canada mexico travel

Here's why record numbers of Canadians are travelling to Mexico

A staggering number of Canadians travelled to Mexico last year, a massive jump compared to 2022.

Last April, we published this post about Canadians flocking to Mexico, and it wasn't just for the warmer weather.

That trend is growing; over 118 million air passengers took to Mexican skies last year.

FarHomes, a website dedicated to helping folks find real estate internationally, compiled some data on the number of people who travelled to Mexico from Canada in 2023.

Visitors from many countries are travelling to Mexico in significant numbers, but Canadians specifically seem to be making up the bulk of the travel as "the second largest tourist group in Mexico last year."

"Domestic flight activity was up 11.5 per cent year over year, which is an impressive 65 per cent increase vs 2019 while international flights were up 10 per cent vs 2022 and 13.1 per cent vs pre-pandemic. Canadian tourism, in particular, surged to over 4 million visitors per year to Mexico."

FarHomes adds, "Flights between the US and Mexico grew at 4.4 per cent [year-over-year]. But one major highlight was a 59.5 per cent surge in Canadian passengers flying to Mexico in 2023 vs 2022."

canada mexico travel

FarHomes

Why are so many Canadians heading to Mexico?

While these travel numbers don't necessarily indicate anything beyond the fact that Canadians enjoy travelling to Mexico, based on other data from FarHomes, it's not a stretch to suggest that some of these travellers may be scouting a new place to call home.

According to FarHomes, Canadians have been migrating to Mexico more than ever, at about 4x per year since 2020. Many of those are even choosing to become permanent residents.

Not everyone is happy about the influx of Canadians.

According to Zisla, a Mexican housing platform, the average home cost is depressingly cheap compared to Canadian prices, depending on what part of Canada you're from.

"A two-bedroom house in Mexico City can range anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000, while a similar property in Tulum may cost upwards of $1 million. In Cancun, a two-bedroom home can range from $200,000 to $1,100,000, depending on the location and amenities. In the quiet, beachside town of Chelem, prices for a two-bedroom house can range from $50,000 to $300,000."

You can see more of the data from FarHomes here.

Would the cost of living be enough for you to consider moving to Mexico? Let us know in the comments.

Lead photo by

eskystudio/Shutterstock


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