2.22/5
398 reviews
Photo by Nicole Herrero via Unsplash

Puerto Vallarta

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beach

music

loud

zone

sayulita

cheap

stay

traffic

options

uber

safe

sell

total

expensive

romantic

pretty

roads

internet

great

Puerto Vallarta offers beautiful natural scenery, especially along its beaches and Malecon baywalk. The city is notably walkable and feels fairly safe, especially compared to other parts of Mexico. Locals are generally friendly, though experiences vary. The city is very affordable overall, with reasonably priced Airbnbs, food, and even healthcare. Many visitors appreciate the accessible beach town vibe and winter warmth, making it a popular seasonal destination. Outdoor activities like hiking and exploring nearby towns are plentiful and easy to access by weekend trips.

However, the city has some noticeable drawbacks. Infrastructure is dated, and streets and sidewalks are often rough and uneven. Loud music, traffic noise, and construction sounds are common, which some visitors find overwhelming. Food options are mostly local or limited to a few standard international offerings, and the beach in the central area isn’t ideal for swimming. Vendors and salespeople can be persistent, especially around tourist hotspots and at the airport. Summers can be uncomfortably hot and humid, and the rainy season limits outdoor activity. Occasional foodborne illness has also been mentioned.

In summary, PV is recommended mainly as a winter destination for those seeking affordability, culture, and sunshine—while prepared for a loud environment and some rough edges.

AI-generated summary of reviews

It's a safe area of Mexico, and also even the people who try to sell you crap, 'vendors' is less aggressive here. I have done about 2.5 months total in PV (two separate trips). Airbnbs are plentiful near the centro and december 5, more expensive in the romantic zone and even more expensive in Sayulita. But central PV is pretty cheap, even inland from Hotel Zone is nice and cheap. Roads and walkways are narrow and horrible. Internet is OK. If you stay in PV central, the beach isn't so great for swimming, it's rocky and dirty. The nightlife is mostly in Sayulita with a little bit also in Romantic zone, not much else. The noise, the traffic, music, and construction of many streets are LOUD. It is a loud place most of the time. Also, unlike CDMX, many places will not take credit card.

4 years ago

I love Puerto Vallarta except now because it is rainy season and I cannot go out as often. Currently going for 3 months here now. It is a small city with a beach town vibe. The Malecon baywalk is the center of action so you can try to stay a few blocks away from it so you can walk around the baywalk if you have to but still have a quiet time. Airbnb is relatively affordable, taquerias are everywhere, Internet is moderate, relatively safe than most cities in Mexico. During weekend, I go on a hike, go to the beach or waterfalls around PV. You can also try to do a weekend visit in quaint Mexican towns such as San Sebastian del Oeste or surfing beachtown like Sayulita and San Pancho. They said that Puerto Vallarta is the gay capital of Mexico because you see a lot of gay-friendly establishments in Zona Romantica. But the diversity and options here is fairly low. The only con I have with PV is the roads and the very few international food options. Most international food options here are either Italian, Chinese or Japanese-Hawaiian. Walking down the road feels like walking on a rocky dry riverbed.

4 years ago

For the most part, pretty amazing. The beaches are usually not overcrowded, and the natural scenery is pristine. It's very walkable, and there are tons of great restaurants on nearly every block with reasonable prices. I came in mid-November, and it was still uncomfortably warm and humid then, even at night, so beware if you struggle with heat. The evenings started to get cool and pleasant in late November/early December.

This is Mexico, so I was expecting it to be gritty, but it was worse than I had imagined. The infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, and the cobblestone streets make the traffic very loud. If you live on a busy street near the beach, the traffic noise will be unrelenting. I found the locals to be a mixed bag. Many were genuine and warm, but others were standoffish and seemed desolate.

There's a cultural quirk in Mexico where blasting music is a norm. I'm 36 so probably more sensitive to this now, but it was very grating. Music blaring everywhere -- from cars, speakers on the beach, bars and clubs. Loud music at clubs is obviously fine, but the level here is just insane.

I was surprised to see that commonly abused prescription meds can be bought over the counter in pharmacies all over PV -- xanax, vicodin, ritalin, etc. This was a plus for me because I believe I have an undiagnosed case of ADD, and being able to buy Ritalin really helped me focus on my work and stay tidy. Obviously, I discourage anyone from buying these drugs for abuse. Always use cash at the pharmacies. They say they are going to charge your card in pesos, but then they charge in USD with an absurd exchange rate.

I ended up getting salmonella or a stomach parasite and was the sickest I had been in 10+ years. I resisted going to the doctor for a while, but when I did, I was amazed with the experience. Total cost for the consultation and meds was around $35 without any insurance, and the doctor was very kind. Don't be dissuaded by my experience, though. I believe I just got unlucky. No one else I talked to experienced anything similar.

The sunsets are spectacular, and the alcohol is cheap and ubiquitous. If you do not look Mexican, be ready for people to try to sell you something dozens of times a day. When you arrive at the airport, ignore everyone who offers help and take an Uber. I made the mistake of saying "no thanks, I'm taking an Uber," to which the guy responded "then come over here, and my friend will show you where to find it." Then I ended up in a ridiculously long and pushy sales pitch that involved a ride to my Airbnb, a time share presentation, etc. The Uber pickup area isn't really that hard to find. You take the exit, walk across a pedestrian bridge, and turn left.

Overall, definitely recommended, but only for the winter. I cringe to think of the heat in the summer.

4 years ago

✅ Affordable accommodation and food

✅ Beautiful natural scenery and beaches

✅ Warm weather in winter

✅ Safe compared to most Mexican cities

✅ Walkable city

✅ Fast internet

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Democratic

✅ Safe for women

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Loud noise from traffic and music

❌ Poor infrastructure and rough roads

❌ Limited international food options

❌ Persistent street vendor and tourist sales pitches

❌ Hot and humid weather outside of winter

❌ Occasional food safety or health issues

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Expensive

❌ Not very safe

❌ Not much to do

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

24°C / 75°F warm

25°C / 77°F warm

27°C / 81°F warm

29°C / 84°F warm

33°C / 91°F hot

32°C / 90°F hot

29°C / 84°F warm

25°C / 77°F warm

Real (median)

24°C / 74°F
warm

25°C / 76°F
warm

26°C / 78°F
warm

27°C / 81°F
warm

28°C / 82°F
very warm

27°C / 80°F
warm

25°C / 77°F
warm

Humidity

nice
63%

nice
69%

nice
53%

nice
61%

nice
67%

sweaty
86%

sweaty
89%

sweaty
84%

nice
68%

nice
66%

Most common

Rain

dry
9mm

dry
7mm

dry
1mm

dry
3mm

dry
8mm

rainy
176mm

rainy
258mm

rainy
343mm

rainy
151mm

dry
33mm

dry
11mm

Cloud

pockets
16%

pockets
14%

clear
8%

pockets
15%

pockets
12%

pockets
40%

pockets
42%

pockets
41%

pockets
33%

pockets
15%

pockets
18%

Sun

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

1,280 people

956 people

983 people

917 people

673 people

631 people

727 people

550 people

600 people

618 people

1,233 people

1,046 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

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$1,941 / mo

16 Mbps

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.22/5 (Rank #662) 398 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍6 liked it 👎2 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🙂 Okay: $2,695 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 12Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 29°C84°F (feels 33°C91°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 70%
👌 Safety	Okay
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Bad
🤝 Lack of racism*	Okay
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Very low: $704 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Okay
🧳 Lost luggage*	Bad
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
👩 Female friendly	Okay
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Latin America
🚩 Country	Mexico
🗓️ Average trip length	14 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	12 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 29°C 84°F + 😊 Comfy (70%) = feels 33°C 91°F
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100 MXN in USD	USD 5.09
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	MXN 10,000 = USD 509
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍15% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	200,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$8,444 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 50% 👱‍♀️ 50%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 74% 👱‍♀️ 26%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Linio
🏠 Apartment listings	Airbnb
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Volaris
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Aeromexico

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$2,695 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,731 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$3,292 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$941 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,576 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,811 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$759 / month
🏠 Median home price	$459,458
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$74 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$92 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$304 / month
🍛 Dinner	$8
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$2
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$3
👩‍🏫 International school	$3,056 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$8 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$6 / trip