Why Puerto Vallarta Is the Place to Live

Puerto Vallarta is a working city of about 300,000 people on the Pacific coast of Jalisco, not a resort strip. That is the first thing to know about living here: the beaches and the hotel zone are real, and so are the markets, the schools, the hospitals and the neighbourhoods where people live year round.

The weather

A tropical climate with warm days all year; the average sits near 30 degrees Celsius. The rainy season runs from June to October, with afternoon storms that clear by evening and leave the mountains green. November to May is dry and the busiest season for visitors.

The beaches

Playa Los Muertos in the Romantic Zone is the city beach, a long stretch of sand with restaurants at its back; Playa Camarones, ten minutes from D'Avenue, is the quieter neighbourhood beach north of the Malecon. Beyond the city, the coves south of Mismaloya and the beaches of Bahia de Banderas are a boat or a bus away.

The cost of living

Housing, food and transport cost less than in the destinations Vallarta is usually compared with, and the peso economy keeps daily life affordable for anyone earning in dollars. The trade-off is that the best of the market, the newer buildings with amenities, is priced in a global market now.

The community

The city has drawn residents from Canada, the United States and the rest of Mexico for decades. English is spoken widely, the expat community is organised and welcoming, and the Mexican community is proud of a city that has grown without losing its centre.

The food

From street carts to a serious restaurant scene, and Versalles, the neighbourhood next to D'Avenue, has become the city's restaurant row in the last few years: a dozen good tables within a short walk of the site.

Culture and the outdoors

The Malecon is the city's living room, with sculpture, street performance and the evening walk. The Sierra Madre starts a few blocks inland; hiking, mountain biking, the botanical garden and the rivers are a short drive. The bay itself has snorkelling, sailing, fishing and the winter whales.

The corridor

Fluvial Vallarta, where D'Avenue stands, is the flat, walkable neighbourhood between the marina and the hotel zone: supermarkets, hospitals, schools and the marina on one side, Versalles on the other, ten minutes from the airport and the cruise terminal. It is where the city's new residential buildings are going up, and where daily life is easiest without a car.

Whether you are looking for a place to retire, a second home or a new city, Puerto Vallarta has the substance behind the postcard. Come and see it.