Picture this, a luxury condo overlooking the beach for a faction of what you would pay back home, great food, sipping margaritas from your hammock overlooking a sunset drenched beach while you put the finishing touches to your current project then clicking “send”. This can be your reality by simply working remotely from beautiful Mexico.
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Working remotely from Mexico. Why?
With all the talk in the United States about all the illegal immigration from Mexico etc. I’ve always found it ironic that over the last 10 to 20 years many Americans have been migrating south to actually settle in Mexico.
However, why would someone want to work remotely from Mexico? Well, working remotely from Mexico has a variety of benefits. Here are just a few:
- It’s cheaper to live in Mexico than the United States on average. Costs for housing, food, even healthcare. Mexico has some excellent medical facilities that are normally much less than what you would pay in the United States.
- You can reach most places in Mexico by air within 4 to 5 hours, even less depending on where in the US you’re flying from.
- Visa free for up to 6 months. To extend your stay all you need to do is leave the country and come back in. There’s no waiting. However, you may want to get yourself a longer-term visa. These are actually easier to get in Mexico, than in most other countries especially for US citizens.
- Mexican food culture and the Spanish language.
- Mexico’s climate is in general warmer than the United States. However, Mexico also has some cooler climates in higher elevations.
Can I work remotely from Mexico?
Yes you can. Working remotely from Mexico is a great stepping stone, especially for US citizens looking to test the waters of the working remote lifestyle or in other words, becoming a digital nomad.
Mexico has many benefits for those who are looking to work remotely. I’ve listed just a few up top. One of the beauties of Mexico is that it’s quite laid back, even nowadays.
You won’t have immigration officials at the border hassling you for proof of funds or any of the other rigmarole that some countries put you through, especially the more modern developed countries like the UK or even Japan.
Mexico is pretty lax. It’s no wonder, it’s just so damn cheap to live there. If you are making a US level income and all your banking is done online through US Banks, you not only can enjoy the benefits of Geoarbitrage, but the safety and protection of the US banking system.
Mexico can be a literal paradise for you. Even the visa policies for Americans are quite liberal. Americans, as I’ve mentioned above, can get a 6 month tourist visa.
It’s the same, believe it or not, as our US visa free agreement with Canada, our neighbors and fellow NAFTA partners to the north. In fact, Mexico is our NAFTA partner to the south.
However, unlike Canada, Mexico is not only warmer but much more welcoming on your pocket as well. Mexico is also a very big and diverse country, not only in its peoples and culture, but in it’s topography as well.
The real challenge of working remotely from Mexico will be the infrastructure, internet connectivity and internet speeds. These may be your most challenging.
But again, Mexico is a big country and has developed quite an infrastructure over the last 20 years, especially in telecommunications. You’d be surprised at how fast and cheap internet connections can be in various locations.
Can I work for a US company and live in Mexico?
Yes, you can work for a US company and live in Mexico at the same time. In fact, many people work in San Diego, California but reside in Tijuana, Mexico.
They take advantage of the cheaper rents and lower cost of living that Tijuana offers while earning US dollars working physically in the US itself.
However, looking at the border crossings, I don’t know how many of them can actually tolerate the lines of cars they have to go through everyday crossing the border in order to get to and from work on their daily commutes.
Though, if they live pretty close to the border, that traffic jam shouldn’t be any worse than what commuters face in LA for example, or other parts of the US.
Let’s give a quick rundown of some of the more popular places for digital nomads and those who want to give working remotely from Mexico a chance.
Puerto Vallarta for Digital Nomads.
Puerto Vallarta has beautiful beaches and a great variety of excellent Mexican food. The good news is that the food as well as the beaches, drinks etc. are fairly affordable.
But Puerto Vallarta is also one of the major stops for cruise ships, so the variety of shops and restaurants are also plentiful.
As far as cost, accommodations seem to be average to pricey when you compare them to other locations in Mexico. To find housing, try this site: http://www.vivanuncios.com.mx/
However, the internet connections, speeds as well as telecommunication lines seem to be highly developed.
Though, there are some other risks you need to take into account.
The crime situation overall in Mexico has been on the rise for years due to increased drug cartel activities and the government’s constant drug war. Though, the average digital nomad or remote worker seems to be unaffected by this higher level type of crime.
However, digital nomads have been the victims of petty crimes such as theft. Especially if you’re a woman, purse snatching seems to be commonplace whether they occur on the beaches or in the local bars and restaurants.
Rule of thumb is to never leave your purse or bag unattended, even leaving it alone on its own bar stool or chair. You’re just asking for trouble as a purse snatcher will have no problems grabbing it off a chair and running to a waiting motto outside.
Usually purse snatchers work in pairs and work off of scooters. Also, female travelers have been victims of groping as well. This usually occurs by youth or men with nothing better to do.
Furthermore, if you are going to rent a scooter, keep your eye out for packs of youths on scooters as well since they tend to sometimes corner the lone tourist, forcing them off to the side of the road and then steal whatever backpack or other items they have off them.
There have even been occasions where simply taking a dip in the ocean and leaving your old grungy sandals left unattended get stolen as well.
Work from home jobs while living in Tijuana.
Living in Tijuana and working from home can really help you get ahead financially. With more businesses rapidly accepting remote working and working from home options for their employees, this should also expand the amount of work from home jobs available.
If you want to stay very close to the United States, yet enjoy a low cost of living just over the border, then Tijuana, Mexico seems like the ideal place. Your rents should be cut by almost 2/3 alone from just crossing the border into Tijuana.
If you cross back and forth if you cross the border frequently you want to get what’s called a SENTRI card. This will allow you access to special lanes which should cut your commute time.
As far as crime, potable water etc. normally if you live in a good neighborhood you’ll be fine. Cartel activity and crime related to it is only experienced by those who are involved with drugs and drug cartels.
If you mind your own business and just keep your wits about you, you’ll find Tijuana to be just as safe as San Diego.
Mexico allows Americans visa-free stays for up to six months. If you’d like to have a longer stay you can apply for a longer term visa.
With the cost savings in rent, along with food and other basics, if you’re earning and US dollars, you should be able to get way ahead on your financial goals by simply moving across the border to Tijuana.
Internet connectivity and Wi-Fi speeds seem to vary. Your best bet would be to ask around the forums like reddit and quora to digital nomads and remote workers who are already doing this type of work in those locations.
Ask for their recommendations as far as the best telecom companies for internet access from your home in Tijuana.
Digital Nomad based in Baja, California.
Whether you go to Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada or Puerto Vallarta, even La Paz, you will experience similar lifestyles. Great beaches even into Tijuana with Rosarito Beach and all the other popular digital nomad locations in Baja California.
Each of these locations do have their own internet providers, but there are a few dominant companies that provide internet services in each location.
As far as connectivity and speeds etc. again you are better off connecting with the local digital nomad community through forums on reddit, quora or even Facebook groups to find out what the best internet service providers are.
The cost of living is going to vary as well. Don’t forget, some of these locations like Puerto Vallarta, La Paz and Ensenada are also popular tourist and snowbird locations.
Tourists and Snowbirds generally drive up the costs more for longer term Digital Nomads who are competing for the same accommodations.
However, you can still get great deals on housing just steps away from the beach, but you’re going to have to look for them.
Also these tourist locations like Puerto Vallarta and Ensenada, Petty Theft is more common since these do tend to attract more short-term tourists than say Tijuana or Rosarito.
Petty crime such as purse snatching and even groping seem to be the most common. As far as drug cartel activity, again if you mind your own business, the violent crime would be similar to living in other cities in the United States.
The only drawback for those going further south in Baja California than Tijuana would be the proximity to the United States. It will just take you longer to get to the United States than if you were living in Tijuana for example.
If going to the United States often isn’t a priority, then basically not only Baja California should be open to you, but other parts of Mexico as well.
Working remotely from Mexico, conclusions.
With the world situation right now, due to the pandemic, many things are in flux. The future and the way we work are also in flux and changing rapidly.
There are a lot of negatives to this current state of the world, but there may be some positives that will come out of this.
One of the positives, I believe, will be realization that many, at least 50%, of most work can be done to a certain extent remotely. This realization will open up and is opening up a wide range of opportunities for not only digital nomads, but those who have been trying to find a way to work more remotely from home.
Working remotely from home in the United States, if you’re American, is just the first step. However, you may find the life of being a digital nomad at least for a year, to be rather an appealing prospect.
However, if you’re not quite ready to take the step and move to Asia or even Europe, the next best thing would be Mexico.
Working remotely from Mexico can open up a wide range of opportunities. Not only of a better lifestyle and higher standards of living, but learning about geo arbitrage and how you can actually increase your wealth by simply moving across the border.
If you’re not quite ready to go deeper and work remotely from places like Merida, Guanajuato, Cozumel or even La Paz, then just look at Tijuana.
Tijuana seems to have gotten a bad wrap for many years and unjustifiably so. In fact, Tijuana’s been becoming a poor man’s, rich man’s paradise over the past 10 years. And due to its proximity to San Diego, it’s even becoming almost like a suburb.
With the introduction of NAFTA in the mid ’90s along with using tools like SENTRI to move back and forth across the borders easily. Tijuana can be an ideal testing ground for working remotely not only for Mexico, but from further afield.
So give working remotely in Mexico a shot. If worse comes to worse, you can always click your heels Dorothy and go home. I prefer the message from Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” Your choice…