After last night’s election results, I had more than a few friends reach out to get a better sense of the process and cost to move to Mexico. Below, I break down the process and costs I have taken/incurred to make this happen.

LEGAL RESIDENCY

There are a few methods to obtain legal residency in Mexico, and many a website that discusses them all. For this blog, I’ll only address the method I took to obtain my residency.

Residency Application via a Mexican Consulate in the USA: $54 at time of application. Once approved, you must then enter into Mexico within 180 days to have the application process finalized at a Mexican Immigration Office (INM). This costs $5,328 MXN (around $260 USD) plus the cost of a facilitator, if you chose to use one (it’s recommended). You then need to renew this residency one year later, and can chose to renew for one year, or three years at that time (and the applicable fees will apply). After four years, you move to ‘Permanent Residency’, which is just that - permanent - no need to renew again.

Regularization Program: While the above route is the one I had planned to take (I had an appointment set with the Las Vegas Consulate for late September 2024), I found out about another route called the Regularization Program in August. This program was MUCH easier logistically; there was no need to apply at a consulate in the US (which can sometimes take days, meaning you have to stay in town until it’s complete), no need to qualify via economic solvency, AND you get all 4-years of residency in one shot, so no need to renew each year. I used a facilitator based out of San Diego to assist with this process, and I was in and out of the Rosarito (Mexico) Immigration Office in less than an hour and left with my residency card in hand. This program was more expensive than applying via a consulate, as you’re paying for all four years up front, plus a “fine” for seeming to overstay your tourist visa (I can discuss this program more if there’s interest, but held off here for the sake of brevity for this post), and I had to pay the facilitator’s fee. Still, the ease of completing the process in one afternoon made it worth it.

(Yes - I’m aware of the privilege I have to be able to make things like this happen and never take it for granted, so don’t get it twisted.)

CHANGING U.S. RESIDENCY TO ANOTHER STATE

This obviously isn’t a necessity for anyone wanting to move abroad, but as the long-term benefits of doing so far outweighed the short-term costs for my scenario, I made it happen. (See my previous blogs about moving my residency to South Dakota to learn about the benefits). Below are the costs incurred to do so:

One-year South Dakota Address Mailbox Subscription (Anytime Mailbox): $129.99/year (Bronze package)

Registering my Vehicle (2020 Subaru Outback) in South Dakota: $87.00/ year

Flight to Rapid City, SD to complete my required one-night-stay: Approximately $200.00 (tacked it onto the backend of a trip to Toronto)

Hotel for one-night in Rapid City, SD: $160.00 (included late checkout fee)

Ubers/Lyfts around Rapid City (including to/from airport): $90.00

South Dakota Driver’s License Application Fee: $27.00 (license is good for five years)

Cost to register LLC in South Dakota: $150.00 (with $50/year renewal fee)

MOVING MY BELONGINGS

I wasn’t going to take much, but I also wasn’t going to take nothing. I have a whole collection of fun outdoor activity toys that I really wanted with me, along with some kitchen items I have an affinity for, and the other essentials, like clothes, linens, etc. So while I’m not moving a lot, the logistics still had me in a bit of turmoil. I ended up settling on purchasing a small, enclosed trailer that I found on Facebook marketplace, and having movers take a pallet (4x4x6) of items down for me. The associated costs are below:

Trailer: $488 (most random sales price ever, but OK)

Registration for Trailer: $80 (I registered it in California and opted not to move its registration to South Dakota as South Dakota requires annual renewals for trailers while California only requires renewal every five years)

Movers: $1,350 (this is a flat rate that includes everything, including any duty/taxes at the border. This is for a pallet of items- 4’ x 4’ x 6’ high. Service is “door to door,” and my items should arrive within a day of when I do)

Duty at the Border: I may or may not have to pay taxes on the items I’ll bring when I drive down. That will be at the discretion of the border agent. If I have to pay, it likely won’t be more than a couple hundred dollars. I will have a detailed list of items that I’m bringing. All used, nothing new.

GETTING THERE

Of course, how you get to your final destination will play a role in the cost to get there. As I’m driving over the course of 3-4 days (don’t want to put too much stress on the doggos … or Ariel … lol), I’ll need to budget for gas and overnight accommodations. The drive is about 1,100 miles, and I get (conservatively) 300 miles to the tank, and my tank costs around $70 to fill (in California, which has comparable gas prices to Mexico currently), so gas will likely run me about $250 USD. Accomodations will likely cost around $100/night, so around $300-$400 total. I’m also paying for Ariel’s flight home, as a thank you for driving down with me, and that cost was around $200 (La Paz - LAX direct with Alaska Airlines).

OTHER EXPENSES

Other expenses I’m incurring before the move but are for my benefit after I move are as follows:

Health Insurance (that covers anything catastrophic): $1,700/year (coverage begins in January)

Mexican Vehicle Insurance: $450/year (coverage begins in January)

Deposit (first month, security deposit, pet deposit, cleaning fee) on the house I have rented: $2,540

New tires on car and trailer (the roads in Mexico are notoriously rough on tires): $1,400

So, while this move isn’t going to be cheap, it's far more doable than I think a lot of people believe. Further, once I’m there and settled, the cost of living will be wildly decreased from what I was paying while in California, making it even more worth it.

Moving Abroad: The Costs

It’s the little things (that can drive you crazy)

Moving to Mexico? What are you thinking??