As my girlfriend and I have been traveling through Mexico, we've quickly realized that not every place in Mexico is the same and they're not at all what we expected. Shocking, right? Each city has its own unique personality and culture. With every new destination, we are happily surprised when they break our expectations—most of the time, in the best ways possible.
After becoming more familiar with two popular cities in particular (Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán) we are able to pass along the lovely nuances between them. If you're considering traveling to or moving to Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlán, Mexico, we hope this helps you decide which place is right for you.
Similarities
Both of these cities are located on the west coast of mainland Mexico, about halfway between Guatemala and the United States. They're a 6-7 hour drive apart. The cost of living in both places is cheaper than living in the US. Both cities are pretty walkable - I'd be comfortable without owning a car in either, especially considering the affordable Uber rides.
They both have beautiful beches and a long walkable malecon, or boardwalk, that follows the ocean. A lot of their economies are based on tourism. And finally, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán both have sizable expat retirement communities.
Differences
Cost
Although both are more affordable than living in the US, Puerto Vallarta is significantly more expensive than Mazatlán. When talking about costs in touristic parts of the cities, you can expect real estate in PV to be at least 50% more expensive or even double the price if in the most desirable parts of PV. The average restaurant in PV is about 25% more expensive than Mazatlán, with the exception of breakfast restaurants. Breakfast joints seem to have similar prices in both cities.
The minimum charge for Uber in Mazatlán is 21.90 pesos which equates to a little over a dollar. Whereas in PV, the minimum Uber charge is 37 pesos or about $2. Overall, we've found our Uber rides to be twice as expensive in PV.
Streets
The streets of Mazatlán are much nicer, smoother, and far less polluted. PV is full of buses letting off toxic-smelling fumes all day, every day. Almost all of the streets in Puerto Vallarta are uneven cobblestone, which is very difficult to walk on, and driving them will rattle your teeth out.
In Mazatlán, on the other hand, one can actually walk up and down the streets without feeling like you're getting lung cancer from breathing the highly noticeable pollutants. While in PV, there've been times for both my girlfriend and I felt like we were having trouble breathing after walking ten minutes down the street.
Language
In Mazatlán there's a significant expat community from both the US and Canada, but there's is still plenty of Spanish being spoken. If you want to be around English speakers, you have that option, but you can also easily have a more authentic Mexican experience.
In both cities, you'll find that most everyone in the touristic zones is bilingual. However, in Puerto Vallarta, you'll be spoken to in English everywhere you go, even if you're speaking Spanish. And if you are capable of speaking Spanish—even a little bit—most locals will be shocked to find out.
If you want to live or visit a place where you don't need to know a single word of Spanish, Puerto Vallarta might be the place for you. However, if it's a goal of yours to learn Spanish, then Mazatlán is probably the better choice.
Accepted Payment Methods
Most restaurants and shops in Puerto Vallarta will accept both US Dollars and Mexican Pesos but you'll get a significantly better price if you pay in pesos. Very few business in PV will accept debit or credit cards, though. Almost all of them are cash only.
In Mazatlán, US Dollars are accepted in very few establishments. However, you'll be able to pay with card at most businesses.
These are just a few of the similarities and differences we've noticed between Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We hope it gives you some insight about these great cities.
If you've been to both places, what big similarities and differences did you notice?