Foreigner’s Guide: Living and working in Ensenada
I spent two months living and working in Ensenada, Mexico, with my young family. Is it a good place for international remote workers and digital nomads? Here’s what I learned.
TL;DR
Ensenada, Mexico, is a great place for internationals to live and work. It is a rough diamond on the remote work and digital nomad scene. Cost of living is cheap, the food is incredible, it is safe and just two hours drive from the United States border. While not as thriving or perhaps exciting as other trending cities, Ensenada has everything you need to enjoy excellent work life balance.
About Ensensada, Mexico
Ensenada is in Baja California on the Pacific Coast side of Mexico. Just over 100km from San Diego, it is about a two hour drive from the US border and is near the better known known cities of Rosarito and Tijuana. More than half a million people call Ensenada home.
Two of the most notable aspects of Ensenada:
- It has the second-busiest Port in Mexico. So it is a major trade point, it is a common stop for big cruise ships and, most importantly to me, it is THE Mexican city for seafood (more on that later …)
- It is the gateway to Mexico’s biggest wine region, Valle de Guadalupe. 90% of Mexico’s wine comes from this region, which is about 30 minutes drive from the heart of Ensenada.
You can read much more general information about Ensenada on Wikipedia and Lonely Planet.
My story, for context
Before I break down my Ensenada experience, let me first give you the brief back story.
I’m an Australian who has been living in Northern California with my wife, son (10 years old) and daughter (8 years old) since 2020 (read about our wild ride in InDaily). While my wife is studying and the kids are in school, I run my own company remotely, which includes a marketing agency and a number of other projects and initiatives.
For administrative reasons which I won’t bore you with, we needed to leave the US for about two months before being able to re-enter prior to the beginning of the school year. After weighing up our options, we decided to explore the idea of spending the time in Mexico.
I identified Ensenada because it was close the border (but not too close), and the seafood and wine thing. Of course.
Here’s where things really fell in our favour. A friend of mine from California introduced me to one of his connections in Mexico, who just so happened to live in Ensenada. Tomiko had kids who were a similar age to ours, owned a marketing agency with her husband and is also a concierge — her job is to help people have an incredible time in Mexico. And, with her husband, Gabriel, Tomiko did just that for us. This generous family helped us with accomodation, translation, appointments, baby sitting and so much more. We now call them great friends.
Because of Tomiko, we got the inside scoop on Ensenada (she knows everything and everyone in the city, earning the nickname “The Lord of Ensenada!”), avoided many mistakes, ate at the best places and had a far better experience than we could’ve managed on our own. Hopefully what we learned will help you on your trip, too.
Let’s get to the review.
LIVING
Overall score: 7.5/10
Lifestyle
Before you read on, remember, I’m writing in the context of living and working for an extended period of time with a family. There are lots of tourist opportunities that you can check out on TripAdvisor and other blogs.
Ensenada provides an easy going, laid back lifestyle. It isn’t as built up or as fast paced as Mexico’s bigger cities, traffic is easy to manage and it was well balanced in almost every way.
It took a little time to adjust to daily life. It was mostly the little things, finding the right supermarkets, food, driving, routines etc.
Everything is written in Spanish and not as many people spoke English as I expected (especially given the city is so close to the US border); my primary school Spanish lessons did not come back to me, unfortunately. So good old Google Translator was in use almost non stop.
There’s a drought and water shortage in Baja California, and in our first week the main water lines were shut and the water tank at our Airbnb ran out quickly. So, like all of our neighbours, we had to rely on a truck to top up our house water until eventually the main water was turned back on, days later.
Transport is straightforward. I drove my mini van over the border, and I’m glad I did, just for logistical reasons. Car insurance is mandatory, and I organised it online for about $US150 total. If you don’t have a car, Ubers are super cheap and reliable. Apart from the downtown area, Ensenada isn’t overly walkable.
Ensenada is sandy and everything gets covered, but the city is relatively free from rubbish and well maintained, especially the downtown area.
While the city is on the coast, unfortunately the beaches are not swimmable according to government advice due to pollution (although some people do it anyway). The nearest beaches for swimming were around 20 minutes away, either way.
Poverty was far less obvious than expected. If you live in Australia or the US, you are guaranteed to have perceptions and misconceptions about this. Of course it is an issue on some level, and on the streets there are people begging for money and poor neighbourhoods, but homelessness seemed almost non existent (especially compared to California) and the disparity between rich and poor didn’t seem to be too large. On the surface, at least.
For singles and couples without kids (ie not us!) looking to party or at least let loose, there’s plenty to do. Downtown caters to the cruise ship crowd, so there’s more than enough bars and nightclubs. And Guadalupe is nearby for wine tasting, top restaurants and more. I’ll unpack the food and drink scene shortly.
Families can enjoy a safe and relaxed lifestyle, with a reasonable mix of entertainment venues and just enough to do. We’re used to spending a lot of time outdoors and struggled with the lack of playgrounds and open spaces around where we were staying. There’s no grass, and barely anything green, in all of Ensenada!
That said, we spent most our time enjoying living in a gated community next-door to our new friends, Tomiko, Gabriel and their children. All the kids in the community played together every day, all day and night, and had an amazing experience learning a new language, culture and building new friendships. We found everyone we met in Ensenada to be incredibly friendly, hospitable and generous.
Finding community is crucial when living and working in new city — it is the major influence on the whole experience. And because we were able to do that, our time in Ensenada was easier, engaging and much more fulfilling.
Food and drink
The food alone makes Ensenada worthwhile. I have never had better eating experiences in my life! And when you combine it with great wine, beer and coffee, you can’t go wrong.
Ensenada is regarded as one of the best cities in the world for street food, and is the home of the fish taco. You get incredible cheap eats, fresh from the sea, but there are also beautiful and affordable restaurants in the city and Valle de Guadalupe. There is so much good stuff to eat it is genuinely overwhelming.
Before I break it down, as a family we love authentic food. We hit the streets, eat with the locals and look for the hidden gems. We have no fear. So if you want to know where the best American or fast food is in Ensenada, try Googling elsewhere!
While in Ensenada for almost two months, we ate out at least every day. It is so cheap, it is often more expensive and time consuming for foreigners to source their preferred food and cook at home. Well, that’s what we told ourselves.
The best food in Ensenada
Again, another shoutout to Tomiko. As a concierge, a marketer working in the food and wine industry, and with family members who own multiple restaurants, it is fair to say I had insider knowledge. And now I am sharing it with you.
For my full list of top street food and restaurants in and around Ensenada, view my list on Yelp.
Here’s some highlights:
Street food
There are countless stalls around Ensenada selling different varieties of fresh ceviche, tostada, clams and of course tacos.
La Jaiba (they don’t have a Yelp page so are not mentioned on my list — don’t miss the green ceviche and octopus tacos) El Guero (for ceviche and clams), Tacos Fenix (for super cheap fish tacos, $US1 each!) and Tacos Marcos Antonio (a weird and whacky nautical themed warehouse slinging awesome seafood tacos) were favourites.
Restaurants
Deckman’s was stunning. Headed up my Michelin star chef Andrew Deckman, it was always going to be memorable. But our timing was on point — we booked in for their 10th anniversary dinner, which was a showcase from multiple world class chefs serving seven courses of local cuisine matched with mezcal. Not to mention a cocktail party kick off with freshly shucked oysters, clams and drinks. We enjoyed all of this sitting outside watching the sun set over the Valle vineyards.
Madre was our favourite local restaurant. Set in a lovely property in down town Ensenada, Madre has an excellent atmosphere and serves top end food. Our favourite was the handmade squid ink pasta with seafood — don’t miss out on that. And the prices are very reasonable, we paid about $US60 total for my wife and I to have starters, mains, a dessert and a couple of drinks.
Wine and dine
We loved our visit to Las Nubes winery, with its restaurant Envero. We enjoyed a long lunch with one of the best views in Valle de Guadalupe.
Beer
The region is known for wine, but the beer certainly holds its own. Craft beer is everywhere, and it is great quality. My personal favourite is Wendlandt.
Coffee
There’s no shortage of excellent coffee in Ensenada either. Barra’d Cafe is the go-to, with good reason. It sits in the redeveloped Santo Tomas part of down town, roasting is done on site and it is so tasty I brought the beans home with me to the US. I also really enjoyed a new local roasting company, Momentum Coffee.
Cost of living
Most earnings through my company come in Australian dollars, so with the currency situation it has been painful living in the US! So paying Mexican pesos for two months was a welcome change. You can check the currency conversions. I use Wise for all my banking, including business, as I work with currencies across Australia, US, South Africa, UK and now Mexico — it is undoubtedly the easiest and cheapest banking platform if you’re on the road or operate internationally.
It is also work mentioning health insurance, even though it isn’t a cost directly linked to Ensenada. Like many remote workers, I am insured with SafetyWing. The topic of insurance requires a separate post in itself, but in short, SafetyWing was easily the most affordable and best fit option for our circumstances as a family on the move with a business.
As expected, cost of living was mostly really affordable in Ensenada. And not just because I’m a foreigner. Locals tell me that Ensenada is more affordable than many Mexican cities, including Mexico City, especially if you don’t spend all of your time in the down town touristy sections.
From a property perspective, I’m told you can rent a decent home for as little as $US500 a month, especially if you have local connections who can help you find a home (which is around what we paid). Obviously this varies significantly depending on the usual property factors and expectations. There are some great elevated areas overlooking the ocean that come at a high price. If you check Airbnb, the cost is much more — as you would expect. These properties get marked up for tourists, and Airbnb charges additional fees.
As mentioned, food is super cheap. Again, especially if you avoid the main streets downtown. Even then, the prices are still reasonable. A family can feast on tasty, fresh seafood street food for about $US25 or less. As mentioned, you can dine at an excellent restaurant for $US50 per couple. It gets more expensive in the Valle, but still much less than you’d expect in the US for a world class meal.
A few other bits and pieces — going to the movies cost a few (US) bucks a ticket, my car broke down and I spent $US90 for a mechanic to come to me and repair my starter motor, and it costs $US10 to have you car fully cleaned inside and out!
There were a few bizarre things that weren’t cheap — I went to a nice gym that cost just less than $US50 a month, which is double the price of my gym at home. And it was packed!
Safety
There are many misguided fears about Mexico. You read the headlines, and you expect danger wherever you go in the country.
At the time of our trip, nearby Tijuana had been battling Cartel related violence. While locals confirmed such challenges, they all said that if you don’t stay out late in the wrong places, there’s nothing to worry about.
Ensenada is a very safe working city. No cartel activity, and there are military bases and a strong military presence all over town. There are police everywhere. Most people live in gated communities or in well protected homes with security.
Over the two months, we didn’t see or experience anything that made us feel uncomfortable, even with our kids. In fact, we found it to be much safer in daily life than California (which you may not be surprised about!).
Our only bad experience was when my wife’s bank card details got swiped and some money deducted from her account. This was resolved and refunded quickly by Wise.
Climate
We were in Ensenada in the middle of summer, and the temperature hovered around the low 20s / 70s most days. But it could vary significantly depending on what part of the city you were in, and at what time. According to locals this is explained by Ensenada’s microclimates.
Generally though, Ensenada has good clear weather year round, and is ideal for people who don’t like extreme cold or heat.
Amenities and infrastructure
You can get just about everything you need in Ensenada. There’s a number of big US brands, like Walmart and Starbucks, shopping centres, large grocery chains (Calimax), pharmacies on every corner and all the essentials.
If you’ve got strict dietary requirements, there may be limitations (if you’re on a no carb diet, good luck! They serve tortillas with everything!).
There isn’t much by way of fashion and retail stores. Amazon isn’t really a thing, because the taxes make it difficult to bring products in from the US.
Medical tourism is growing in Ensenada, so you can get all the treatments you need. I had a chipped tooth fixed professionally for $US40 and we also had regular chiropractic care at about half the rate of what we pay in the states.
The roads are poor, compared to what I was used to. There are many potholes, even on main roads, and many of the side streets are in terrible condition. The city is investing in fixing up the main roads, where they can, which is important. But that does slow traffic down significantly. Sometimes it can take 20–30 minutes to drive 5 miles.
While there are challenges like any city, generally you can life a comfortable life in Ensenada.
WORKING
Score: 6.5/10
As mentioned, I run my business and projects remotely. I only need a laptop and an internet connection to do my thing. I also brought a second screen, which is helpful for the work I do.
I split my work time between the homes where we were staying (for core work during the day) and a local co-working space (which was mostly for Zoom meetings where I need quiet space).
Work culture
When it comes to work, Ensenada is very relaxed. There’s no big corporate offices, no real tech scene to speak of and definitely no hustle culture. It is a little surprising that there isn’t a bigger push to tap in to the US market, which is quite literally only 100 miles away. The bigger companies appear to be set up in Tijuana, and many career-minded people travel up the highway regularly for work.
We joked with Tomiko and Gabriel about ‘Ensenada time’ — don’t expect technicians or contractors to be on time in Ensenada. Factor in some wiggle room of a day or two!
That said, you do you Ensenada! Stick to the port, the incredible seafood and wine industry. You’ve got good things going on.
Internet
Ensenada is connected just about everywhere. You can flip open your laptop and work from any cafe or home. However my experience was the speeds varied wildly. Our first Airbnb had terrible internet that made work very difficult. The second place we stayed (for most of our trip) got a new 5G fiber connection within a week of us moving in, and that was a game changer.
Co-working and collaboration
Many people work from cafes in Ensenada. There are also some co-working spaces offering all of the standard requirements.
I worked from the Hub Center. The internet was super fast, there was plenty of space and meeting rooms. I was the only co-worker though, so there wasn’t much connection or collaboration. The owner, who is very friendly and helpful, told me that like many cities Ensenada’s entrepreneurial scene was impacted by COVID, with founders and workers only now just starting to slowly emerge and work outside of home again.
The space is very much ‘no frills’ and could do with a refresh. It was a little more expensive than I expected at $US100 a month, but ultimately it had everything I needed. Plus, Tacos Marcos Antonio is just around the corner for lunch!
I only discovered Ensenada Business Center at the end of my trip, another co-working space that is remodelled and would be worth checking out.
Summary
Overall, whether you’re a remote worker, digital nomad, a family (or all of the above), I would recommend Ensenada as an excellent city to live and work. Like all cities it isn’t perfect, but the decisive factors are:
- Close to the US/California border
- Cost of living
- Food
- Wine
- Work/life balance
If you want help to ensure you maximise your time in Ensenada, make sure you get in touch with Tomiko (this isn’t an ad, she doesn’t know I’m writing this!).
If this guide helped you, or you have any questions, leave me a comment or send an email. And also get in touch and let me know about other underrated cities for living and working — we’ll be on the road again soon, no doubt.
