Gabe Rimmerman

My family has been in Mazatlan for two generations. My mother is from here, my father is from Chicago. I was born in Mexico, grew up between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, and moved back ten years ago after university. I've been eating at the same mariscos spots ever since.

Most of what I know about Mazatlan, I learned by living here. I know which neighborhoods have changed in the last five years and which haven't. I know the chefs. I know which mariscos spots are worth the trip and which ones just look good for tourists. And I know the gap between the Mazatlan that visitors see and the one people build a life in.

I built MazatlanMove because the English-language information about moving here is mostly written by people who visited for a week. The guides read like travel content. They miss the things that matter when you're making a real move - the actual costs, the real neighborhoods, what works long-term and what doesn't.

By day I run RNR Studio, a design agency working with clients remotely. I've also done stints in Mazatlan's hospitality and real estate industry at El Cid Resorts and years of conservation work across Sinaloa with Conselva. I live here because Mazatlan is good - not because it's cheap.

The agent I work with is Luis Casanova at OCG Capital Group. He specializes in expat clients and knows Centro Histórico as well as anyone working in this city. If you reach out through this site, you'll hear from him directly.

Why Mazatlan

People ask me this when they're comparing Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta, Oaxaca, a dozen other cities. Mazatlan rewards the people who spend time in it. The first impression isn't always the strongest. It isn't polished for tourists the way other Pacific coast cities are.

It's a city with a real economy and a food scene that would embarrass cities three times its size. Centro Histórico has been restored properly - you can walk from dinner to drinks without getting in a car. The cost of living works for remote workers and retirees without the city having turned into an expat bubble.

That's the version that doesn't make it into most guides. That's what this site is for.