I've been beating the drum lately over the cost of raising kids abroad in Latin America vs. moving back to the States and doing the same.
My premise is simple:
The “geo-arbitrage” a young, single guy finds traveling around LatAm allows him to save a ton of cash, while not sacrificing much in terms of quality of life. In fact, the single broski often lives a far higher quality of life abroad for far less. Ya tu sabes.
That cost savings dwindles fast once you throw kids into the equation.
Why? Two words: private schools.
International private schools are not cheap. Often, not always, you’re looking at $1,000 USD per kid per month at minimum for a decent one down here. And no, public schools are not an option.
That said, there are places in Latin America where you can raise kids on a budget while still sending them to private school and living in a nice, safe area.
Generally, these will be more "Tier 2" locations. This isn't happening in Santiago, Chile or Mexico City. You're not raising a family on a budget while paying international school tuition in CDMX. That's just not realistic.
So here’s how we’ll break it down…
The five cities below are places where $4,000 USD per month would allow a family of four (two parents, two kids) to live a good life with the kids in private school.
The cost breakdown covers:
Rent (3-bedroom apartment or house in gated community)
International private school (2 kids)
International health insurance
Transportation
Food
Internet + phone
Domestic help
Personal and lifestyle
The main thing we’re looking for here are: keeping international schools costs under $1,000/month per kid + keeping rent well under $1,500/month for a 3-bedroom.
These numbers do not include trips home to see family or vacations, as those items would obviously bump your monthly spend.
Without further ado…
5 LatAm Cities Where You Could Raise Your Kids For $4,000/Month or Less
The cities below are presented in no particular order.
I have no preference here, as they’re all great budget options for families living in Latin America.