The Digital Nomad’s Guide to Mexico: Where to Stay, Get Around, and Work Remotely

Contents hide

Why Mexico Works So Well for Digital Nomads

Where to Stay in Mexico as a Digital Nomad

Getting Around Mexico

Working Remotely in Mexico: What You Need to Know

Cost of Living for Digital Nomads in Mexico

Staying Safe in Mexico

Is Mexico Right for You?

Why Mexico Works So Well for Digital Nomads

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s worth understanding why Mexico is such a strong choice and the numbers prove it. 13% of nomads surveyed said Mexico was the #1 destination for digital nomads, followed by Thailand, Indonesia, Colombia and Vietnam.

First of all, the infrastructure has got a lot better. Fast fiber internet is now available in most major cities and popular tourist destinations. From Mexico City to Oaxaca to Playa del Carmen, co-working spaces have popped up all over the country. Coffee shops have great wifi everywhere.

Secondly, if most of your clients or colleagues are in North America, the time zones are on your side. Mexico is in Central or Mountain time depending on where you are, so you can keep normal working hours without the friction of being in SE Asia or Europe.

Third, the visa situation is rather simple. Most nationalities are able to enter Mexico as a tourist and stay as long as 180 days without any special paperwork. There’s the temporary resident visa for longer stays, which is becoming increasingly popular with remote workers.

And then there is the lifestyle. Mexico is a country where you can eat very well for very little money, the culture is warm and welcoming, and the landscape varies from mountains and colonial cities to jungle and coast. It’s really hard to get bored.

Where to Stay in Mexico as a Digital Nomad

The most important decision you’ll make is where to base yourself. Mexico is a big country with very different regions and the right choice depends on what you are looking for.

Mexico City

Mexico City is the obvious place for many nomads to start, and it makes sense. It is among the largest and most culturally rich cities in the world. In neighborhoods such as Roma, Condesa and Polanco there’s an abundance of co-working spaces, great restaurants, walkable streets and a creative international community.

Internet speeds are consistently good in Mexico City, the cost of living is pricier than smaller cities but still very affordable by Western standards, and the sheer variety of things to do means you will never run out of ways to spend your time off.

Sure, the city has its challenges — heavy traffic, poor air quality and altitude, but for most nomads it’s still one of the best urban bases in Latin America.

Oaxaca

For nomads who want to slow down without sacrificing culture, you can’t beat Oaxaca. From its food scene, art, markets and distinctive architecture, the city is known. It has also developed a surprisingly strong digital nomad community over the past few years, and co-working spaces and long-stay accommodation options make it easy to settle in.

Oaxaca is cheaper than Mexico City, the streets are easy to walk around, and the surrounding area—with mountains, mezcal distilleries and indigenous communities—has plenty of weekend adventures.

Riviera Maya

If you are a nomad looking to combine productive work with beach life, the Riviera Maya corridor from Cancún to Playa del Carmen to Tulum is the place to be. The area has developed rapidly over the last decade and has the infrastructure to properly support remote work.

Playa del Carmen in particular has a thriving nomad community, fast internet in most areas and a variety of accommodation options from budget hostels to high-end long-stay apartments. Tulum draws a more design-conscious crowd and is generally pricier, but the vibe is unlike anywhere else in the country.

If you are a team or a couple working remotely and need more space and privacy, you might want to explore renting riviera maya villas. A private villa provides a dedicated workspace, a kitchen, a pool, and the kind of quiet that is hard to find in a busy hotel or hostel. Many are on monthly rates, which make financial sense if you’re staying a few weeks or more.

San Cristóbal de las Casas

If you like highland jungle and colonial charm, San Cristóbal in Chiapas is an underrated nomad destination. It’s cooler than most of Mexico, very cheap and has its own cultural identity shaped by indigenous Mayan communities. The co-working scene is smaller but growing and the quality of life – in terms of good coffee, interesting people and beautiful surroundings – is good.

Getting Around Mexico

Once you’ve picked a base, getting around Mexico is usually straightforward, but it pays to know your options.

Domestic Flights

Mexico has a good domestic network of flights and fares are often very reasonable if you book in advance. Most major cities are linked by airlines such as Volaris, Vivaaerobus and Aeromexico, and for longer distances flying is often the most practical option.

Buses

Long distance buses are great for medium distance in Mexico. Companies such as ADO have modern comfortable coaches with air-conditioning, wifi and assigned seating. For travel between cities in the same region, such as Oaxaca to Mexico City or up and down the Yucatán Peninsula, buses are often as practical as flying, and much cheaper.

Renting a Car

Renting a car opens up a lot of Mexico that’s hard to reach using public transport. It’s especially useful in the Riviera Maya, where many of the best beaches, cenotes and villages are off major bus routes.

If you’re renting a car and plan to spend time in a city like Cancún, Mérida or Mexico City before you get to your main destination, parking can be a real headache. Parking is limited and sometimes unsafe in Mexico’s larger cities, and prices are inconsistent. One practical solution is renting parking spaces or warehouses through platforms such as SpotMe that allow you to reserve a dedicated monthly parking space in cities across Mexico before you even arrive. It removes one logistical headache from what can be an otherwise stressful arrival day.

Getting Around Within Cities

In most Mexican cities, a combination of the metro (where it exists), Uber, and local taxis will cover most of your transportation requirements. Uber is reliable, cheap and commonly used in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and tourist areas along the coast. In the smaller towns and cities, taxis are the norm and the fare is low.

Working Remotely in Mexico: What You Need to Know

Internet and Connectivity

Internet quality in Mexico depends on where you are. Fast, reliable broadband is available in major cities and tourist centres. Almost all co-working spaces offer good and stable connections with backup options. If you’re staying somewhere more remote it’s worth checking speeds before you commit to a long stay – tools like Nomad List and Airbnb reviews can give you a realistic picture.

Always a good idea to have a local SIM card as a backup. The best national coverage is Telcel and AT&T Mexico. Data plans are cheap by most standards.

Co-Working Spaces

The co-working ecosystems include Mexico City, Guadalajara, Playa del Carmen and Oaxaca. Spaces vary from large, corporate-style places with private offices and meeting rooms, to smaller, community-focused spaces with a more laid-back feel.

If you’re not ready to commit to a monthly membership, day passes are widely available, and many spaces offer trial weeks to let you get a feel for the community before you sign up.

Time Management and Work Culture

One thing to note about working in Mexico is that the culture around time is more relaxed than Northern Europe/North America. For most remote workers flying solo, this is not an issue. But if you have local partners, collaborators or service providers, it’s a practical habit to build in some flexibility around scheduling.

On the plus side, the culture is truly warm and social, and the nomad communities in places like Mexico City and Playa del Carmen are generally collaborative and welcoming to newcomers.

Cost of Living for Digital Nomads in Mexico

Mexico is not the cheapest country in Latin America, but it is the best value for the quality of life.

The average monthly costs are about $1,800 and include a private apartment in a good neighborhood, eating out, a co-working membership and transport. Beach destinations like Playa del Carmen tend to be more expensive, although most nomads spend in the $1,200 to $2,500 per month range across the country depending on lifestyle and location. To put that in perspective, a sample monthly budget for a single person in Mexico, including rent, utilities, groceries, transport and entertainment comes in at about $1,537, according to International Living. You can live very well in Oaxaca or San Cristóbal for a lot less. The Riviera Maya is on the pricier side, especially Tulum, but accommodations can be found to fit any budget.

Food costs are kept very low by eating at local markets and smaller restaurants. You can get a whole meal at a taqueria or mercado rarely costing you more than a few dollars and often of outstanding quality.

Staying Safe in Mexico

Yes, safety can really be a problem in some regions of Mexico, which means that it is best to know the situation than to overlook it. In fact, it must be said that most digital nomads working in Mexico do not face any problems, particularly those in places frequented by foreign visitors.

There are certain things one needs to bear in mind, including staying in familiar territory, avoiding going out late in unfamiliar territory, booking an Uber instead of simply hiring a cab, and refraining from showing off valuable items.

One should also consider knowing more about the particular city/region being visited. This is because conditions differ in various regions of Mexico.

Is Mexico Right for You?

Mexico rewards nomads who show up with a sense of curiosity and a little flexibility. It’s not a perfectly frictionless destination – bureaucracy can be slow, infrastructure outside major cities can be patchy, and the language barrier is real if you don’t speak Spanish. But the rewards for those who adopt it are substantial.

Few countries combine the same mixture of culture, nature, affordability and proximity to North American time zones. If you are on the fence the honest answer is that most nomad that spend time in Mexico end up wanting to come back.

Concentrate on one area, get rooted, create a pattern of life, and allow the country to show itself in its own good time. That is when Mexico is at its best, often.