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In early 2020, I was in Traverse City, Michigan, making a modest salary as a social worker during the day while working odd jobs on nights and weekends to make ends meet.
My husband, who was born in Mexico, was going through an expensive immigration case for residency and permission to work. We were barely scraping by financially. When the world started to go on lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found out I was pregnant with twins.
We were thrilled but also very worried as we considered our new reality as parents-to-be in the US. With the high cost of healthcare, rising gun violence in schools, and our uphill battle with the US immigration system in mind, we made the choice to relocate to Mexico to start our family.
Not long after, we landed in Puerto Vallarta, a beautiful coastal city popular with both national and international tourists.
The transition wasn't too tough for me because I'd spent much of my 20s working as an English teacher in Central Mexico. My husband experienced some culture shock: He hadn't been in Mexico since he was a child, and his Spanish was a bit rusty.
But after four years here, we've settled in and live a pretty comfortable life.
Mexico provides residents access to universal health coverage, and most use the public system. We've personally had great experiences with it.
Our twins were born in a private hospital in Puerto Vallarta, which was nicer than any hospital I've ever seen in the United States.
I had a scheduled C-section, and one of the twins had a day of NICU care. Our total bill for the birth and hospital stay, without insurance, was about $3,000. A C-section with insurance in the US can easily cost more than four times that amount.
Once we brought the twins home, I also received excellent, affordable care. Our pediatrician came to our door, and we paid only about $60 for the visit. Personalized care at that price is essentially unheard of in the US.
Before we moved, I was never able to receive healthcare for an autoimmune condition due to prohibitive costs. I lived in a lot of pain because I couldn't access a specialist in my area, even with health insurance.
But that changed once we moved to Mexico. Here, I don't even need a referral to see a specialist — I simply schedule an appointment directly with the provider of my choice. I usually pay about $50 for a standard doctor's visit.
I've also taken advantage of low-cost lab work and preventive screenings through Salud Digna, a nonprofit health organization. A visit has never cost me more than about $130.
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Puerto Vallarta is considered one of the most expensive cities for renters in Latin America — even so, our cost of living here comes with more value than it did in the US.
We live in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment for under $1,000 a month. Our grocery bill is typically about $400 a month for four, and we eat well with a lot of fresh food. Even better, we can do all of our grocery shopping on foot and purchase everything from local stores.
Within a 10-minute walk from our home, we have a seafood market, a butcher shop, a fresh produce market, and stands with freshly made tortillas.
A two-bedroom in a walkable city like this would easily cost more than double the price in the US — and we'd never be able to afford to eat so well if we moved back.
We've been living here for over four years and have been able to make a decent living by starting our own businesses, which has been fairly easy.
Although my husband struggled to get permission to work in the US, he's now a personal chef for several local clients. In Mexico, he launched his business with minimal startup costs, permits, and licenses. I work online as a freelancer and recently started a travel agency.
There are certain things we miss about home, but we wouldn't want to give up all we enjoy here, like access to affordable fresh food and quality healthcare.
Our quality of life is better here, and we're so happy we made the choice to raise our family in Mexico. We can't imagine going back to the US.
This story was originally published on October 1, 2024, and most recently updated on November 6, 2024.
