Part one · 3 steps
Visa & residency
Start the Residente Temporal (Temporary Resident Visa); Residente Permanente for higher-income retirees path
Mexico's route for retirees. Plan on roughly $4,701/month of provable income — pension, Social Security, dividends — and expect the consulate to want it documented. The current read:
From our Mexico City research
Applied at a Mexican consulate abroad, then finalized in-country. As of 2026 (figures effective Jan 2026, after a July 2025 shift to UMA-based calculations and a Jan 1 2026 doubling of card fees): Temporary Resident requires ~$4,400/mo proven net income over the last 6 months OR ~$74,000 average savings over 12 months. Permanent Resident (which retirees/pensioners can apply for directly from abroad on financial grounds) requires ~$7,300/mo income OR ~$294,000 savings. Consulates add roughly 10-20% to thresholds for a spouse/dependent and use slightly different exchange rates, so amounts vary by consulate. The income bar rose meaningfully in 2025-26 and now excludes many Social-Security-only retirees; the savings path is the more realistic route for them.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Book the consulate appointment early
Mexico's residency process starts at a consulate in the US, not in Mexico. Slots fill weeks ahead, and requirements vary noticeably from consulate to consulate — pick yours, then work its list.
Get key documents apostilled + certified-translated
Birth/marriage certificates, background checks — start early; it's slow, and every residency application wants them.
Our visa paperwork guide →Part two · 3 steps
Healthcare
Map your care in Mexico City
Know where you'd go before you need it — the hospital for something serious, the specialist, the pharmacy that speaks English. Here's our current read:
From our Mexico City research
Genuinely world-class private care. Centro Medico ABC (JCI-accredited, two campuses) and Medica Sur (Mayo Clinic Care Network affiliate, top-ranked in Mexico) both run International Patient departments with US/Canada-trained, English-speaking doctors. Acute and specialist care is excellent and on-site, so no need to fly out for serious care. GP visits ~$30-80, specialists ~$50-150; expat private insurance ~$100-300/mo. The nearest world-class hospital is in the city itself. This is arguably the single strongest reason to choose CDMX.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Know what Medicare does — and doesn't — cover abroad
Original Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the US. Whatever your plan becomes, it has to answer that gap.
Medicare abroad, explained →Compare international / expat health insurance
See what international health plans actually cover — and what they cost.
Part three · 5 steps
Money & taxes
Pressure-test your Mexico City budget
A comfortable month in Mexico City runs about $3,208 for a couple, at current exchange rates. Build your own version on top of that base — your rent tier, your healthcare, your flights home — and see what's left over.
Build the real monthly number →Understand US taxes as an expat in Mexico
You still file US taxes abroad, and FBAR applies once foreign accounts pass $10,000. The country side matters just as much:
From our Mexico City research
Mexico taxes residents on WORLDWIDE income (top rate 35%), but a US-Mexico tax treaty exists: US Social Security is taxable only in the US (Article 19; Mexico does not tax it even for residents). Private pension/IRA/401(k) income may be taxable in the country of residence, with Article 24 foreign-tax-credit relief against double taxation. No US-Mexico Social Security totalization agreement.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Set up low-fee international money transfers
Bank wires quietly cost 3–5% in bad FX; specialists are far cheaper.
Have someone check the retirement math before you commit
Plan day-to-day cash + card access (and a backup card)
Check your cards' foreign-ATM fees before you go, and carry a backup card on a different network in case one gets swallowed.
Part four · 4 steps
The scouting trip
Book the Mexico City reconnaissance trip
Not a vacation — a rehearsal. Rent in an ordinary neighborhood for a few weeks and live a normal week: groceries, buses, a doctor's appointment, a quiet Tuesday. Getting there and back:
From our Mexico City research
Excellent connectivity: Benito Juarez Intl (MEX) plus the newer Felipe Angeles (NLU) offer abundant nonstops to US hubs on Aeromexico, American, United and Delta. Typical times: Miami ~3h30m, LA ~3h35m, Houston/Dallas under 3h, NYC ~5h25m, SF ~4h15m. Easy, cheap, frequent trips home, a real plus for visiting US family.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Compare trip insurance for the scouting trip
Read the safety picture for yourself
Mexico City sits under a US State Department Level 2 (“exercise increased caution”) advisory. Check the current one before you book, then weigh it against the on-the-ground picture:
From our Mexico City research
US State Dept country advisory is Level 2 ("exercise increased caution," as of 2026), and CDMX is NOT one of the six Level 4 cartel states. Day-to-day expat risk is petty crime: pickpocketing on the metro, phone snatching, occasional express kidnapping via street taxis. Mitigations are standard and effective: live in Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacan or San Angel; use Uber/Didi not street cabs; stay alert at night. Numbeo's crime index (66/100, Jun 2026) is high but reflects perception across all ~22M metro residents; vetted expat neighborhoods feel far safer than that number implies.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Test the season, not the postcard
Every place has a month the brochures skip. If you can, scout in the worst one:
From our Mexico City research
High-altitude (7,350 ft / 2,240 m) subtropical highland climate: mild, spring-like days year-round (60s-70s F) but cool nights, especially Nov-Feb, and most homes lack central heating. Distinct May-Oct rainy season. Not a warm beach climate; it is temperate and dry-cool, which many love but pure sun-seekers won't.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Part five · 6 steps
The move itself
Rent first — live a full season before you even think about buying
The single biggest regret-saver. The market isn't going anywhere.
Book a short-term furnished rental for your landing
Give yourself 1–3 months to find the right neighborhood.
Decide what to ship, store, or sell
Shipping a household is expensive; many movers regret over-shipping.
Re-home your US mail before you go
Banks, the IRS, Medicare — the mail keeps coming after you leave. Keep a US address you check from anywhere, or hand the whole job to a service.
Sort pet import + airline requirements early
Timelines for vaccines and paperwork can be months.
Our pet-move guide →Scan and cloud-back-up every key document
Passports, prescriptions, insurance cards, the marriage certificate — one folder you can open from any phone, anywhere.
Part six · 5 steps
Settling in
Find your people in Mexico City
Loneliness is the #1 reason people move home — build the community before you build anything else. What's already there:
From our Mexico City research
One of the largest US/Canadian expat hubs in Mexico, though skewed toward working professionals, digital nomads, entrepreneurs and creatives more than traditional retirees (retirees more often pick San Miguel de Allende, Lake Chapala/Ajijic or Merida). In CDMX, expat life clusters in Roma, Condesa and Polanco. Recent influxes have driven gentrification tension and rent inflation in those neighborhoods, which has caused some local friction.
Read the full Mexico City profile →Join the expat community before you arrive
Start the conversations months before the flight.
Our community guide →Get your CURP and RFC once you land
Mexico's ID and tax numbers. You'll want them for banking, utilities, sometimes even a phone plan — finalizing your resident card at the immigration office kicks it off.
Set up a local SIM + home internet
If your phone's unlocked, an eSIM can cover you from day one; sort home internet once you have an address.
Start the language — even 20 words changes everything
Spanish is what your daily life will run in — the clinic front desk, the market, the neighbors. A head start pays off from day one.
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