Remote Work Sends Californians to Mexico in Search of Affordable Living

The option of working remotely and rising living costs in their state are driving Californians south of the border, to settle in Mexico.

“We’re seeing more and more working Californians essentially living in Mexico for the cheap rent and working remotely,” said Chuck DeVore, former California Assemblyman, in an interview with Fox News.

It is not clear how many Californians have moved to Mexico so far. Around 360,000 people left the state in 2021 alone, estimates CNBC.

Rents were already sky-high in some Californian regions, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, where several large IT companies are based. Many IT professionals put up with the high cost of living because they have no choice.

Now that the pandemic has made remote work more common, California residents are searching for places where living is more affordable.

Those traveling south of the border are settling down in Tijuana or other cities in the bordering state of Baja California. These digital nomads should be saving over US$12,000 in annual rentals alone, according to estimates by The Daily Mail. A one-bedroom apartment in Mexico costs barely US$400, far cheaper compared to the US$1,500 tenants pay in San Diego.

The large-scale influx of Californians is pushing rentals upwards in many Mexican border states, angering local residents with little income.

Posters are popping up in some Mexican cities, calling on Americans to leave immediately. “New to the city? Working remotely? Leave….” read the posters, according to news outlet Infobae.