Top 23 Cities/Towns to Raise a Family in Latin America
Just remember, there's more than one way to skin the proverbial cat...
I’ve mentally masturbated on this topic for more hours than I care to count.
Borderline embarrassing if I’m being honest…
But this stuff is confusing — Do I move my family back to the USA? Do we stay in Mexico, the country our kids were born in? Do we go to a territorial tax haven to eliminate headaches?
What do we do?!!
I still don’t have the perfect answer, but I’m getting closer.
My kids have lived in 4 different countries, visited a few others. We’ve tested different spots in Latin America. We’ve found some places that don’t work for us. We’ve found a few that do — and are therefore strong contenders for my family.
Below is the majority of my research on the topic, mixed in with personal experiences I’ve had navigating this “LatAm Dad” lifestyle.
Vamonos!
Top 23 Cities/Towns to Raise a Family in Latin America
Do note…
These are in no particular order.
I’ve arranged them by country — for the places I believe are the top countries to raise children in Latin America. Then I added some spots from outside those countries at the end.
🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇺🇾
The most institutionally stable country in South America. HDI of 0.862 — among the highest in the region.
The 2026 Tax Holiday offers foreign-source income exemption for up to 10 years for qualifying new residents. Temperate climate, four mild seasons, no extreme weather. Violence exists but is concentrated in specific urban neighborhoods — expat areas in both cities on this list are genuinely safe.
Uruguay residents also have the ability to acquire firearms here — something important to me after my situation in Mexico.
Overall: small country, outsized quality of life.
Personally, I’m strongly considering Uruguay as a primary base for my family.
