How the Path to Homeownership Runs Through Mexico

San Diego residents are moving to Tijuana to get more for their money. Some hope to save for down payments on houses that are way out of reach north of the border.

TIJUANA Gustavo Galvez has dreams of owning a home in San Diego, Calif. His path toward homeownership, however, includes a detour: While he saves for a down payment, he plans to spend the next several years renting in Tijuana, Mexico.

Mr. Galvez, 37, was born in Mexico, but moved to San Diego when he was 6. Now married with a wife and 7-year-old son, he chose to move to Tijuana with his family last July. Its a return, he said, that is both temporary and strategic.

We want to pay down our debt and increase our savings, so we can come back to the United States and become homeowners, he said.

Stories of migrants crossing from Mexico to the United States in search of a better life are well-known. But for the past decade, a reverse migration has quietly been gaining steam: Americans, priced out of the housing market and frustrated with sky-high costs of health care, electricity and basic goods, are increasingly opting to rent or buy homes in Mexico.

The pandemic, which unmoored millions from the commute to a physical office, as well as the Sentri pass, which allows approved, low-risk travelers a fast lane into the United States at the Mexican border, has accelerated this trend. Consumer prices, including rent, are 62 percent lower in Tijuana than in San Diego, according to cost of living database Numbeo, and in Tijuana, it takes about $2,500 a month for a standard of living that in San Diego would cost $6,600.