Living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta is a smaller coastal city in Jalisco, Mexico (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 25°C over the year with about 1,185 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,275 a month to live centrally, and Mexico sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Mexico is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $4,600 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,275
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 25°C
- 1,185 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 45/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~80 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Puerto Vallarta
- More affordable than 80% of the cities we compare
- On or near the sea
Safety and stability
Mexico scores 45 out of 100 on safety, safer than 9% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 5.1 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Mexico. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,275 a month to live centrally in Puerto Vallarta, 17% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 80% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Mexico offers a well-trodden, sponsor-free economic-solvency route to renewable temporary residency (convertible to permanent after four years), plus higher-threshold direct permanent residency and family/marriage routes, with no points system or quota.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Mexico:
- Income: about $4,600 a month (Mexico Temporary Resident Visa economic-solvency (sufficient-means) route, MXN 79,771/mo (680x daily UMA of 117.31 pesos); converted at 17.35 MXN/USD; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $78k (Mexico Temporary Resident Visa savings/investment-balance route, MXN 1,344,373 held liquid balance over 12 months (11,460x daily UMA); converted at 17.35 MXN/USD; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 63 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 3 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 132 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Mexico runs at about 80 Mbps, faster than 30% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Climate
Puerto Vallarta averages 25°C across the year with about 1,185 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 70% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Mexico scores 62 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 31% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Mexico.
Language and culture
Main languages: Spanish. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 60 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Mexico sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Puerto Vallarta in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Puerto Vallarta
Is Puerto Vallarta a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Puerto Vallarta scores well on affordability. It is weaker on safety and English. Expect a warm, wet climate (25°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Puerto Vallarta and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Puerto Vallarta?
We estimate about €2,275 a month for a couple living centrally, 17% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Puerto Vallarta?
Mexico is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Puerto Vallarta in their results.
Can foreigners live in Mexico long term?
Our assessment: comparatively open. Mexico offers a well-trodden, sponsor-free economic-solvency route to renewable temporary residency (convertible to permanent after four years), plus higher-threshold direct permanent residency and family/marriage routes, with no points system or quota. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $4,600 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $78k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Puerto Vallarta?
Puerto Vallarta averages 25°C across the year with about 1,185 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 70% of the cities we track.
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