Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:36):
Let's be real.
Mexico isn't the cheapbackpacker paradise that it used
to be.
Prices have gone up, immigrationrules have tightened, and if
you're still thinking.
You can move here and live likea king on a thousand dollars a
month.
Those days are long gone.
Let me tell you, Mexico haschanged and so is the kind of
(00:57):
expat that it's attracting.
This place isn't just forretirees or broke nomads
anymore.
It's for people building realbusinesses with real income who
want quality of life, not just alow cost of living.
In this video, we're gonna talkabout what that all means, how
Mexico has been evolving overthe years, and what that means
(01:18):
for you as an expat, especiallyif you're looking for a place to
be able to actually buildbusinesses, to build
connections, to grow, invest,and have a higher quality of
life.
Hi, I'm Justin Keltner and onthis channel Entrepreneur,
expat.
We help you move abroad, startthe life of your dreams in a
(01:42):
different country, and actuallyenjoy.
Working so that you can live notliving to work like you might in
the US or Canada or a lot ofother places.
On this channel, we talk about abunch of things, especially to
help high net worth individualswith their real estate search
abroad, with investing withforeign businesses and all of
(02:04):
the different tax and realestate and business strategies
to help them grow their wealth.
Hit that subscribe button ifthat's something that you are
interested in.
And feel free to check out allof the resources down below this
video.
We've got a ton of courses, andif you are a high net worth
individual, you've got a milliondollars or more in assets, and
you want help with our whiteglove relocation services, just
(02:27):
go to entrepreneurexpat.com/consult and we can get
you squared away with all ofthat.
so let's talk now about the newreality of Mexico.
Since the pandemic and thedigital nomad boom that
happened, Mexico has justskyrocketed on the charts of
places that expats want to be.
(02:48):
There's been so much foreigninvestment transforming the
economy, not just in these lastfew years, but for many, many
years before that, it's justthat.
Since, uh, those 2020 era times,uh, we have gotten so much
foreign investment here.
There's so much real estatethat's been purchased.
Mexico is one of the fewcountries that actually stayed
open when everything else wasclosed.
(03:09):
So it was, I think a very, verygenius strategic move by AMLO
and his administration.
And it attracted so much money.
Major cities like Mexico City,Guadalajara, where we actually
had the pleasure of living forabout three years, and the
entire lake Chapala area wherewe currently live have seen
double digit rent and propertyprice increases in just the last
(03:31):
few years.
Here, Even local middle classneighborhoods here are no longer
cheap by expat standards.
For example, a decent twobedroom house in a safe
neighborhood in Mexico City orAjijic now can cost you easily
1200 to up to$2,000 US permonth.
That's a far shot.
Away from what it was just a fewshort years ago, and way more
(03:54):
than it was a decade or two ago.
when the people that think thatMexico is really, really cheap
are kind of comparing, uh,things to, it's, it's not
anything like that anymore.
And Mexico's appeal isn't dying.
It's actually evolving.
It's attracting entrepreneurs,investors, and people who value
lifestyle over bargain.
living Now let's talk about someof the things that the
(04:15):
government has been doing inresponse to all of these
property values, all of thesecosts of living and things like
that going up here and the factthat frankly, they just don't
need that many more people tocome and be expats here unless
they're wealthy and they havethings to contribute.
So the immigration requirementshave gotten very serious.
(04:35):
Temporary residents income havejumped significantly those
requirements since 2022 as of2025, and it's gonna go up in
January where we're we're comingup on 2026 in just a couple
short months here.
As of this year though, youtypically need.
Around 4,200 USD and verifiableincome, not just any income, it
(04:57):
has to be remote.
So if, let's say you've got a, ajob or something, you have to
have a letter from your bosssaying, Hey, this, this person
is actually allowed to workremotely.
You can't just come to Mexico,show up, and then sort of do
your, your remote.
In the US job under the table,you have to get a letter from
your boss saying that you canwork from Mexico without.
(05:17):
Any issues, and if you want toqualify based on savings, you
need close to 70,000 USD in thebank just for temporary
residency Now, for most of theclients we work with on those
white glove relocation services,that's not an issue.
And in fact, that's why we onlywork with people on those
particular things when they havea million dollars or more,
because if the requirementschange even significantly for
(05:40):
permanent residency, forexample, you've gotta have.
$300,000 in the bank.
So let's say they change thatand it goes up to four, it goes
up to five, or they require nowsome sort of investment because
they've changed the rules.
Well, high net worth individualsdon't have too much of a problem
being able to meet thosechanging requirements.
And we want to get and keep oura hundred percent approval
(06:01):
rating.
So we like to work with peoplethat.
Not only value their time morethan money, but that also are in
a position where things do get alittle bit more difficult like
they have been in prior years.
They can still qualify for thecountries that they're
interested in moving to.
Now, these filters are nowstarting to filter out a lot of
(06:21):
low income nomads and someretirees who used to easily
qualify for retirees as anexample.
If you have a pension or a, orSocial security, the requirement
for that is now as high as 7,000USD per month that you need to
show, which honestly is a lotmore than it actually costs to
live here.
But like I said, they don't needyou anymore unless you're gonna
(06:43):
be contributing significantly tothe economy, unless you're gonna
be spending money, unless you'regonna be bringing your money and
investing it here locally.
Mexico wants financially stableresidents that do contribute to
the economy, not kind of livingon the edge of, Hey, I've got.
And I've heard of this a lot,you know, in different towns
around here where people arelike.
Still even now trying to makeends meet because what might've
(07:05):
been cheap living three or fouryears ago in Ahah now is getting
quite expensive.
So they're sort of trying to, tomake ends meet, to put things
together.
Mexico isn't really looking forthose people anymore, and this
shift benefits Mexico's economybecause it helps maintain the
quality and stability ofcommunities here.
Ensures that that people, thatare coming into the country have
(07:26):
the means not only to supportthemselves, but also potentially
create jobs and, and spend moremoney and all that.
So it's, it's great news fromMexico.
Maybe not the best news ifyou're not able to qualify
anymore, but that's just kind ofwhat happens.
I told you guys not to sleep onthis for the last two years, and
it's been getting more and moredifficult.
If you are in a position whereyou, you do qualify, book that
(07:49):
call below.
Go to entrepreneurexpat.com/consult so that we can
help you through the process sothat you don't get denied.
Let's say a, a visa, a goldenvisa for Portugal.
Like we've had clients come tous and say, Hey, we, we really
wanted to go to Portugal.
You know, we weren't able tomake it work.
we're looking at Mexico becausewe kind of waited too long on
Europe, so we help you not makethe mistakes.
(08:10):
That could potentially cost youyour residency in a given
country.
And of course, there's an upsideof more affluent expat
communities, so there's moreentrepreneurs and remote
professionals, which meansthere's better services, more
people paying for those servicesand paying into that.
Pool.
There's better infrastructureand international schools.
There's a ton of internationalschools of Guadalajara in Mexico
(08:31):
City.
We're actually gonna be doing aninterview with one of them on
the channel here very, shortly.
So it just creates betterculture, better communities
overall, and real estate marketshave matured, so there's more
high quality.
Developments, there's coworkinghubs popping up everywhere, and
also better healthcare optionsall around.
And of course, this rising costmeans that there's also rising
(08:53):
opportunity for those that knowhow to build businesses around
the new expat wave, whetherthat's restaurants, that's
rental services, just like we'redoing here, uh, and things of
that nature.
Higher income expats also tendto integrate more sustainably,
so they're buying property,they're potentially paying
taxes.
Although in Mexico nobody reallypays taxes.
It's a little, uh, it's a littleweird in that sense, but also
(09:15):
hiring people locally.
So we've got staff that we workwith.
We're paying content editorshere in different parts of Latin
America.
We've got.
People that come and clean ourhouse, uh, you know, personal
care, professional services, allsorts of things like that.
So we're contributing to thelocal economy.
So who is Mexico really for now?
Well, overall, Mexico todayrewards people who have a plan
(09:39):
that's entrepreneurs, maybe someremote workers that still can
qualify investors and familiesthat are looking for freedom,
safety, and a better quality oflife if you're just coming here
to escape or get by cheap.
Then it's probably not for youanymore, but if you're serious
about building something,earning in dollars, or maybe
(09:59):
even earning a little bit fromthe expats or from the other
people that are here andbuilding businesses locally, and
you also want a country thatgives you more for your money
compared to somewhere like theUS or Canada or Western Europe,
perhaps, especially the uk, wellthen Mexico still is an
incredible.
Opportunity.
Now there's some trade offs.
You know, you've got bureaucracyhere that you don't have at the
(10:22):
same level in some cases in theus Ironically, it takes longer
to open a bank account here inMexico in some cases than to
open a business might.
whereas in the US it's kind ofthe opposite.
You've got some little tradeoffs of that, but you also have
amazing community.
You've got really, really niceweather year round.
We barely have to use the AChere and it never really gets
cold, uh, in most places in thecountry.
(10:44):
And there's a ton ofopportunity.
So Mexico really is no longer abudget destination.
It is a land of opportunity forentrepreneurs who are ready to
start thinking globally.
And if you're thinking globally,and if you've got a million
dollars or more in net worth.
Definitely book that call belowentrepreneurexpat.com/consult We
can help you through the entireprocess start to finish.
That includes airport pickup,that includes housing, that
(11:05):
includes attorneys to help youand facilitators to help you
both get your, your consulateappointment for Mexico or for
other countries in the us.
Then come down here if you'reinterested in doing it in the
Chapala area.
We actually have the housing andeverything else secured here as
well.
Uh, and people locally that willtake you to your immigration
appointment and make sure yourpaperwork is done and review
(11:27):
everything with you.
It's a full start to finishprocess.
So that's entrepreneurexpat.com/consult.
And if you want more free stuff,definitely check out our Moving
to Mexico.
guide atentrepreneurexpat.com/mexico And
then we've got a bunch of coolgoodies, including some courses
for you down in the descriptionof this video as well.
And I think.
(11:47):
We also have our YouTube storeworking now, so perhaps by the
time this is up, you actuallywill see our courses on getting
your first high paying clientonline or relocation roadmap
blueprint where we talk aboutthe entire 360 degree process of
moving abroad from picking acountry all the way to getting.
Settled here and getting yourbills paid and rental agreements
(12:09):
and all those other things likethat.
So you can find those linksbelow or around this video
somewhere, and make sure yousubscribe for more videos on
expat life business strategy andrelocation tips.
Thanks for being the best partof this community, and I'll see
you again next.
Let's be real.
Mexico isn't the cheapbackpacker paradise that it used
to be.
Prices have gone up, immigrationrules have tightened, and if
you're still thinking.
You can move here and live likea king on a thousand dollars a
month.
Those days are long gone.
Let me tell you, Mexico haschanged and so is the kind of
(00:57):
expat that it's attracting.
This place isn't just forretirees or broke nomads
anymore.
It's for people building realbusinesses with real income who
want quality of life, not just alow cost of living.
In this video, we're gonna talkabout what that all means, how
Mexico has been evolving overthe years, and what that means
(01:18):
for you as an expat, especiallyif you're looking for a place to
be able to actually buildbusinesses, to build
connections, to grow, invest,and have a higher quality of
life.
Hi, I'm Justin Keltner and onthis channel Entrepreneur,
expat.
We help you move abroad, startthe life of your dreams in a
(01:42):
different country, and actuallyenjoy.
Working so that you can live notliving to work like you might in
the US or Canada or a lot ofother places.
On this channel, we talk about abunch of things, especially to
help high net worth individualswith their real estate search
abroad, with investing withforeign businesses and all of
(02:04):
the different tax and realestate and business strategies
to help them grow their wealth.
Hit that subscribe button ifthat's something that you are
interested in.
And feel free to check out allof the resources down below this
video.
We've got a ton of courses, andif you are a high net worth
individual, you've got a milliondollars or more in assets, and
you want help with our whiteglove relocation services, just
(02:27):
go to entrepreneurexpat.com/consult and we can get
you squared away with all ofthat.
so let's talk now about the newreality of Mexico.
Since the pandemic and thedigital nomad boom that
happened, Mexico has justskyrocketed on the charts of
places that expats want to be.
(02:48):
There's been so much foreigninvestment transforming the
economy, not just in these lastfew years, but for many, many
years before that, it's justthat.
Since, uh, those 2020 era times,uh, we have gotten so much
foreign investment here.
There's so much real estatethat's been purchased.
Mexico is one of the fewcountries that actually stayed
open when everything else wasclosed.
(03:09):
So it was, I think a very, verygenius strategic move by AMLO
and his administration.
And it attracted so much money.
Major cities like Mexico City,Guadalajara, where we actually
had the pleasure of living forabout three years, and the
entire lake Chapala area wherewe currently live have seen
double digit rent and propertyprice increases in just the last
(03:31):
few years.
Here, Even local middle classneighborhoods here are no longer
cheap by expat standards.
For example, a decent twobedroom house in a safe
neighborhood in Mexico City orAjijic now can cost you easily
1200 to up to$2,000 US permonth.
That's a far shot.
Away from what it was just a fewshort years ago, and way more
(03:54):
than it was a decade or two ago.
when the people that think thatMexico is really, really cheap
are kind of comparing, uh,things to, it's, it's not
anything like that anymore.
And Mexico's appeal isn't dying.
It's actually evolving.
It's attracting entrepreneurs,investors, and people who value
lifestyle over bargain.
living Now let's talk about someof the things that the
(04:15):
government has been doing inresponse to all of these
property values, all of thesecosts of living and things like
that going up here and the factthat frankly, they just don't
need that many more people tocome and be expats here unless
they're wealthy and they havethings to contribute.
So the immigration requirementshave gotten very serious.
(04:35):
Temporary residents income havejumped significantly those
requirements since 2022 as of2025, and it's gonna go up in
January where we're we're comingup on 2026 in just a couple
short months here.
As of this year though, youtypically need.
Around 4,200 USD and verifiableincome, not just any income, it
(04:57):
has to be remote.
So if, let's say you've got a, ajob or something, you have to
have a letter from your bosssaying, Hey, this, this person
is actually allowed to workremotely.
You can't just come to Mexico,show up, and then sort of do
your, your remote.
In the US job under the table,you have to get a letter from
your boss saying that you canwork from Mexico without.
(05:17):
Any issues, and if you want toqualify based on savings, you
need close to 70,000 USD in thebank just for temporary
residency Now, for most of theclients we work with on those
white glove relocation services,that's not an issue.
And in fact, that's why we onlywork with people on those
particular things when they havea million dollars or more,
because if the requirementschange even significantly for
(05:40):
permanent residency, forexample, you've gotta have.
$300,000 in the bank.
So let's say they change thatand it goes up to four, it goes
up to five, or they require nowsome sort of investment because
they've changed the rules.
Well, high net worth individualsdon't have too much of a problem
being able to meet thosechanging requirements.
And we want to get and keep oura hundred percent approval
(06:01):
rating.
So we like to work with peoplethat.
Not only value their time morethan money, but that also are in
a position where things do get alittle bit more difficult like
they have been in prior years.
They can still qualify for thecountries that they're
interested in moving to.
Now, these filters are nowstarting to filter out a lot of
(06:21):
low income nomads and someretirees who used to easily
qualify for retirees as anexample.
If you have a pension or a, orSocial security, the requirement
for that is now as high as 7,000USD per month that you need to
show, which honestly is a lotmore than it actually costs to
live here.
But like I said, they don't needyou anymore unless you're gonna
(06:43):
be contributing significantly tothe economy, unless you're gonna
be spending money, unless you'regonna be bringing your money and
investing it here locally.
Mexico wants financially stableresidents that do contribute to
the economy, not kind of livingon the edge of, Hey, I've got.
And I've heard of this a lot,you know, in different towns
around here where people arelike.
Still even now trying to makeends meet because what might've
(07:05):
been cheap living three or fouryears ago in Ahah now is getting
quite expensive.
So they're sort of trying to, tomake ends meet, to put things
together.
Mexico isn't really looking forthose people anymore, and this
shift benefits Mexico's economybecause it helps maintain the
quality and stability ofcommunities here.
Ensures that that people, thatare coming into the country have
(07:26):
the means not only to supportthemselves, but also potentially
create jobs and, and spend moremoney and all that.
So it's, it's great news fromMexico.
Maybe not the best news ifyou're not able to qualify
anymore, but that's just kind ofwhat happens.
I told you guys not to sleep onthis for the last two years, and
it's been getting more and moredifficult.
If you are in a position whereyou, you do qualify, book that
(07:49):
call below.
Go to entrepreneurexpat.com/consult so that we can
help you through the process sothat you don't get denied.
Let's say a, a visa, a goldenvisa for Portugal.
Like we've had clients come tous and say, Hey, we, we really
wanted to go to Portugal.
You know, we weren't able tomake it work.
we're looking at Mexico becausewe kind of waited too long on
Europe, so we help you not makethe mistakes.
(08:10):
That could potentially cost youyour residency in a given
country.
And of course, there's an upsideof more affluent expat
communities, so there's moreentrepreneurs and remote
professionals, which meansthere's better services, more
people paying for those servicesand paying into that.
Pool.
There's better infrastructureand international schools.
There's a ton of internationalschools of Guadalajara in Mexico
(08:31):
City.
We're actually gonna be doing aninterview with one of them on
the channel here very, shortly.
So it just creates betterculture, better communities
overall, and real estate marketshave matured, so there's more
high quality.
Developments, there's coworkinghubs popping up everywhere, and
also better healthcare optionsall around.
And of course, this rising costmeans that there's also rising
(08:53):
opportunity for those that knowhow to build businesses around
the new expat wave, whetherthat's restaurants, that's
rental services, just like we'redoing here, uh, and things of
that nature.
Higher income expats also tendto integrate more sustainably,
so they're buying property,they're potentially paying
taxes.
Although in Mexico nobody reallypays taxes.
It's a little, uh, it's a littleweird in that sense, but also
(09:15):
hiring people locally.
So we've got staff that we workwith.
We're paying content editorshere in different parts of Latin
America.
We've got.
People that come and clean ourhouse, uh, you know, personal
care, professional services, allsorts of things like that.
So we're contributing to thelocal economy.
So who is Mexico really for now?
Well, overall, Mexico todayrewards people who have a plan
(09:39):
that's entrepreneurs, maybe someremote workers that still can
qualify investors and familiesthat are looking for freedom,
safety, and a better quality oflife if you're just coming here
to escape or get by cheap.
Then it's probably not for youanymore, but if you're serious
about building something,earning in dollars, or maybe
(09:59):
even earning a little bit fromthe expats or from the other
people that are here andbuilding businesses locally, and
you also want a country thatgives you more for your money
compared to somewhere like theUS or Canada or Western Europe,
perhaps, especially the uk, wellthen Mexico still is an
incredible.
Opportunity.
Now there's some trade offs.
You know, you've got bureaucracyhere that you don't have at the
(10:22):
same level in some cases in theus Ironically, it takes longer
to open a bank account here inMexico in some cases than to
open a business might.
whereas in the US it's kind ofthe opposite.
You've got some little tradeoffs of that, but you also have
amazing community.
You've got really, really niceweather year round.
We barely have to use the AChere and it never really gets
cold, uh, in most places in thecountry.
(10:44):
And there's a ton ofopportunity.
So Mexico really is no longer abudget destination.
It is a land of opportunity forentrepreneurs who are ready to
start thinking globally.
And if you're thinking globally,and if you've got a million
dollars or more in net worth.
Definitely book that call belowentrepreneurexpat.com/consult We
can help you through the entireprocess start to finish.
That includes airport pickup,that includes housing, that
(11:05):
includes attorneys to help youand facilitators to help you
both get your, your consulateappointment for Mexico or for
other countries in the us.
Then come down here if you'reinterested in doing it in the
Chapala area.
We actually have the housing andeverything else secured here as
well.
Uh, and people locally that willtake you to your immigration
appointment and make sure yourpaperwork is done and review
(11:27):
everything with you.
It's a full start to finishprocess.
So that's entrepreneurexpat.com/consult.
And if you want more free stuff,definitely check out our Moving
to Mexico.
guide atentrepreneurexpat.com/mexico And
then we've got a bunch of coolgoodies, including some courses
for you down in the descriptionof this video as well.
And I think.
(11:47):
We also have our YouTube storeworking now, so perhaps by the
time this is up, you actuallywill see our courses on getting
your first high paying clientonline or relocation roadmap
blueprint where we talk aboutthe entire 360 degree process of
moving abroad from picking acountry all the way to getting.
Settled here and getting yourbills paid and rental agreements
(12:09):
and all those other things likethat.
So you can find those linksbelow or around this video
somewhere, and make sure yousubscribe for more videos on
expat life business strategy andrelocation tips.
Thanks for being the best partof this community, and I'll see
you again next.
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