From Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara: Why We Made the Move

"You left a beach paradise just to go back to city life?!"

It's a question I've received more times than I can count since we decided to leave Puerto Vallarta and move to the Guadalajara Metropolitan area in July of 2025. After seven years of living in a beach town (which, by the way, had always been a lifelong dream of mine), it was difficult for some to believe that we would pack up and head to a city very similar to our hometown in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. And you know what? I get it. From the outside looking in, it probably didn't make much sense.

But to be honest, Guadalajara (often referred to by locals as GDL) has been on my radar ever since our first trip here in August of 2018. If you want to read about what first drew me to the city, I talked about it here. And while Puerto Vallarta certainly had its perks, it was simply time to move on. Here's why:

We Were Ready for More of the Real Mexico

At the top of Riu Guadalajara, overlooking the city.

Puerto Vallarta was a good entry point into Mexico. For anyone who hasn't quite picked up the language yet and needs a bit of a soft landing, it's a great place to slowly find your footing while enjoying one of Mexico's most beautiful coastal cities.

However, as we became more fluent and comfortable in Spanish, we also began to crave more cultural experiences and distance ourselves from the heavily touristy environment Puerto Vallarta is known for.

Now, don't get me wrong, tourism is part of what makes Puerto Vallarta what it is, and it is very important to the city. But after seven years, we were ready to peel back another layer of this country and experience Mexico in a way that felt a little more...real.

We Needed More Than Sun and Sand

PV was great for beaches, rivers, and the laid-back, lazy life. In fact, slowing down was one of the biggest reasons we moved there in the first place. But after some time, we—especially my son—started to crave more than just sun and sand. We wanted art, history, museums, green parks...things that, unfortunately, the small (but growing) pueblo had very little of. There's only so many times you can walk the Malecón or hit the same handful of spots before you start feeling like something is missing. For us, that something was variety.

It has Been Life-Changing for My Son

My son and his classmates at his school's science fair (faces blurred for privacy).

This one is probably the most significant reason of all. My son has only ever known grade school in Mexico. When we first moved, he was just four years old, getting ready to turn five and enter kindergarten. Despite spending all of his elementary school years at a bilingual private school in Puerto Vallarta, his Spanish remained fairly limited, largely because the school had a high enrollment of English speakers.

Within months of moving to Guadalajara, he was speaking more confidently and clearly in Spanish than he ever had. Yes, he is still in a bilingual private school, but the difference is that most of the enrollment here are native Spanish speakers. The immersion has been natural, organic, and, quite honestly, incredible to watch. And with that confidence, his social circle has expanded, and he's not nearly as shy or afraid to speak the language as he once was. It has, without a doubt, been one of the best decisions we could have made for him.

You Will Never Run Out of Things to Do

Strolling through the beautiful Parque Metropoliano, the largest park in Greater Guadalajara.

And I mean never. There is so much here. Like, SO much, to the point that it can feel a little overwhelming at first. There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of restaurants. There are large parks, museums, aquariums, art galleries, and sporting events. And if nightlife is your thing, there is plenty to choose from, especially in the city center.

You really cannot run out of things to do here. All you have to do is find your niche, Google it, and I guarantee there is something there for you. Coming from a place where the options were limited to the same rotation of spots, this felt like a whole new world.

Planning a trip to Guadalajara with kids? These places are definitely worth spending the day:

• Parque Metropolitano

• Acuario Michin Guadalajara

• Zoologico Guadalajara

• JAPI

• Sealand Guadalajara

• Bosque Los Colomos

• Kidzania

the Myths of moving to guadalajara

Because no move is all sunshine and smooth transitions, and I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't keep it real:

"Everything will be so much cheaper!"

One of the most common comments I received when we were planning our move was some version of this. And while it is true in some cases, it is highly dependent on which area of the metropolitan area that you live in. And friends, the ZMG (Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara) is LARGE. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, and the cost of living varies significantly depending on where you land.

We have come across places that cost double or even triple what we averaged for rent in Puerto Vallarta for the same-sized place. For anyone considering a move here, I'd strongly suggest making a list of what matters most to you in terms of lifestyle and location before assuming that cheaper automatically means everywhere. The things you really want and need may not land you in the most budget-friendly part of the ZMG.

"You'll definitely need a car."

Despite being in a large, busy metropolitan area, there are quiet, walkable neighborhoods throughout the city.

Before moving here, we were saving up to get one. When I ended up using those savings to furnish our apartment from scratch (we'd only ever lived in furnished units in PV), I questioned whether I had made a bad call. After all, this city is huge. Did I really want to keep spending on Uber?

That feeling eventually faded as I realized we didn't actually need a car as much as I thought we would. I work from home. My son's school, just minutes from our apartment, offers transportation. Everything we need daily is within walking distance or a very short Uber ride away. The in-between outings with friends or to explore other areas of the city are really the only times we'd need one, and those don't happen frequently enough to justify the expense right now. In fact, if I had a car, it would probably spend more time in the parking garage than anywhere else, especially considering how heavy traffic is in the area!

"It's only Spanish-speaking."

This one actually surprised me. One of the first things I noticed when we moved here was the level of English influence everywhere. The names of shops and gyms in English, decorations and advertisements in some of the malls in English...it was unexpected in the best way. Many of my neighbors are bilingual, despite my being one of the only foreigners in our complex. If you've been hesitant about making a move like this because of the language barrier, Guadalajara may surprise you.

Do we miss Puerto Vallarta?

I'll be honest, there are times when I miss sinking my feet into the sand while watching those gorgeous golden sunsets over the sea, or meeting up with friends in minutes without having to plan around traffic. My son misses all of his favorite restaurants and our occasional visits to Mango's and Xalli Beach Clubs. Puerto Vallarta will always have a piece of our hearts. Seven years is a long time, and that city gave us so much. But it just happened to be a place we eventually outgrew.

Now, when we do return to visit friends and get our beach fix, we...well, more so my son...can appreciate it so much more because it feels like a vacation rather than something we took for granted. And sometimes, that's exactly how it's supposed to be.