Mexico

Mexico

Central America / Latin America

North America
63
Overall score
Moderate overall
Language
Spanish
Currency
MXN
Citizenship
5 years (2 if married/Latin American)
Personal tax
1.92–35%
Cost of living
$1,100 / mo (single)

A huge, affordable Latin hub right on the US border: easy temporary residency by income, a thriving nomad scene and a 2-year citizenship clock for Latin Americans, with cartel-related safety caveats by region.

Pros

  • Easy income-based temporary residency
  • Low cost of living & great climate
  • USMCA access & US time zones

Cons

  • Regional security concerns
  • Spanish needed day-to-day
  • Bureaucracy can be slow

Best for

Remote workers & nomadsRetireesUS-adjacent founders

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
78
Citizenship
70
Residence
31
Money & business
Taxes
56
Corporate tax
14
Business
41
Investment
47
Economy
67
Wealth building
56
Living, study & work
Education
66
Salary & work
66
Cost of living
68
Buying power
67
Quality of life
Safety
20
Healthcare
64
Infrastructure
67
HDI
79

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Good
78

Passport-index style mobility for the Mexico passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

154 / 198
Mobility
#28
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free104
  • On arrival46
  • eTA4
  • Visa required44

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
70
Years required5 years of residency (2 for spouses of Mexicans & Latin Americans)
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageSpanish + Mexican history/culture exam
ResidenceLegal residency with limited absences before naturalisation
NotesTemporary residency is commonly obtained by proving sufficient income or savings (economic solvency).
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Limited
31
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock1.3% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality-0.20 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Temporary residency (economic solvency)Permanent residencyFamilyWork permit
StudentStudent residency; work allowed with authorisation.
WorkEmployer-sponsored work permit tied to a job offer.
Self-employedRegister with SAT (RFC); freelancers commonly use temporary residency.
PermanentPermanent residency after 4 years (or directly by income/retiree status).

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
56
Personal1.92–35% progressive
Corporate30%
Capital gains10% on listed shares; otherwise up to 35%
Dividends10% withholding
Exit taxNone for individuals
Foreign cosREFIPRES (CFC-style) rules on low-taxed foreign income
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Limited
36
Personal1.92–35% progressive
FreelanceRFC registration; RESICO simplified regime for small earners
Capital gains10% on listed shares; otherwise up to 35%
Dividends10% withholding
Exit taxNone for individuals
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
14
Corporate30%
Capital gains10% on listed shares; otherwise up to 35%
Dividends10% withholding
Foreign cosREFIPRES (CFC-style) rules on low-taxed foreign income
Business
Business friendliness
Limited
41
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality-0.20 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness-0.22 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: foreigners may own Mexican companies
Local co.S.A. de C.V. or S. de R.L.; notary required
FreelanceRFC registration; RESICO simplified regime for small earners
Corporate tax30%
Capital gains10% on listed shares; otherwise up to 35%
Exit taxNone for individuals
Foreign cosREFIPRES (CFC-style) rules on low-taxed foreign income
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
47
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap32% of GDP (2023)
Private credit35% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains10% on listed shares; foreign brokers widely used
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersGrowing: GBM, local banks, Interactive Brokers
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Good
67
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$1.9T (2024)
GDP / person$14,186 (2024)
GNI / person$25,460 PPP (2024)
GDP growth1.4% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation4.7% / yr (2024)
Unemployment2.7% (2025)
Output per worker$48,671 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture3.7% of GDP (2024)
Industry31.8% of GDP (2024)
Services58.1% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
Automotive & manufacturingElectronicsOil & gasAgricultureTourism
Top exports
Vehicles & partsElectronics & computersCrude oilAgricultural products
TypeUpper-middle-income, manufacturing- and export-led
Key sectorsAuto & aerospace manufacturing (nearshoring), Electronics assembly, Tourism
SummaryA major manufacturing exporter to the US, increasingly favoured for nearshoring across autos and electronics.
CurrencyMexican peso
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Moderate
56
How this score is calculated

How favourable Mexico is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
54
Business
Moderate
45
Investment
Moderate
58
Tax friendliness
Moderate
56
Cost of living
Good
68

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Good
66
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling14.5 years (2023)
Mean schooling9.3 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment48% gross (2024)
Education spending4.1% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition$3,000–10,000 / yr (private); low public
Public uniUNAM and public universities very low for residents
LanguagesSpanish, English (some programs)
Student workWork permitted with appropriate authorisation
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
66
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$48,671 PPP (2024)
Unemployment2.7% (2025)
Participation61.6% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$457 · $751 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$587 · $1,031 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceStrong nearshoring market for US clients
Job marketMexico City, Guadalajara ('Mexican Silicon Valley'), Monterrey hubs.
Cost of living
Affordability
Good
68

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level59 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent$500–1,000 (1BR major city)
Monthly$1,100
CitiesMexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Playa del Carmen
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
67
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$25,460 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$16,881 PPP (2024)
Price level59 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality42.6 Gini (2024)
Inflation4.7% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Low
20
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate24.9 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law-1.15 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption-0.94 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability-0.72 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Moderate
64
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy75.3 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality13.1 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians2.59 per 1,000 (2022)
Hospital beds1.01 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$1,368 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemPublic (IMSS) + affordable private
InsurancePublic for contributors; private insurance cheap and common
Avg costPrivate cover from ~$1,000–2,500 / yr
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Good
67
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use83.1% (2024)
Internet resilience51 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed76 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed57 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access99.7% (2023)
Grid losses11.1% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality2.80 / 5 (2022)
Air connectivity4,255 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Good
79
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.789 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy75.1 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling14.5 years (2023)
Mean schooling9.3 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$21,813 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.