Can you work as a freelancer in Mexico?
Mexico has long been a favorite of US and Canadian freelancers who’ve decided to take their work on the road. With its reliable high-speed internet, and a lot of amazing (beach) locations Mexico seems like a great place to work as a digital nomad.
Add to that the low cost of living, which means you do not have to slave all day on sites like Upwork and People per Hour to find jobs to pay the bills.
Mexico is known for its easy visa rules. Or should I say: was known. For in the age of more computerized border procedures crossing the border over and over again on the famous FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple) as the visitor’s permit is called, it has become more difficult to do multiple entries into Mexico with a short time interval.
I’ve heard complaints of digital nomads being refused at the border and being urged to get a temporary resident visa.
But if you want to stay on a Visitor Permit, you are granted 180 days of stay most of the time upon entry, which is nearly 6 months. And you can use the ‘visa run’ for a short vacation or visit family and friends.
You can do border jumps into Belize and Guatemala. Or jump over to Cuba. There are plenty of opportunities to take a break from Mexico and re-enter.
Mexico is a fun country to work from. And as long as you have no Mexican clients, you do not pay income-taxes to Mexico.
That means for some lucky workers among us, you can work tax-free*!
Any person with an online job that has client contacts mostly online through Facetime, WhatsApp or Google Hangouts can be a digital nomad in Mexico (or anywhere else in the world)
Questions about Digital Nomad life?
READ: How do I become a Digital Nomad?
Bloggers, copywriters, editors, translators, online teachers, social media managers, and travel bloggers work from every destination in the world nowadays and Mexico with its high-speed internet in most populated areas is on that worldwide remote worker’s list as well.
Plenty of coworking spaces all over the country provide you with temporary office space if you need it, but you can as easily work from Starbucks, a cafe in town, or your hotel lobby or hotel room.
So why work from home when you can work in Mexico?
The cost of living is relatively low in Mexico. In popular tourist destinations, they are higher than elsewhere in the country, but you can easily rent a studio in for example Playa del Carmen for as low as 250-300 Us$ including 5G high-speed internet.
Mexico offers all! If you want to work in a bohemian setting of Puerto Escondido or the touristic and more upscale settings of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Puerto Vallarta, with plenty of fancy restaurants and clubs. Or in the central Metropolitan world of Mexico City or Monterrey.
Or colonial citiees like San Miguel de Allende and Merida.
Plenty of spaces for rent, lots of Airbnb’s and when you search Facebook you find even more
Most houses are rented out fully furnished and you can arrive with only your laptop and clothes. Easy going and easy settling.
Eat taco’s in local restaurants or at street corners or wine and dine in more fancy restaurants in the tourist areas and city centers. Or cook your own meals. It all depends on your budget and taste and for every taste and budget, there is a possibility.
That is what I love most about Mexico. the rich variety of choices it offers me as a remote worker living on a budget.
