Is La Paz Mexico good for expats and digital nomads? Here’s my experience from living here for 3 months

Looking to relocate to La Paz Mexico as a digital nomad? I am currently based here and have been loving my super productive weeks! In this post, I will share with you everything you need to know about being a La Paz digital nomad.

📮 Hi Trisha! I love your digital nomad life and I am jealous! My name is Carly and I came across your beautiful posts about Mexico on Instagram. I am from the US and as you know and you probably get a lot, many Americans are currently moving to Mexico.

I love all the information you give and I am willing to pay for a private consultation if you won’t answer this for free. Still, thank you for all the free content!I saw that you are in La Paz Baja California Sur at the moment. You are the first person whom I saw who is actually there. I’d rather hear from you since you are there! How is the Internet connection in La Paz? Is it feasible/workable for digital nomads? Thank you for your help and I hope to meet you when I make it to La Paz.

Carly, United States

Hi Carly,

Thank you for reaching out! The blog content I make thrives on reader questions so I am so glad you are asking!!! Yes, I am currently in La Paz.

I actually thought that being a digital nomad here will be super hard but it turns out it’s efficient! I’ve never been that productive in weeks!

Speaking of which – the lockdown is actually what pushes me to work more and be productive. Last week, our curfew was at 5:00 PM but this week, it’s been moved to 8:00 PM.

When I was living in Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, it was so hard to focus because of the active lifestyle but now, I am taking it slow in La Paz!

I’ll share with you my La Paz digital nomad experience and I hope you’ll make it here! I’d still be here for the rest of the summer so I also hope to meet you!

Xx,
Trisha

🙋 Questions about La Paz digital nomad? Ask me on Tiktok!

🧐 Why La Paz should be your digital nomad base

La Paz is probably not one of the places in Mexico that is on top of your head. Most tourists who visit Baja California Sur go to Cabos.

But we are talking about being nomadic here and what works for you as a digital nomad.

I’ve been to many digital nomad destinations in Mexico and what I found out was bigger cities have the better infrastructure – and La Paz is one of them.

On my first visit here, I stayed in a hotel and the Internet was not the best so from then on, I always assumed that the Internet is shit in La Paz.

See also: The digital nomad guide to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Now that I properly live here and am based here as a digital nomad, I found out that wifi in La Paz is great!

I will discuss wifi speeds in the latter part of this article but what I want to say is that for what I do as a digital nomad, La Paz Internet works for me very well.

Honestly, there are many things to do in La Paz and it’s just 2 hours away from Todos Santos, Cabos, and many beaches in the Baja Peninsula.

But if you want to be productive as a digital nomad while exploring a cheap beach destination with great infrastructure, La Paz is the place.

💃 Personal experience as a La Paz digital nomad

The real reason why I moved to La Paz last June is that where I was, Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, were too hot and rainy. Don’t get me wrong – La Paz is also hot but PV’s hot is humid and I can’t take humid heat!

Deciding when to visit Mexico on a month-by-month basis is hard if you don’t know the regional climate of the country.

But I tell you, the Pacific Coast (Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Nayarit, etc) is super rainy and humid from June to October.

La Paz, on the other hand, has dry desert heat but has a cool breeze in the evenings. Personally, I prefer the heat in La Paz to Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Although I still need to use the AC here.

Related: Is Mexico City the best digital nomad hub?

Aside from the good weather, I also love the quality of life in La Paz. The apartment I rented is so cheap and allows dogs.

As you know, I am traveling with two big dogs so getting a rental that accepts pets can be a little challenging in Mexico.

I’m only two blocks away from the beach and I can enjoy all the perks of living in the city as well.

I also feel very safe in La Paz despite reading online that it’s a dangerous city. I walk here by myself at night with no problems.

My walk from my home to the Malecon is about 30 minutes but I also have everything I need in my neighborhood in Pueblo Nuevo.

There are about 6 cafes with great wifi connections in my neighborhood. Sometimes, I go to some cafes in Malecon but I found them to be more expensive.

What I noticed is that all cafes in La Paz have decent wifi speed so I don’t have to sign up for a monthly co-working space.

I also set my daily budget (without rent) to $30 USD – so far, I’ve been doing good and I am tracking these expenses using a budget app.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏿 La Paz digital nomad scene

I haven’t met a lot of digital nomads yet but in the cafes I go to every day, I see a lot of remote workers quietly sitting down and focused on their work.

I usually find digital nomad communities on NomadList but so far, ever since I posted that I am in La Paz Mexico, I have not received any messages yet.

Recommended: The real wifi situation in Sayulita, Mexico

However, the expat group on Facebook called Loco La Paz Ex-Pats is super active. You can even see the posts even if you don’t join the group!

This group is where you can see all the latest updates in the city, especially about COVID restrictions.

Another group that I frequently use is Digital Nomads Mexico. The topics covered are about being a digital nomad in Mexico as a whole but you can simply type “La Paz” or any destination you are in on the search box.

From there, you will see who’s in your area and you can arrange to meet or collaborate!

📶 Internet speed in La Paz Mexico

When I arrived at my apartment rental in La Paz, I thought that the router will be basic but upon checking the speed test, it complies with all my needs as a remote worker.

I don’t even have to go to cafes and co-working spaces. I can work from the comforts of my home!

I also didn’t have to worry about spending money in cafes because all of the cafes here have good wifi service! I was actually very impressed with its performance.

Being a Sayulita digital nomad was quite challenging for me so it’s good to know that La Paz has better Internet speed. I also don’t need to pay for the wifi separately as it comes with my rent.

You may also like: Is Merida the safest digital nomad destination in Mexico?

I never had any Internet interruption in La Paz. The only problem was, like in all of Mexico, power outages are super common.

One time, the electricity went off and I had an important meeting with one of my consult clients. The good thing was there is a cafe that’s 300 meters away from my home so I was able to fix that easily!

Power outages are very common in Mexico, especially during the hurricane season so it’s better for you to know what to do in advance in case something like this happens.

Also, make sure to pack a surge protector for your gadgets!

💵 Cost of living in La Paz Mexico

I feel like the cost of living in La Paz is way cheaper than most areas in Baja California. I pay $600 USD per month for a 2-bedroom apartment that’s 2 blocks away from the beach. This is not near the Malecon though.

I currently live in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood and what I like about this area is that I have everything! Literally, the Chedraui is my neighbor!

The rent does not include electricity. I have to pay for that myself but wifi is included.

I set a $30 USD daily budget in La Paz and so far, it’s been going well. With this $30 USD, I can get one meal at a cafe, 1 coffee, a bottle of wine, and pizza delivery!

Since I am next to Chedraui, one of the biggest supermarkets in Mexico, it helped me a lot to maintain this $30 USD per day cost.

Read: All roads lead to Oaxaca City – the cheapest digital nomad destination in Mexico

A beer in a pub by the Malecon costs $2 USD but because of COVID, you can’t just drink in bars – it is also mandatory to order food.

Food in a nice restaurant starts at $7 USD while street food like tacos and hotdogs are at $1 USD. It’s super easy to set a budget as a La Paz digital nomad because you can live cheaply here!

I’ve been to over 20 restaurants in La Paz and though there’s a big scene of International cuisine, when in La Paz, stick to Mexican food!

I recently spent on beauty and wellness by getting a massage, manicure, and foot spa. I paid $35 USD for nail service (both hands and feet).

Massage is about $30 USD for 1.5 hours and waxing is at $10 USD per service. The monthly gym membership is $7 USD and you can go to pilates and yoga classes for $10 USD per class.

☕ La Paz digital nomad cafes

Digital nomads, listen up! Recently, cafes in Mexico have expressed their feelings about us hanging out in their establishments all day and ordering one item.

If you are staying in a cafe for hours, make sure to spend at least $5 USD per hour. If not, divide your working hours into different cafes so that you can help everyone.

Remember that it’s COVID time and the people working in these cafes are highly dependent on their income. Don’t forget to tip the servers at least 15% of your bill!

Doce Cuarenta

💲 | Calle Francisco I. Madero 1240 | +52 612 178 0067

This is my go-to cafe even if I have to take a bus to get here. They have really good coffee, smoothie, and pastry. There are plugs everywhere and the cafe is modernly designed.

Read: Visiting the Espiritu Santo Island in La Paz, Mexico

The only problem is there isn’t air conditioning at Doce Cuarenta but you can go to their garden/yard – it’s way cooler than inside!

Aside from the coffee, you should also try their craft beers from Baja Brew.

D’Kafe

💲 | 16 de Septiembre 305 | +52 612 165 6124

Not far from Doce Cuarenta is D’Kafe – a little nook that is more popular for breakfast but has a very good Internet speed.

I originally went here for chilaquiles breakfast ($5 USD) but ended up working here because it was a super cool spot! By cool, I meant no AC but fully shaded.

They didn’t have outlets as this was not designed to be a working cafe but a breakfast cafe. It’s good to stay here for 2 hours but order a big meal!

Coffee Star

💲 | Plaza Nautica | +52 612 146 5255

I discovered Coffee Star when I put “cafes near me” on Google. Usually, I don’t trust this kind of online search but when I went to Coffee Star, it did not fail me!

It has AC and a high table that has plugs on it. The cafe is designed for remote workers and meetings but every time I go there, it’s filled with Mexicans hanging out and just having fun!

It’s still a conducive environment to work in. I guess the Mexicans just turned to coffee shops for entertainment because La Paz had a 5:00 PM liquor ban.

Starbucks

💲 | Local L100, Blvd. Pino Payas | +52 800 288 0888

There are two Starbucks branches in La Paz and they are surprisingly not in the Malecon area! These two branches are in some high-end neighborhoods.

Even if you don’t like the coffee in Starbucks, this is one of the coffee shops in the country that has air conditioning and have a comfortable setup for digital nomads.

It’s usually my go-to cafe when it’s too hot to find a place to work in!

💻 La Paz Coworking spaces

Unfortunately, I haven’t found any co-working spaces in La Paz yet. I tried calling one last week but nobody answered.

I guess they are still closed because of the COVID restrictions in La Paz. When you search for La Paz coworking on Google, search results will give you another La Paz, which is a neighborhood in Puebla, Mexico.

That’s not the same La Paz I am in!

It can also give you results from La Paz, Bolivia so make sure to put La Paz, Baja California Sur, or La Paz BCS. I need to record some Youtube videos soon and I always do that in coworking spaces.

If I find one in La Paz, I will definitely update this post together with the subscription prices.

✨ La Paz digital nomad tips and advice

Ask your landlord for Internet speed

Before booking anything, ask your landlord to give you a screenshot of the Internet speed in their property/listing. This may not be important if you want to work in cafes every day but for me, I feel like having great speed at home is more convenient so I don’t need to spend on going out every day!

They wouldn’t normally know how to do this but just give them the speed test website like (like Ookla) and they will know what to do.

If you don’t have accommodations yet, rent my apartment in La Paz

This summer, I am going in and out of La Paz but if you’re looking for a cheap and nice accommodation for digital nomads in La Paz, you can get in touch with me!

Airbnb is super expensive because of the taxes so I always help other digital nomads find the perfect La Paz apartment through this blog.

Get a digital nomad insurance

I only pay $40 USD per month for my digital nomad coverage at SafetyWing. This is by far the best digital nomad insurance that I’ve tried. I recently did a claim with them for lost luggage and everything was so smooth!

Always use VPN

I don’t think a lot of digital nomads put importance on their safety on the Internet. As someone who runs her business online, I never go online without a VPN! I’ve been using NordVPN for years now. Apart from protecting my online data, I also love that it also works on Netflix!