Remote Work in Mexico: A Digital Nomad’s Guide

Remote Work in Mexico

In recent years, the lifestyle of a digital nomad has come to appeal to many people around the globe. People are seeking adventure; however, it’s hard to travel a lot when you have to go to work every day. With the rise of advanced technologies and the shift in employers’ mindset about having full-time workers in the offices, the concept of a digital nomad has become popular.  

When you have skills in creating, developing, or doing something online, you no longer need to stay where you are. You can continue to do what you do but live wherever you want. Many people who don’t possess the skills of digital nomads’ typical jobs start taking courses and engaging in their education.  

If you want to find a place to live, travel, and do your job online, you need to find the most appropriate country where your salary will be enough to have a prosperous life. In this regard, Mexico became the best destination for freelancers, software engineers, call center specialists, etc. Remote work in Mexico is possible, and here is everything you need to know.

The conditions created here, the cost of living, and traveling opportunities attract many professionals from around the globe. For your peace of mind, you need to have a stable remote job to come to Mexico and take some time to settle down. That’s why it’s advisable to check the extensive list of remote job opportunities in Mexico. There’s every chance to find a promising remote job.

If you’re considering some destinations for your digital nomad living and working, we want to give you a full picture of what living in Mexico looks like. After weighing all the pros and cons, you’ll be able to make a decision.  

Total cost of living

Before moving to Mexico, it’s necessary to understand how much money you’ll need to cover your basic needs. It’s hard to make any assumptions right away because the city and country where you live at the moment play a major part in this regard. However, you can find many web resources offering a Cost of Living Calculator to compare the country where you live and where you will move. 

Without knowing your particular standard of living, we can calculate the average monetary cost of covering the necessities. 

Housing

Surely, the most intriguing question is what’s the price for renting an apartment or house or buying something? This will be the biggest part of your expenditures. It’s no secret that if you choose to find housing near resorts that attract tourists from all over the globe, you should expect a bigger price for rent/house ownership.

According to the Numbeo, you can expect the following average prices for housing:

• Renting an apartment with one bedroom in a big city will cost around $520 a month. Outside of big cities, you can expect it to be around $330 a month;
• Renting an apartment with three bedrooms in some city center will cost about $970 a month. While outside of the city center, it’ll be around $690.

If house ownership seems like a more appropriate option for you, you can expect house prices to start from $120,000, but not in large tourist cities of the country. Fortunately, the taxes you need to pay for your property are surprisingly low. If it’s not a huge house that you own, the taxes can be as low as two hundred dollars a year. 

Groceries

When coming to Mexico for the first time, you’d want to try every dish of Mexican cuisine as it’s delicious. In comparison to most popular tourist places, dining in nice restaurants will not be a big expenditure here. The average cost is about twenty dollars for a person.  

After a while when you start cooking at home, you’ll find the cost of groceries is as low as possible. Fortunately, the quality of food is as you buy it in your home country. If you’re single, your groceries expenses will be about $215 a month. If traveling with your partner, it’ll be around $430. 

Transportation

Here you can leave the desire to own a car, especially if you want to lower your monthly expenditure. Public transportation is great, and using public transport can cost you about forty dollars a month if you live alone. If you live with your loved one, you can just double the costs.  

However, many digital nomads feel a need to buy a car. It gives them freedom to travel this magnificent country and not worry about taxis, or other means of transportation. Here you will need about one hundred seventy dollars to pay for car maintenance, gas refueling, and insurance coverage every month.

Utilities

No one can live in a house or apartment without essential services like gas, electricity, etc. However, the cost of using all those services is extremely low. You should expect the following costs:  

• Electricity. Without extreme usage of air-conditioning, the monthly cost will be around $35;
• Gas. Gas bills will also be affordable. Prepare for $30 bills a month;
• Telephone services and Internet. Since your remote job will entail the constant use of the Internet, you should opt for the best packages. It’ll cost about $20-30 per month;
• TV. You can expect Mexican TV broadcasts to be in Spanish. That’s why digital nomads solely rely on paid subscriptions. Apart from cable TV costs that cost around $40, you should add the cost of your favorite paid subscriptions;
• Drinking water: Only a small part of Mexican areas can boast of drinkable tap water. So, the purchase of water jugs is inevitable. The average tap water costs are about twenty dollars a month. Water jugs cost about two and a half dollars per 20-liter bottle.

Healthcare

As soon as you come here, there’s no talk about legal residency. This gives you the right to use healthcare services on a free basis. However, depending on the type of visa you have, you can participate in IMSS.  

Whether you’re a kid or an adult, you can expect this participation to cost about $350. That’s an annual cost, so you can secure your family’s healthcare coverage.  

Based on this data, you can figure out that the cost of living in one of the Mexican cities is as low as it can be. If you have a competitive salary for your remote job, you can live here to the fullest and enjoy everything. To sum up, living here alone will cost about $1600 a month. If we’re talking about moving here with your spouse, then it will amount to $2300 a month.

The requirements for working remotely in Mexico

While there are millions of opportunities to find a remote job and live wherever you want, you need to understand that you cannot just go to any country you want and do what you want. There are some rules, tax implications, and work permits you need to know about to have a hassle-free life in Mexico.  

What does hassle-free living in Mexico entail? 

If there is no doubt that you find plenty of suitable remote jobs to support your standard of living and preferences, there are some obligations you need to exercise to not have problems with Mexican authorities.  

You need to do the following: 

Apply for a Mexico Digital Nomad Visa

There are some requirements for every visa applicant to follow. Mostly, these requirements concern your income. You should check all the criteria you must comply with to weigh your outcomes. Check government websites to find detailed information.  

While there’s an option to have a tourist visa, it won’t allow you to stay here for more than a couple of months. So, if you intend to stay here longer, it’s the most appropriate thing to do. After some time, you will be able to apply for permanent residence.  

The processing time may be short as you can get a visa the day you apply for it if everything’s okay with your documents. However, it may take about 14 days. The total cost of getting this visa can be $200-400 including the payment for the interview.  

If you’re successful, you’ll get an opportunity to stay in this country from half a year to as long as four years. 

Tax payments

Everything might be simple concerning tax payments. However, it’s advisable to consult an accountant to see what taxpayer group you belong to. If you get more than half of your income outside of this country, you may not need to pay anything. That’s a solution to not face double taxation.  

However, if half of your income comes within the country, you will need to pay taxes. Every person’s situation is different. That’s why you need to consult a professional to work out everything and not get in trouble with authorities. 

Conclusion

In terms of choosing a destination for a digital nomad’s lifestyle, you can consider living in Mexico. The conditions that were created here are advantageous to remote work in Mexico. The most important thing is that you can find plenty of remote work opportunities. Many platforms offer to search for remote jobs in any country.  

The cost of living here is as low as you can expect for remote work in Mexico. Well, everything can be seen in comparison to the country where you live at the moment. However, it’s for a reason that many digital nomads come here. If you plan to stay here just for a couple of months, then a tourist visa will be enough.

However, if you want to stick around, then the most appropriate solution would be to get a digital nomad visa. The tax payment system is a no-brainer. Although, for your peace of mind, you should consult an accountant.