Seven cities in Mexico where Americans should move

Mexico is home to over a million immigrants and is by far the most popular destination for North Americans looking to move abroad to save money. This is a very big country. Where in Mexico should you move? MarketWatch.

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According to new report, a record number of Americans crosses the southern border to live in Mexico. The Mexican Ministry of the Interior reported that in the first nine months of the year, more than 8000 US citizens received temporary visas to reside in Mexico, an 85% increase from the same period in 2019. This is the highest rate of return migration since statistics were compiled in 2010 year.

Much, of course, depends on what you are looking for. There are places in Mexico where you can live completely off the grid and settle in a small village where there are no other foreigners. Alternatively, there are cities and areas where you can live the gringo life without really needing to speak Spanish and actually seeing few locals.

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Most expats are looking for something in between these two extremes. Based on this golden mean, here are seven places to consider when considering living in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta: An Expat Harbor by the Sea

Puerto Vallarta has been a haven for expats for over 60 years. What was once a small village on Mexico's Pacific coast has now become a major international resort with an urban area stretching nearly 50 km along the shores of Banderas Bay. The entire area - from the south of Jalisco to the northern tip of the bay at Punta de Mita in the state of Nayarit - is called Costa Vallarta.

Costa Vallarta offers a seemingly endless amount of entertainment thanks to the natural attractions and tourist infrastructure that has been built up over time. You can walk along the malecon, or promenade, that runs along the city center and check out the boutiques, cafes and restaurants. Or you can spend the day at any of the more than half a dozen golf courses in the Puerto Vallarta area. If you're looking to escape the heat, the nearby Sierra Madre offers exciting activities such as hiking, cycling, and canopy tours that will take you from branch to branch. There are more opportunities near Banderas Bay - whale watching, boat tours, fishing, sailing, excursions with dolphins, kite surfing, windsurfing and parasailing.

Flights from Puerto Vallarta International Airport can take you back to the US in just a few hours. Puerto Vallarta is also a popular destination for medical tourism, with some of the best hospitals offering state-of-the-art medical care.

San Miguel de Allende: rich in culture

Considered one of the most beautiful towns in Mexico, San Miguel is a Spanish-colonial gem glowing with pastels. With a rich tradition of arts and crafts, San Miguel has many small shops where you can spend hours admiring (and buying) ceramics, paintings, sculptures, brass mirrors and lamps… the list is endless. You can also visit numerous art galleries, restaurants and picturesque squares.

Like Puerto Vallarta, thousands of expats from all over the world have found refuge in San Miguel. Here you can speak English or speak Spanish if you like. And people love the climate of the high desert, with warm days and cool nights most of the year, so it's no surprise that out of the 140 people living in the metropolitan area, roughly 000 are expatriates.

San Miguel does not have an international airport, so choose from two in the region: León, which is about two hours away by car, and Querétaro, about an hour away. Or, if you prefer, fly into Mexico City, which is three hours away, and take the bus to San Miguel.

Merida: life in a colonial city

Like San Miguel, Merida is a Spanish colonial city. But Merida is different. Unlike the small town of San Miguel, Merida is a metropolis of almost a million people, with universities, large corporations, museums and its own international airport with direct flights to the United States. In addition, Merida is located on the semi-tropical Yucatan Peninsula, at the opposite end of the country from San Miguel. It's only half an hour from the Gulf Coast, where white sand beaches are punctuated by small beach towns, and you can still find beach houses for around $100.

Merida is one of the safest cities in Mexico. Depending on how many suburbs are included, the population of metropolitan Mérida approaches 1 million. But when you walk through the tree-lined streets, some of which are handmade tiles, you feel like you're in a much smaller city.

Mérida has an expat community of around 4000, but that's a drop in the ocean for a city of this size. As a result, you will have more needs as well as opportunities to learn Spanish here than in Puerto Vallarta or San Miguel. This is a very musical city. You'll find bands performing in one area or another almost every day of the week. And if you think you know Mexican food, think again - Yucatán cuisine is unique and featured here in Mérida.

Lake Chapala: the biggest hotspot for expats in Mexico

Lake Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico, and the area is also home to the largest concentration of US immigrants in the world. Emigrants from the United States and Canada have been attracted to the Lake Chapala region by gently arched houses with hand-painted tiles, and adjacent gardens that bloom all year round. This is a part of the world where it is easy to afford a cook, a maid and a gardener. Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, is about 80 km long from east to west, but no more than 20 km wide at its widest point.

Chapala is about the same altitude as Denver, that is, a kilometer higher, and the climate here is amazing. January is the coolest month around Lake Chapala when the temperature reaches around 21C, while May is the warmest month when the maximum temperature is around 28C. Guadalajara, a city of over 5 million people, is 45 minutes away by car.

Property buyers are often impressed by the cultural and sporting opportunities in the Chapala area, including English-language theatre, frequent concerts, garden clubs, golf, tennis, hiking, yoga and horseback riding.

On the north side of Lake Chapala, charming villages combine ever more sophistication. The town of Chapala itself is the largest, and along its cobbled streets are taverns, shops, cafes, street vendors and upscale restaurants. Nearby is the village of Vista del Lago with a popular country club and golf course.

Ahihić and Chapala are a paradise for artists and writers. Expats and locals often get together on Wednesdays when the huge open-air Ajijica Market is open. This is a great place to shop for handmade carvings and jewelry, not to mention clothes, flowers, fruits, vegetables, cooked food and household items.

Not far from Ajijic is San Antonio, a village not much talked about. Here, a large percentage of expats live in beautiful houses, secluded behind high walls.

Tulum: a charming resort town with a bohemian vibe

Tulum is a charming and fast growing resort town on the southern tip of the famous Mexican Riviera Maya. With a palpable bohemian vibe and plenty of yoga and therapeutic massage practitioners, this burgeoning community retains its backpacker roots (Backpacker is a common term in recent decades for a traveler who makes independent travel for little money, most often eschewing the services of tour operators on principle.). Some say they feel the presence of the Mayan culture that dominated the region over 1000 years ago. The nearby impressive archaeological site is an outstanding and impressive testament to this once-dominant civilization. At its peak between the 13th and 15th centuries, these ruins were a bustling commercial and cultural center and are now frequented by tourists.

Divided in half by the coastal highway, Tulum is a stone's throw from sparkling sand and warm Caribbean waters. About 120 km and two hours by car south of Cancun, the city is no longer the hidden gem it once was, but is now under development with housing growth on the rise to keep up with those who wish to lay claim to your piece of paradise.

Living in the central part of the city does not require you to have a car, and walking and cycling are quite popular. In fact, there are often as many bicycles on the road as there are motorized vehicles. Motor scooters are quite popular among those who prefer not to pedal around the city.

Tulum's reputation as an impressive holiday destination and growing expat community is well deserved. With its tropical climate, Tulum offers a Caribbean lifestyle without having to travel to and from the island. Residents enjoy warm turquoise Caribbean waters, sparkling, perfect beaches and offshore reefs that provide plenty of opportunities for fishing, diving and snorkeling.

With the introduction of new homes and condominiums, the population is believed to be over 20 and it continues to grow as more people seek an affordable Caribbean lifestyle a little off the beaten path.

Huatulco: a hidden gem in southern Mexico

Huatulco is a project planned by FONATUR, the Mexican government's national tourism development fund. It was one of five destinations chosen by FONATUR over 30 years ago as having world-class potential. In many ways, Huatulco is a small town that is still emerging as a major destination.

According to official figures, only about 56 residents live here, of which about 000 are emigrants or visitors of near retirement age who own real estate.

Even during rush hour, you can drive from one end of the city to the other in about six minutes. You will see stunning and mysterious contrasts in Huatulco. It was originally a fishing village, and the larger town that grew with investment in the 1980s and 1990s has a bit of a Disney feel to it. In some areas, for example, you will find large public walkways and boardwalks that were built without any industry to attract tourists and locals. The four-lane highway that skirts the coast here is too large for Huatulco's current transportation needs. The water treatment facilities are among the best in Mexico. And despite its modest population, Huatulco has an international airport with direct flights to the UK, US and Canada, as well as other parts of Mexico.

Fishing, snorkeling and diving are very popular. Huatulco hosts several fishing tournaments every year. The largest tournament, the Torneo de Pez Vela Huatulco (Huatulco Sailboat Tournament), attracts professional anglers.

If you don't feel like cooking, Huatulco has plenty of restaurants and a variety of cuisines.

Ensenada: an attractive port city

Ensenada is an attractive city that has long been one of the main ports in the region. Today, Ensenada is also a popular destination for cruise ships and the site of numerous high-end residential developments.

Fishing, surfing, swimming, scuba diving and sunbathing are popular in Ensenada, as in most other coastal towns in Baja. Ensenada also has golf, tennis, many excellent restaurants, nightclubs, cafes, theater and ballet. What the casual tourist may not know, however, is that Ensenada has some excellent research institutes and the highest concentration of scientists in Mexico, leading many to refer to Ensenada as the "City of Science". The city hosts several important sporting events throughout the year such as regattas and the Baja 1000, off-road motorcycle races and various car classifications.

In winter, the city's bay, Bahia de Todos Santos or All Saints' Bay, is a great spot for gray whale watching. Most air passengers either fly into San Diego and cross the border into Mexico, or fly into Tijuana International Airport. A newly opened "air bridge" now connects San Diego to the Tijuana airport. Travelers report that it only takes them five minutes to cross the bridge on foot, avoiding the delays that vehicles crossing the border may encounter.

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Many expats in Baja enjoy access to health care in San Diego, but others use local facilities. Both Rosarito and Ensenada have excellent hospitals. Services in Rosarito include the Bonanova Clinic and Hospital and the Sanoviv Institute, as well as several smaller hospitals and public hospitals. In Ensenada, you will find the Especialidades Médicas San Fernando Clinic, the Santa Rosa de Lima Hospital and the Velmar Hospital, among others.

Whether you choose to live in one of these options, they are all worth a visit.

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