Is Puerto Vallarta Still Affordable in 2026 🇲🇽 Living in Mexico

I spent $1,720 living in Puerto Vallarta for 30 days. Here's the complete breakdown of accommodation, food, transportation, and what I learned about living in Mexico long-term. We originally planned to stay just a few days in Puerto Vallarta, but it was September (end of low season) with great weather and no crowds, so we extended to a full month. This trip is part of a six-month journey through Mexico to find potential places to settle down long-term, so we wanted to experience everyday life rather than just vacation mode. Accommodation was my biggest expense at 16,000 pesos per month for a condo in Zona Romantica. It had a rooftop pool, gym, two bathrooms, dishwasher, washing machine, and drinkable tap water. I paid an additional 2,000 pesos flat fee for electricity rather than paying by meter. Karina was amazing, trustworthy and responsive. She represents a number of places in the city you can reach her in English or Spanish: +52 322 105 4681 [email protected] The fastest way to reach ANYONE in Mexico is with Whatsapp, it's free messaging and calls using your mobile phone number. And it's not a random app, it's owned by Meta aka Instagram/Facebook. We spent $70 on transportation for the month. Buses were easy and cheap at $25 total, running every five minutes. The other $45 went to Uber, mostly for hospital trips when Alan had a health scare. Food costs were $300 on groceries (about $75 per week) and $150 eating out. We cooked most meals at home since we had a fully stocked kitchen. When we did eat out, it was mostly at comedores, markets, and taco spots where tacos cost around 25 pesos each. Food was more expensive than Puebla or Oaxaca but still affordable, especially compared to places like Cancun. I allocated $75 for activities and miscellaneous expenses like cash tips and purchases without receipts. We also pay $150 per month for travel health insurance through Safety Wing, which proved essential when Alan spent time in the hospital and we racked up almost 100,000 pesos in medical bills in less than 12 hours. What I loved: September is the perfect month to visit. Still low season, no lines, no reservations needed, very chill west coast vibe. The weather was amazing with only two rainy days in 30 days. Rain usually came between 4-7pm for about 30 minutes. Transportation was easy with frequent buses. We always felt safe, even at night. What I wish I had done differently: The condo location in Zona Romantica wasn't right for us long-term. Mobile data was frustratingly inconsistent despite having Telcel. Construction is happening everywhere and Puerto Vallarta is expanding quickly, which worries me about future crowds and infrastructure. Tipping culture felt excessive, with tip jars even at convenience stores. After visiting nearby towns like San Pancho, Sayulita, Lo de Marcos, and Bucerias, we realized San Pancho might be a better fit. It's small but has energy and activity while staying quiet and chill. If we lived in Puerto Vallarta long-term, it would need to be outside the core to avoid high season crowds. 💖 HOW I TRAVELED HERE + WHERE I STAYED & OTHER DETAILS 💖 you can help support the channel using my affiliate links at no extra charge to you! 💰 BANKING: I travel non-stop and I use Wise as my primary bank card to pay the lowest fees and best transaction rates. To get the first transfer free use my referral code here: https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/ayngelinab You can also support my work at   / ayngelina   where I share tips that don't make it into videos and behind the scenes content. // MY EQUIPMENT // I travel light and use two small cameras. Most of my food /eating shots are on this: https://amzn.to/3ymnPfE For stable walking or market shots: https://amzn.to/4dui6n7 Drone: https://amzn.to/2Y2tg1n Mic: https://amzn.to/3ycmJTP Travel Tripod / Selfie Stick: https://amzn.to/3SxPkcS // GET THE BEST FOOD + TRAVEL TIPS // SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/FoodTravelNews My travel insurance: https://bit.ly/nomadcoverage Onward Tickets: https://onwardticket.com/ayngelina Protect Yourself With a VPN: https://bit.ly/MY-VPN // MORE ABOUT ME!// Hi I'm Ayngelina. I'm Canadian and my full time job is my site BaconisMagic.ca it's all about the best food around the world and how to make it at home. You can also find me here: Find me online Instagram:   / ayngelina​​​​​   Facebook:   / baconismagic   Blog: https://www.baconismagic.ca 00:00 Puerto Vallarta 02:04 Low Season in Puerto Vallarta 02:54 Zona Romantica Condo Rental 04:41 Transportation 05:18 Safety 06:06 Zona Romantica is Loud 06:56 Weak Internet 07:57 Tipping Culture 08:51 Puerto Vallarta Cost of Living 11:18 Groceries 12:29 Puerto Vallarta Compared to Oaxaca 13:19 Travel Insurance 14:51 Would I Live Here Longer? 15:01 San Pancho 16:02 Where We're Heading Next #puertovallarta #livinginmexico #mexico