Part one · 3 steps
Visa & residency
Start the Temporary Resident Visa (passive income / "rentista") 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 Todos Santos research
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), keeping the bar roughly flat. Add ~25% (~$925/mo) for a spouse/dependent. You apply at a Mexican consulate abroad, then finalize the canje in Mexico within 30 days; renewable up to 4 years before converting to permanent residency. Consular fees rose for 2026 and interpretation varies by consulate. Note for tiny Todos Santos: in-country immigration steps run through the INM office in La Paz (~1h away). Many part-timers instead use the 180-day tourist permit, though border-granted stays have been shrinking.
Read the full Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos
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 Todos Santos research
Limited in town — this is a small Pueblo Mágico, not a medical hub. Todos Santos has a respected bilingual private clinic, Saint Jude's Medical Center (on-site X-ray, lab, pharmacy, doctor referrals, air-ambulance coordination), plus a public Centro de Salud and a few small clinics — fine for routine care and stabilization. Anything serious means a drive: La Paz (~1h+) has the public Hospital General Juan María Salvatierra and private options like Fidepaz; the bigger US-standard hospitals — H+ Los Cabos, AmeriMed, BlueNet — are in the Los Cabos corridor ~1h+ south. Carry private insurance with air-evac; nearest world-class care is a flight to San Diego/LA/Phoenix (~2-2.5h from SJD).
Read the full Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos budget
A comfortable month in Todos Santos runs about $2,682 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 Todos Santos research
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.
Read the full Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos research
No airport of its own, but well-placed between two. Los Cabos International (SJD) is ~1h-1h15 south by car and is the practical gateway — daily nonstops from Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Chicago and more (LA/Phoenix ~2-2.5h). La Paz (LAP), ~1h-1.5h northeast, adds mostly-domestic links and limited US/seasonal service. Effective US access is strong via SJD; just factor the airport drive.
Read the full Todos Santos profile →Compare trip insurance for the scouting trip
Read the safety picture for yourself
Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos research
Quiet, small-town safety within a relatively safe state. Baja California Sur carries a US State Dept Level 2 advisory and one of Mexico's lowest homicide rates (~2.2 per 100,000), and BCS was pointedly not in the Feb 2026 US Embassy security alert. In Todos Santos the most common risks to foreigners are mundane — alcohol, unsafe ocean swimming (the Pacific surf has dangerous rip currents, largely unsafe for casual swimming), and highway driving accidents — rather than violent crime, which is rare. Petty theft and opportunistic break-ins happen, especially at unoccupied second homes. Women generally report the town as relaxed and comfortable; standard rural precautions apply after dark.
Read the full Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos research
Arid Pacific-Baja climate, milder than Cabo thanks to ocean breezes and slightly higher ground. Winters (Nov-Apr) are close to ideal — ~68-79°F days, low humidity, lots of sun. Summers (Jul-Oct) are hot (~86-100°F) and notably more humid, with Jun-Nov hurricane-season risk (peak Aug-Sep). Runs roughly 10-15°F cooler than nearby La Paz in summer. A/C wanted in the hot months.
Read the full Todos Santos 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 Todos Santos
Loneliness is the #1 reason people move home — build the community before you build anything else. What's already there:
From our Todos Santos research
A small but tight-knit, disproportionately American/Canadian community for the town's size, skewing artists, surfers, and retirees, with a big seasonal snowbird swell Nov-Apr. The galleries, weekly art walk, organic cafés, and farm-to-table restaurants are expat-oriented, and English goes a long way. But it's genuinely small and seasonal — quieter in summer — so it suits people who want a close community feel over a big-city expat network.
Read the full Todos Santos 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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