What to Bring (and What to Leave Behind) When You Move to Loreto

When people seriously commit to exploring Loreto as a home, the practical questions arrive quickly: What can I get here? What do I need to bring? What about my car? My furniture? My stuff?

Here's a practical and honest guide to the moving calculus of Loreto, developed through conversations with dozens of residents who've made the move.

What Loreto Has (Better Than You Might Think)

Loreto is not a border town or a tourist resort — it's a real Mexican community of approximately 20,000 people, and it's reasonably well-supplied for daily life.

Groceries: There are several well-stocked supermarkets. Fresh fish is exceptional and inexpensive. Produce markets are abundant. For specialty items — certain imported goods, specific brands, organic products — the supply is more limited, but La Paz (two hours south) has significantly more options, and many residents make a monthly supply run.

Pharmacy and personal care: Loreto has pharmacies with a reasonable selection of medications. Prescription drugs that are expensive in the US are often available at dramatically lower prices. Basic personal care products are widely available.

Hardware and home supplies: Loreto has hardware stores, paint suppliers, and basic home goods. For renovation projects or specialty materials, La Paz or even ordering through Mexican online retailers (like Mercado Libre) works well.

Internet: Reliable fiber or cable internet is available in most of Loreto and the surrounding communities. Many residents get 50–100 Mbps connections for $40–$60 per month. Remote work is genuinely viable.

Fun fact: Mercado Libre — Latin America's largest e-commerce platform, often described as "the Amazon of Latin America" — ships to Loreto. Many residents order everything from kitchen appliances to car parts through it. Delivery times are typically 2–7 days.

What to Bring

The honest advice from long-term residents: bring less than you think you need, and plan to leave things behind.

Items worth bringing: quality tools if you're handy, your vehicle (importing it properly if staying long-term), specialty electronics, specific medications you rely on, items of particular sentimental value, and quality outdoor gear (fishing equipment, kayaks, snorkel gear).

Items not worth the effort: large furniture (Loreto has furniture stores and a good secondhand market), excess clothing (the wardrobe here is dramatically simpler — t-shirts, shorts, light layers for winter evenings), and anything fragile or high-maintenance that the salt air and sun will age quickly.

What to Leave Behind (Mentally)

This is the more important list.

Leave behind the expectation that things will work on your timeline. Mexican bureaucracy, construction projects, deliveries, and appointments operate on a different relationship with time. Residents who resist this spend their energy frustrated. Those who accept it find it strangely liberating.

Leave behind the idea that more stuff equals more comfort. Most Loreto residents describe a significant and deliberate downsizing as one of the best decisions they made. "We downsized more than we planned, and we've never missed a thing" is a sentiment we hear repeatedly.

Leave behind the assumption that you need to have everything figured out before you arrive. Loreto will teach you what you need to know, on its own schedule. The residents who thrive are the ones who came with curiosity rather than a complete plan.

The Car Question

Most permanent residents bring a vehicle. Driving in Mexico requires a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for foreign-plated vehicles staying longer than six months. Long-term residents typically register their vehicle in Mexico. Many residents find that a reliable, moderately priced 4WD or SUV is practical for both daily driving and the occasional unpaved-road adventure.

Ready to Plan?

Have questions about what the practical move to Loreto actually involves? We've been through it with dozens of families and are happy to share what we know. Contact Live In Loreto. No agenda, just answers.