Mexicans Angered as a Record Number of Americans Move South of the Border

Aerial drone view of Anillo Periférico avenue on March 31, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. Hector Vivas/Getty Images

Mexico has seen a rapid increase in the number of Americans choosing to live in the country since the pandemic started a new trend of remote work.

Nearly 1.6 million Americans live in Mexico, according to the U.S. State Department. Many of them are digital nomads and have chosen destinations like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan to call home. The reason is simple: it’s much cheaper to live there than in the United States.

“I pay $600 for a one-bedroom apartment near the middle of the city,” says Cody Anderson, who recently moved to Guadalajara from Los Angeles. “There’s no way, with my income, I can have the lifestyle I have here in the United States.”

One would imagine the influx of Americans migrating to Mexico with more buying power would be a boon for the economy, especially as the dollar remains strong against the peso. But for some Mexicans, that boon is a nightmare.

“It’s not as simple as spending your money here is good for the economy,” says Carriane Garcia, a Mexico City native. “Foreigners drive up prices, and certain neighborhoods are basically catering to them instead of the locals. It’s definitely a problem.”

She’s not the only one who feels that way. In speaking with several Mexico City natives, they say that rent has skyrocketed since foreigners began to move into desirable neighborhoods like Roma Norte and La Condessa.

“Most Mexicans maybe have a Starbucks [drink] twice in their life,” says David Alvarez, who works at a lavenderia (laundromat) in the city. “How are we expected to pay for roofs over our heads with all the gringos taking over.”

The surge in migration has also resulted in restaurants increasing their prices or local bodegas turning into cafes with free WiFi.

Kirsty Hall, a digital nomad from Scotland who lives in Mexico but works remotely with a start-up in San Francisco, in the U.S., works on her laptop at WeWork, a coworking and office space in Mexico City, on Sept. 13, 2022. Claudio Cruz/AFP via Getty Images

Natives vs. Foreigners

The anger that Mexican natives feel towards Americans, who often make more in one month than they do in six months, has finally reached a boiling point. There are crude signs posted across Mexico City telling foreigners to leave.

“New to the city? Working Remotely? You’re a [expletive] plague, and the LOCALS [expletive] HATE YOU. LEAVE,” reads one such sign that has since gone viral online.

But many foreigners plan to stay put. “If Mexicans had this much rage for foreigners coming in, they should limit their borders as other countries do,” says Asif Khan from India.

“You can complain and say don’t bring your money here!’ Or you can start a business and take the foreigner’s money,” says Kevin Hake, a businessman from the United States. “The complainers will be angry and poor, and the others will happily raise the rent and serve sandwiches the complainers can’t afford.”

In the meantime, it doesn’t appear that local governments have much of a problem with a surge of ex-pats displacing Mexican residents. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced an agreement between the city and Airbnb to increase the number of digital nomads coming to live and work there.