Under the radar Mazatlán is becoming a hub for US digital nomads.
Does accessing a remote job from a beach in Mexico sound like a dream? It’s a reality for a growing number of workers from the United States.
An estimated 17.3 million Americans now combine remote work with travel to become “digital nomads.”
As cold weather arrives in the United States, beach destinations and bustling warm-climate cities in Mexico and Latin America are even more attractive to workers who can set up shop anywhere.
The number of digital nomads it is expected to increase, as it has in recent years, making the beach-working lifestyle more attainable than it has ever been for millions of American workers.
Mexico is one of the most popular destinations for US remote workers
While experienced remote workers combining travel and online jobs are nothing new, the digital nomad The lifestyle trend exploded in 2020.
MBO Trends reports that remote workers are pairing up online Work travel has increased 133% since 2019. With the slow return of domestic and international travel, many new online workers have been bitten by the travel bug and have never looked back.
Remote workers often take to the road in search of better weather, a more affordable cost of living, and a better work-life balance.
“Digital nomads I want to “work to live,” instead of “live to work,” says Edna Gutierrez, marketing director of the Tourism Board of Mazatlán, one of the Mexican cities that has recently welcomed thousands of new remote workers from all over the world. North America years.
Mexico is one of the most popular destinations for traveling US remote workers. The US State Department estimates that 1.6 million Americans live in Mexico, and even more reside there temporarily as digital nomads.
It’s such a big trend that in 2022, Airbnb reportedly partnered Mexico City create a program dedicated exclusively to the city’s growing digital nomad population. Airbnb even found that long-term stays through the platform increased by nearly 90% in 2022 compared to 2019.
Why do American digital nomads choose Mexico?
Jessica Bishop, founder of The Budget Savvy Bride, has been working for months in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Yucatán Peninsula, for several years.
«The city is super walkable, has access to beautiful beachesand has reliable internet service and infrastructure to make the transition easier,” he says. “We can access pretty much everything we need through Amazon Mexico, or there’s even a Walmart and Sam’s Club in town.”
Mexico’s visa options, he adds, facilitate extended stays and are another attractive reason to choose Mexico.
As remote workers discover how easy it can be to make this unique online work and travel lifestyle work in idyllic destinations, estimates on the growing number of U.S. workers digital nomads they seem accurate.
Mazatlán is a hub for digital nomads
An increasingly popular destination for remote workers from the United States is Mazatlán, a small but vibrant city located on the golden sands of central Mexico’s Pacific coast. It may not have the name recognition of Mexico City either Playa del Carmenbut that’s part of its appeal for remote workers.
“Mazatlán is currently home to thousands of Americans and Canadians who have decided to live in Mexico,” says Gutierrez. “They are testimony to the fact that, in Mazatlán, anyone can live and work happily. It’s like always being on holiday, enjoying the privileges of a tourist and spending a few hours working… [Mazatlan] welcomes foreigners who wish to enjoy life.”
Compared to other destinations that have seen rental prices and other basics rocket in recent years the cost of living in Mazatlán remains relatively low. Mazatlán’s quiet 12-mile coastal waterfront, beautiful, well-maintained beaches, delicious regional cuisine, and manageable size offer a lifestyle that many remote workers could never dream of experiencing at home.
It is also well designed to support remote working, with an up-to-date and reliable telephone and internet network, including 5G and fiber optics.
“Incredible amenities and infrastructure, equal to any other Mexican beach destination, are essential and inviting North American citizens who intend to stay in Mexico for a long time,” explains Gutierrez.
Its central location and easy accessibility to other areas make it even more attractive to remote workers looking to explore the rest of the country during an extended stay in Mazatlán.
Where else do digital nomads go in Mexico?
Mazatlán is not just Mexico digital nomad hub, with remote workers increasingly heading to major capitals like Mexico City and beach destinations like Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
The number of digital nomads working from Mexico City has grown so much in recent years that it makes up a sizable portion of the city’s annual tourism earnings.
According to Bloomberg, 2021 statistics prove this remote workers it left an economic footprint worth almost $523.4 million (496.2 million euros) in one year, or 15% of the total earnings the city reported from tourism that year.
For remote workers looking to make their work-from-the-beach dream a reality, smaller coastal cities like Mazatlan continue to be the go-to destination.
Image:Getty Images
