Mexico, without the guesswork.

Your phone in Mexico: keep your plan from home, or get a Mexican number?

US plans that include Mexico are built for trips, not for living here. When a Mexican prepaid line makes sense, what it costs, how to buy and register one with a passport, and how to keep your home number alive for bank codes.

Just moved to Mexico? What to set up in your first two weeks

The paperwork has its own guides. This one is about everything else: a Mexican phone line (which now has to be registered), internet, water, gas, paying bills, the apps everyone uses, and what to do when you need a doctor.

Why I'm writing Settle Mexico

Ten years in Mexico, the things nobody explains, and the good parts worth sharing. What this newsletter is, and the one thing I'll always tell you.

The constancia de situación fiscal: the SAT document everyone asks for

Landlords, banks, employers and notaries in Mexico ask for your constancia de situación fiscal. What it is, how to download it free from SAT, and why nobody can refuse you an invoice without it.

Taxes for Americans living in Mexico: what still goes to the IRS, and when Mexico counts you

The IRS keeps taxing you after you move, Social Security stays US-only, and Mexico taxes your worldwide income once your home is there. The exclusion, the FBAR, the treaty and Mexican tax residency, explained.

Predial: the property tax you can cut by paying in January

Predial is the yearly property tax every owner in Mexico pays to the municipality, foreigners included. What it's based on, who pays, the early-payment and senior discounts, and how to pay it.

The CFE bill: cheap electricity in Mexico, until you hit DAC

Household power in Mexico is subsidized up to a limit. Pass it on a 12-month average and CFE moves you to the DAC tariff, which can triple the bill. How the tariffs work, what DAC costs, and how to stay off it.

Buying property in Mexico as a foreigner: the trust, the notary and the real costs

Foreigners can own property in Mexico, through a bank trust near the coast and borders and outright elsewhere. The restricted zone, the fideicomiso, what the notary does, closing costs, and the checks that protect you.

Where in Mexico can you fly home nonstop?

Pick your home airport and see every place in Mexico you can reach without a connection, which airlines fly it, and whether it runs all year or only in winter.

Mérida vs Querétaro: two of Mexico's safest cities, two very different lives

Both are far safer than most of Mexico: Mérida's homicide rate is about Toronto's, Querétaro's about Los Angeles'. The bigger differences are heat, altitude, water, flights home and how much Spanish you'll need.

Renting in Mexico as a foreigner, minus the scams and surprises

How long-term renting works in Mexico for foreigners: where listings are, what landlords ask for, what goes in the lease, the bills you'll pay, and the scams to avoid.

Flying your dog in from the US? There's a new certificate (and other pet rules)

Mexico checks pets on arrival rather than asking for permits in advance, but the rules depend on where you fly from, and dogs coming from the US now need a screwworm certificate. What SENASICA asks for, and what the airline asks for on top.