Living in Mexico Without a Car

Some foreign residents living in Mexico have discovered that it’s possible to live well here without being dependent on car ownership.

If you enjoy running a car, you’ll find that Mexico offers plenty of infrastructure and services for car-owners. Car running costs in Mexico are generally lower than those in the US, Canada, and Europe; you can learn more about the cost of car ownership on our guide to living costs in Mexico.

Whether you can live in Mexico without owning a car depends on your lifestyle, your location, and your priorities.

For example, the centers of many of Mexico’s traditional colonial cities like San Miguel Allende or Guanajuato are characterized by narrow, sometimes cobbled, streets which don’t lend themselves too well to driving: walking or taking a local taxi are better options.  Other cities in Mexico, like Nuevo Vallarta or Aguascalientes, are more spread-out and owning a car is more convenient in these types of places.

Some expats have lifestyles that make car ownership more necessary: for example, they might live outside of the town center, in a rural area off-the-beaten track, or they might have other commitments—like work, or taking children to school—which require the regular use of a car.

If you are tired of car dependency and have a lifestyle that doesn’t demand regular use of a car, then choosing a location in Mexico that doesn’t require use of one is a practical option here—in good part because taxis in Mexico are very affordable.

Foreign residents who plan to bring a foreign-plated vehicle to Mexico should read this article, as there are various requirements and rules to comply with.

If you plan to buy a car on credit in Mexico, be aware that car financing costs can be higher here (check details with your bank or car dealership) and any savings you enjoy in running costs might be outweighed by the higher repayment costs.

Many foreign residents living in Mexico and have come to learn that they can get-by perfectly well without owning a car here.

Bus services (local and inter-city buses) are plentiful, and relatively inexpensive. If you live in Mexico City or Monterrey, you could also make use of the metro train system to get around.  If you are not keen on buses or metro trains, there is another alternative: local taxis.

Local taxi journeys, for example from your house into town and back, can cost just a few dollars, and local tele-taxi firms will send a cab to pick you up from your home, office, a restaurant, supermarket, or even a street corner.

App-Cab services are also popular here, and Uber is expanding across key cities across Mexico, giving easy and direct access to a car and a driver whenever you need it if you live in one the places served by Uber or Cabify.

If you choose to live in a smaller town, especially one of Mexico’s colonial cities, it’s possible that you’ll walk more as local amenities tend to be grouped close together, and a taxi can carry you on longer journeys, or to bring you back home from shopping trips—bags and all. Many supermarkets have a taxi rank (sitio) situated at the store’s car park, or on a nearby street.

If you work from home, or if you’re retired and don’t need a car every day, you could find that adding up the cost of using taxis over a year will amount to much less than the cost of buying and running a car. If you need a car for a weekend away, or a long road trip, car rental is readily available in Mexico.

Everybody’s situation is different, and it might be that you start-out living in Mexico without a car and later on realize that you need one, or vice-versa. If your lifestyle doesn’t require regular use of a car, you’ll be able to reduce your annual expenditure and many foreign residents in this situation find that they come to enjoy public transport as a practical means of getting around.

There is no doubt that owning your own car is convenient and offers a degree of freedom that no other mode of transport (even taxis) can directly replace.  But it’s surprising how many people living here arrived being fed-up with car dependency and enjoy being driven around in taxis when they need transport, and take buses or low-cost flights for longer intercity trips when they are visiting friends, going to meet clients, or taking a vacation.

Our guides to Transport in Mexico here on Mexperience enable you to get a good understanding of the extensive transport options available to you.