Your Cabo San Lucas move checklist

As of 2026, the Temporary Resident (passive-income) route requires roughly US$4,400/month in stable income (pension, Social Security, dividends) over ~6 months, OR an average ~US$74,000 in savings/investments over 12 months. Thresholds moved to UMA-pegging in 2025 (2026 UMA MXN 117.31), holding the bar roughly flat. Budget ~25% more (~$925/mo) for a spouse/dependent. You apply at a Mexican consulate abroad, then complete the canje in Mexico within 30 days; renewable up to 4 years before converting to permanent residency. Consular fees increased for 2026 and requirements vary by consulate — confirm with yours. Many part-time Cabo residents simply use the 180-day tourist permit, though border officers increasingly grant shorter stays, so residency is the safer long-term route.

Surprisingly strong for a resort town, and built around international patients. H+ Los Cabos (on the corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo) is the flagship private hospital — modern imaging (MRI/CT), ICU, multiple ORs, and the only private blood bank in Baja California Sur; it was the official medical provider for the 2012 G20. AmeriMed runs an American-standard private hospital with bilingual, often US-trained staff and 24/7 emergency care; BlueNet is another option. Costs run well below the US. Most expats self-pay or carry private insurance with air-evac. For the most complex cases, expats fly to Guadalajara, Mexico City, or the US (San Diego/LA ~2.5h, Phoenix ~2h).

Mexican tax residents are technically taxed on worldwide income, but in practice it's territorial-leaning for retirees: the US-Mexico tax treaty (in force 1994) generally assigns US Social Security and government pensions to the US, and US-source private pensions/IRA/401(k) withdrawals are typically not taxed by Mexico for US citizens. US citizens still file and owe US tax (treaty saving clause). No US-Mexico Social Security totalization agreement. We're not tax advisors — confirm specifics with a cross-border professional.

Los Cabos International (SJD), ~40 min from Cabo San Lucas, is one of the best-connected airports in Mexico to the US West and South. Daily nonstops from Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Denver, Chicago, and more on American, Delta, United, Alaska, and Southwest. LA/Phoenix run ~2-2.5h; Dallas/Houston ~2.5-3h. Easy weekend-home access for the entire Western US — a major selling point.

Among the safer parts of Mexico in everyday terms. Baja California Sur carries a US State Dept Level 2 advisory and reports one of the country's lowest homicide rates (~2.2 per 100,000 — comparable to a quiet US state, far below Mexico's ~25 average). A widely-noted Feb 2026 US Embassy security alert covering several Mexican areas pointedly did NOT include Baja California Sur. Realistic risks are petty theft, timeshare/real-estate and taxi scams, and alcohol-fueled incidents in the nightlife zone (the Marina/downtown bar strip). Past cartel flare-ups have occurred but tourist areas have stayed calm recently. Women report Cabo as comfortable, with standard resort-town precautions.

Arid desert at the tip of Baja — 350+ sunny days a year and very low humidity most of the year. Winters are warm and dry (highs ~77-81°F, occasionally dipping to ~68°F); summers are hot, ~93°F+ with a humid, muggy stretch Aug-Sep. Hurricane season runs Jun-Nov but is most active Aug-Sep, and Cabo does take occasional direct storm hits (e.g. major hurricanes in past years). A/C needed in summer.

Large, well-established American and Canadian presence across Los Cabos, heavily oriented around golf, fishing, boating, and beach life, with lots of part-time snowbirds and second-home owners. English is spoken almost everywhere in the tourist economy, so you can function with little Spanish. The flip side: it can feel like an Americanized resort bubble with US-level prices rather than 'authentic' Mexico, and the community skews affluent and seasonal.