are welcomed in restaurants at midnight. Strangers will talk to your kids, hand them sweets, wave at them from passing cars. It's a culture that openly adores children and it creates a social environment for family life that feels easy and warm.
The bureaucracy. Not as bad as some European countries, but not smooth. Bank accounts require a Mexican phone number, which requires a Mexican address, which requires a rental contract... there's a sequencing problem in the first month that's annoying but solvable if you know to expect it.
The food. This seems obvious but the quality and variety of fresh produce, street food, and local cooking is genuinely excellent and significantly broadens what your family will eat if you let it.
If Mexico is on your list and you want to talk through the specifics for your situation, we'd love to help.
