Frequently Asked Questions

Americans residing in Mexico on a temporary or permanent basis have grown by over 70 percent from 2018 to 2023, with the numbers for 2024 still pending, according to data from the Immigration Policy Unit of the Secretariat for Home Affairs.

Property taxes in Puerto Vallarta  are a meer fraction (less than 2%) of the property tax on a property of the same value on the Monterey Peninsula.

For example for two properties both valued by the assessor at $500,000 USD (one in Carmel, CA and another in Puerto Vallarta), the annual property taxes are:

- $100 USD (.020% X $500,000 USD) in Puerto Vallarta

-  $6,000 USD (1.2% X $500,000 USD) in Carmel, CA

August 2, 2019 – Active Property Listings Comparison

Comparable front-line beach front properties in greater Puerto Vallarta are approximately 1/3 the cost of properties on the Monterey Peninsula.

Reference listings below: both condos have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,200 ft2 living area and are located front line beach front:

Monterey Peninsula:

 - 41 La Playa, Del Monte Beach Townhouses - $1,350,000 USD

https://mls.normnelson.com/?MLS=81751611&City=MO

Puerto Vallarta: 

 - Kite Towers, Nuevo Vallarta - $399,000 USD

https://www.normnelson.com/featured-property-puerto-vallarta.htm

April 9, 2019

US Dept of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs - Foreign Travel Advisory Bulletin

There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees to: Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Riviera Nayarit (including Puerto Vallarta), Chapala, and Ajijic.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

December 17, 2019 - U.S. Department of State's full Mexico Travel Advisory Report

There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees to: Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Riviera Nayarit (including Puerto Vallarta), Chapala, and Ajijic.

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May 2, 2019

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, a travel insurance provider, reports Puerto Vallarta is a safe destination, and the issues travelers might encounter there are more likely to be minor frustrations and petty crimes, like bag snatching or pickpocketing, rather than a serious danger.

In fact, crime rates there are very low, significantly lower than those of major cities in the U.S. like Miami, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. Violent crime is something that any visitor using common sense should not encounter.

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Amid-Concerns-Over-Mexico-Is-Puerto-Vallarta-Safe

August 5, 2019

Marie Callan - BanderasNews.com

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, just released the results of their 2019 Travelers' Choice Awards, and Puerto Vallarta has been named one of the best cities to visit in Mexico. https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop-g150768

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Ease of Accessibility: By car, aircraft or boat.

- Car: several US border crossings.

- Aircraft - Diaz International Airport:

      - Non-stop Commercial: 19 US and 16 Canadian cities. 

      - Private Aviation: Executive jet services - landing & take-off permits; parking; refueling & cleaning; private ground transportation.

 - Yachts: Three harbors: (1) PV Marina, (2) Nuevo Vallarta & (3) Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

 - Cruise Ships: dock daily in hi-season. 

Affordability:

- Housing Prices: 1/3 that of comparable homes in the US.  A wide variety of housing is availabile with prices ranging from under $100,000 to $5,000,000+ USD. 

- Medical & Dental Services:  1/3 to 1/2  the cost of comparable services in the US. 

Infrastructure:

- Healthcare: Five state-of-the-art hospitals;  Physicians commonly make house calls. 

- Private schools: American School and British American School.

- Harbors: Cruise ship terminal accomodates up to 3 ocean liners at a time; 3 yacht harbors for pleasure craft.

- Retail Stores: Big box stores (e.g. Wallmart, Costco, Home Depot) complement the local specialty shops.

Culture: These three well known Mexican cultural atributes all originated in the State of Jalisco.

- Mariachi: (3 – 12 player music minstrels)

- Charro: ( Cowboy)

- Agave:  (plants for a variety of tequila) 

Architecture - Traditional blends with modern connected by cobblestone streets.

Local Slogan … "Puerto Vallarta is where Mexico comes Alive."

Sister City - Santa Barbara, CA

Climate/Geography: Averaging 320 sunny days per year; on the 20^th parallel – same as the Hawaiian Islands; Sierra Madre mountain range rises to the east buffeting Pacific storms and providing a "vertical" landscape for ocean view homes. Close proximity to notable cities: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and Guadalajara.

Sports: Fishing – Bay of Banderas (40 mile rim) deep water canyons offers excellent fishing; Golf –7 courses (2 Jack Nicklaus, 1 Greg Norman and 1 Tom Weiskopf).

Restaurants: Gourmet destination with a broad selection of both Mexican & non-Mexican restaurants (Italian, German, French Greek, Asian) and night life on the Malecon (disco dancing to salsa dancing at Cuban night club).

Puerto Vallarta People: Conde Nast Travel Magazine voted Puerto Vallarta the friendliness resort travel destination. Crime rate is the lowest of all major resort destinations in Mexico. Hand gun ownership prohibited by law. 28 charities supporting the community.

Price Stability and Appreciation: There is only a fixed number of coastal properties and they are (and always will be) in high demand. You can expect price stability in market down turns and better than average price appreciation in market up turns.

Climate: Coastal home properties typically have a lower ambient temperature vs. inland properties and receive direct ocean breezes making for cleaner air - typically single or low double digit Air Quality Index. 

Beach Life: Walking nearby beaches or wading/swimming/surfing in the ocean is healthful and affords the opportunity to see dolphins jumping, whales breaching, manta rays flying and turtles nesting.

Sunsets: Sunsets – receding slowly over the ocean – are simply the best.

It is estimated 35,000 Americans make their home in the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta.  This is 15% of Puerto Vallarta's 2014 total populatiion - 221,200.

Mexico is the most popular destination in the world for American citizens living abroad.  The US State Department estimates 1.5 million US citizens live in Mexico.

A recently completed Expats In Mexico Survey 2019 found Baby Boomers are considering moving to Mexico for retirement.  Nearly all Boomer respondents said retirement is their main reason to move (29 percent), followed by a lower cost of living (23 percent) and better climate (16 percent).

For all respondents, retirement still came out on top at 24 percent. A lower cost of living (21 percent) and a better climate (16 percent) were also on the top of their needs. 

Robert Nelson - Author: Boomers in Paradise

Puerto Vallarta is located on the 20^th parallel, the same latitude as Hawaii and enjoys nearly perfect weather year-round. The city is situated at the western most point end of the state of Jalisco, 2 meters above sea level.

Nestled between the rugged, tropical Sierra Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay - Mexico's largest natural bay on Mexico's balmy Pacific coast, Puerto Vallarta is easily accessible from the U.S. and Canada. The city enjoys a warm tropical climate year-round, with average daytime temperatures of 80°F and cooler evening temperatures in winter months.

Jul. 18, 2019 - Vallarta Life Styles - Estefanía Montes

Blue Flag certification renewed:

State of Nayarit

· Nuevo Vallarta (Banderas Bay)

· Marina Riviera Nayarit (Banderas Bay)

State of Jalisco

· Camarones (Puerto Vallarta)

· Palmares (Puerto Vallarta)

Blue Flag is an international certification of beaches, marinas and major vessels in the world, which promotes sustainable management of coastal destinations and recognizes those who achieve excellence. To receive recognition, a national and an international jury analyzed and evaluated their excellence in the areas of: water quality, environmental education, environmental management, safety and services. Blue Flag has standardized protocols and strict selection process, verification and monitoring.

At the international level, there are 4,154 Blue Flag beaches and marinas in 49 countries. Of these, 20 beaches and a marina are in Mexico.  Requests were made this year to certify seven additional Mexican beaches in the Blue Flag certification program.

The beaches and marinas participating in the program get benefits such as improvement in the management of the beaches and marinas, more regulation on coastal processes, recovery and restoration of coastal ecosystems, monitoring of coastal and marine areas, knowledge of the habitat and implementation of programs environmental education. In addition, participants beaches have monthly monitoring of clean beaches and water quality.

March 04, 2019 - Sarah Grace Taylor – Freightways

In 2018, Mexico's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.3 percent, and is estimated to grow by 2.7 percent in 2019. With its population growing to 130 million and unemployment staying low at 3.6 percent, the Mexican market has become a hot commodity for foreign companies.  A Goldman Sachs projection suggests Mexico will go from the 14th-largest economy in the world in 2012 to the fifth-largest in 2050 based on Mexico's proximity to the United States and competitiveness in the country.

With its economic strength seemingly secure, Mexico maintains free trade agreements with over 50 other nations. While Mexico's market growth touches manufacturing, healthcare, technology and other industries, the expanding automotive market is a primary factor in the shipping industry.

Mexico Boasts 5th Best Health Care System in the World

María Francesca - BanderasNews.com
July 12, 2019

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - According to the 2019 Global Retirement Index published by InternationalLiving.com, Mexico is among the Top 6 Countries with the Best Healthcare in the World.

International Living's 2019 healthcare report pinpoints the top 6 spots where high-quality healthcare costs a small fraction of what it does in the US. In each of these countries you'll find clean, excellent hospitals, highly trained doctors, and affordable medical care.

"Affordable medical bills, attentive and personalized care, doctors who make house calls - that's the reality for those who live in the places offering the best healthcare in the world," says International Living senior editor, Dan Prescher.

"To come up with our list of the best countries for retiree healthcare, we assessed the cost, access, and quality of care as well as insurance and the cost of medications in the communities where we recommend expats go. We asked questions like, how much will you have to pay for things like laser eye surgery, a tooth crown, or a blood transfusion? Can you get common medications for things like asthma and diabetes? And do you need a prescription to get a refill? When it comes to assessing healthcare, we factor in both quality and price to give a fair and balanced view."

Taking into account all those variables, the Top 6 Countries for health care on the 2019 Global Retirement Index is led by Malaysia, followed by France, Thailand and Ecuador, with Costa Rica and Mexico tied for fifth place.

Mexico's high-quality and affordable medical care is just one of the many reasons that it was ranked at #3 on International Living's list of the World's Best Places to Retire in 2019.

Here are a few examples of typical fees charged for services and procedures in Mexico if paid out-of-pocket. Prices will vary according to location and your particular medical needs:

Title: When real property is located in the Restricted Zone (within 50 km of the ocean or 100 KM of a national border), foreign nationals hold title in a 50-year, renewable Mexican bank trust - Fidiecomiso.

When real property is not located in the Restricted Zone (i.e. further inland from the borders), foreign nationals hold title fee simple.

Notaria Publico: Notarias are required by Mexican law to handle all real estate transfers of ownership.

They are licensed attorneys and licensed as Notarias by the Mexican federal government - appointed by the state governor for a life term. They have broad powers: preside over each real property sale, perform lien review and title search, appraise the value of property and collect capital gains taxes from the seller. They also are the initial point presiding over land disputes and handle wills and dispositions of trusts.

Title Insurance: Several title companies (notably First American and Stewart) offer tile insurance in Mexico for the full sale price of the property.

Price Stability for Buyer at Sale: real estate is listed on the MLS and sold in US dollars. Property sale price from accepted offer to close of escrow is not disturbed by any intervening fluctuations in the value of the Mexican peso to the US dollar.

The sale price recorded in pesos may affect seller's capital gains treatment when the property is sold in the future – depending on intervening changes in the USD / MXN exchange rate from purchase date to future sale date.