Puerto Vallarta: Mexico's softest landing on the Pacific

The city has several private hospitals with English-speaking doctors, and private care is what most American residents use. U.S. Medicare does not cover care in Mexico, so newcomers buy private Mexican or international insurance; enrolling gets harder past your mid-70s, so don't wait. Residents can also join the public IMSS system, and complex specialty care is in Guadalajara.

Home internet runs about $25 a month, and fiber connections are available in the central neighborhoods where most Americans live. Speeds handle full-time remote work and video calls, and the U.S. Central time zone keeps working hours normal.

Expect about $2,300 a month for one person, $3,200 for a couple, and $4,100 for a family, in U.S. dollars. A one-bedroom averages about $1,300 in the center and around $800 outside it. A meal at an inexpensive restaurant runs about $9.

Not if you live centrally. City buses are frequent and cheap, taxis and Uber are plentiful, and the neighborhoods along the water are walkable. A car mainly makes sense if you settle in the northern suburbs or Nuevo Vallarta, or want regular trips into the mountains.

The annual average is about 78°F (25.4°C), with roughly 55 inches (1,404 mm) of rain a year, most of it in the summer wet season. Average highs run from about 83°F in January to about 90°F in May. Winters are dry and sunny, which is why the snowbird population peaks from November through April.

Start with a temporary resident visa, which you apply for at a Mexican consulate in the U.S. by showing sufficient monthly income or savings. Once approved, you finish the paperwork at a Mexican immigration office within 30 days of arriving. Many people scout first on a tourist entry, then return home to file, since the visa can't be started inside Mexico.

Yes, and many Americans have. You'll need a temporary resident visa, which you qualify for on either monthly income or a savings balance. The income bar is higher than an average Social Security check, so plenty of retirees qualify on savings instead, then convert to permanent residency after four years. At around $2,300 a month for one person and $3,200 for a couple, a comfortable life here is realistic, especially outside the tourist core.

Puerto Vallarta sits in Jalisco, which the U.S. State Department rates Level 3, reconsider travel. The same advisory then exempts this city by name, listing no restrictions for U.S. government employees in Puerto Vallarta and neighboring Riviera Nayarit, because the violence behind the state rating is inland rather than coastal. The city's safety index of 55 puts it mid-pack, and standard precautions apply: watch your belongings on the beach and use registered taxis or Uber at night.