Retiring in Puerto Vallarta
Full-service beach city — international airport, good hospitals, huge LGBTQ-friendly expat scene, and winters that are hard to beat.
A full-service beach city with an international airport, good hospitals, a huge LGBTQ-friendly expat scene and hard-to-beat winters. June to October is a humid sweatbox, high season brings crowds and peak pricing, and it sits on the hurricane fringe.
Beach retirees who want services, healthcare and an inclusive social scene.
June to October is a sweatbox of humidity, high season brings crowds and peak pricing, and it sits on the hurricane fringe.
Anyone who can't take summer humidity or wants to dodge hurricane season.
What Puerto Vallarta costs, measured against everywhere else
Of the 62 retiree bases we track across 17 countries, Puerto Vallarta is the 42nd cheapest — 41 are cheaper, 20 are dearer. It is the dearest of the 4 we cover in Mexico.
Rent runs about 49% of the budget — $1,100 of $2,250, leaving $1,150 a month for everything else.
Our Mexico page quotes $1,700 a month. Puerto Vallarta runs 32% above that, at $2,250 — which is why the country number is a starting point and not an answer. We measured that gap across all 62 cities: the median is 16.5%.
The same money in another country
Within 15% of Puerto Vallarta's budget, one city per country. The cost barely moves; the tax, the visa and the standard of care do.
Mexico taxes you at 1.92–35% (worldwide once tax resident) and asks for Temporary Resident. That line, not the rent, decides the swap — and flight time from your own city decides the rest, which depends on the passport you hold.
Other retiree bases in Mexico
Ready to actually move to Mexico?
The city tells you where to live. The country guide tells you how to get there — the visa routes step by step, which hospitals to register with, insurance, and the first 90 days on the ground.
See the full Mexico relocation guide →Most retirees live on 40–60% less than in the US, UK or Canada — Merida and Lakeside stretch a budget furthest, while San Miguel and beachfront Vallarta close much of the gap.