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Editor’s Note:
Everyone has an opinion about moving to Mexico. Most of it comes from people trying to sell you the dream — or scare you out of it. This series is neither.
For a year, Dudy photographed Puerto Vallarta every single day and shared his family’s real move with tens of thousands of followers — the good, the hard, and the parts nobody warns you about. When he set off for his next chapter, we asked to keep his honest, ten-part story here, where the people actually considering this life could find it.
Read it in order, or skip straight to whatever you’re worried about. Either way, this is what moving to Mexico really looks like, heart first, nothing sugarcoated.
The I Heart Vallarta team
Moving to Mexico
1.Why We Moved to Mexico — and the One List That Matters Most
There's no single reason people move. But there's one list Dudy wishes he'd made before anything else.
2.Affordable Comes With a Price: The Truth About the Cost of Living
Yes, it can be cheaper. But "affordable" comes with trade-offs the highlight reels skip.
3.The Tacos Are Amazing… Until You Crave Something Else
The fresh food will spoil you — until all you want is a good papaya salad and you can't find one.
4.The Weather Isn't Always Paradise: Puerto Vallarta Summers
Everyone pictures endless sunshine. Then summer arrives — heat, humidity, and daily rain.
5.Cash Is Still King: Money, Banking & Shopping Like a Local
A whole year, and they never opened a bank account — never needed one. How money actually works here.
6.Learning Spanish Changes Everything (Start Before You Pack)
"Everyone speaks English" — until they don't. The one thing Dudy most wishes he'd started sooner.
7.Healthcare in Mexico: Not What We Expected
One of them paid $100 a month. The other, $525. An honest, numbers-included look at real coverage.
8.The Pace of Life: Mexico's Greatest Gift
Better sleep. No rushing. "Today is Monday… and that's all it is." The chapter he cherishes most.
9.Prepare for Plan B: Why Some Expats Leave (and Why That's Okay)
The dream is real. It also doesn't work out for everyone — and that's a kind of freedom.
10.Tacos & Markets: What a Year in Vallarta Gave Me
The day his "taco anxiety" ended, the markets that felt like childhood, and what a year gave back.
Moving to Mexico: Honest Answers to the Questions Everyone Asks:
For many people it’s life-changing — but it isn’t right for everyone, and the honest answer depends on what you’re willing to trade. Start with the one list to make before you decide, and read why some people move back home so you go in with clear eyes.
It can absolutely be more affordable than the US or Canada, but “affordable” comes with trade-offs the highlight reels leave out. Here’s the honest truth about the cost of living in Puerto Vallarta, including where the savings are real and where they aren’t.
Winters are the postcard everyone imagines, but summers bring serious heat, humidity, and near-daily rain from roughly June through October. Read what Puerto Vallarta summers are really like before you plan a move around the seasons.
You can get by with English in the tourist areas, but you’ll live a far richer, easier, and safer life if you learn Spanish — especially in a medical or emergency situation. It’s the one thing Dudy most wishes he’d started sooner.
Not necessarily — one family lived here a full year and never opened one. Here’s how money, banking, and paying for everything actually works day to day.
It varies enormously with age and health history — in one household, one person paid about $100 a month and the other around $525. Read the real numbers and the surprises before you assume it’s automatically cheap.
The fresh produce, seafood, and tortillas will genuinely spoil you — but you may hit a “culinary limbo” when you crave familiar foreign ingredients. Here’s what you’ll love and what you’ll miss.
Many build a life and never look back, but some return home — missing family, seasons, or convenience — and that’s a valid choice, not a failure. Read why some expats leave, and why having a Plan B is a freedom.
About this series
Originally shared on My Around the World Daily. Adapted with permission. Dudy spent a year living in Puerto Vallarta, photographing it daily for thousands of followers — read his farewell interview with I Heart Vallarta [CLICK HERE).
Planning the move yourself?
I Heart Vallarta is the local community waiting for you on the other side — vetted local businesses, honest recommendations, and the people who make this city home. Join at the founding rate and land connected.
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