Golden tips for finding apartments for rent in Puerto Vallarta

Looking for Puerto Vallarta rentals for a longer term? I can help you with that! I have a few Puerto Vallarta apartments for rent, but first, let me tell you what to expect when looking for rentals in PV.

📧 Hola Trish! A friend from Michigan passed me your article about cost of living in Puerto Vallarta and I am impressed with your honest content! We are a couple with 2 kids and we are looking for Puerto Vallarta apartments for rent (not for sale) and I was wondering if you can help us? I am amazed how well-connected you are in PV and I want to pick your brain. Thank you for all the free information and more power!

Richard J., Michigan

Hola Richard,

Thank you for following this journey, and I am glad you made it to this page! I lived in Puerto Vallarta for a year and have my business there. I moved to Cabo San Lucas now for a different vibe and feel.

If you are with a family, you definitely need a house. It’s just my suggestion as I don’t know you well. You may be fans of condo living, so this may vary. Anything is possible in Puerto Vallarta if you know the right people.

There’s always a generalization about housing types in PV, and my first tip for you is to think if you want to live in a condo or apartment with a garden in Puerto Vallarta. Both setups are possible.

My team and I help ex-pats find Puerto Vallarta Apartments for rent, so if you ever need help, you can sign up for my services. A driver will take you around, and my English-speaking staff will show you the houses.

If you don’t want to avail of this service, keep reading this article, as I will give you many tips! Good luck to you and your family!

Xx, Trisha

💲Puerto Vallarta rentals: prices and what to expect

Like most countries, the cost of Puerto Vallarta rentals depends on the area. The city of PV is 1,300.7 square kilometers (502.19 sq mi), so with this, you must decide what kind of neighborhood you want to rent an apartment in.

Zona Romantica

Almost usually EXPENSIVE and is only for people who have a rental budget of $1,500 USD per month. This is also where tourism is, so you need to consider if you want to live in a tourist area.

Zona Romantica is also the gay neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta, so most events and parties happen here (i.e. the grand PV Gay Pride Parade every May).

There isn’t any age group anymore in Puerto Vallarta, so if you ask me, I feel everyone like it is for everyone, and it’s not only for young expats.

Marina Vallarta

I lived here, and I would say that it is a neighborhood for expats with a budget of $3,000 USD and above. Here, you will mostly find condos.

The Marina is where the fishing charters and boats are parked, so expect a more luxurious way of life here. Like Zona Romantica, there is no age group, but it’s more or less your capability to pay $3K USD and above.

Versalles

Versalles is cheap and is becoming a hotspot for digital nomads who only stay in PV for a short period of time (3-6 months).

You can STILL get a decent rental in Versalles for $800 USD, but note that this neighborhood is becoming more and more (uncontrollably) popular.

Fluvial Vallarta

Although I only lived here for a week (I was renting a villa), this is a good area for people who wants to have access to everything, especially Costco!

The rent prices here are still great (from $1,000 USD), and here, you will find real houses with pools but not necessarily beachfront.

No beach view here as it is a more local area in PV. But you have access to La Comer (Mexican grocery), Puerto Paraiso Shopping Mall, and a lot of restaurants.

Fluvial Vallarta has its own vibe and it is NOT the tourist vibe like Zona Romantica, Malecon, or 5 de Diciembre areas. Most people who live here have kids and families.

Nuevo Vallarta

This is not technically Puerto Vallarta as it is in Nayarit. It’s about 25 minutes from downtown PV and 15 from Marina Vallarta.

Here, you can find houses with gardens for as low as $800 USD per month, and I always suggest this area to clients who don’t want the loud environment in downtown/Malecon.

I lived here for one year as well and to be honest, this is an area that I connected with because it is close to Bucerias, I have beach access within 10 minutes, and it is not touristy.

Expats here have children and families, so this is probably the more fitting neighborhood for Richard (who asked this question above).

The best thing about Nuevo Vallarta is that you can walk and bike. The roads are EXTREMELY safe for children, and there are many gated communities here (like where I lived).

Most of my clients love gated communities but to tell you the truth, living in a gated community does not mean it is safer.

In general, Puerto Vallarta is safe and foreigner-friendly, but I sincerely understand the gated community mentality since I lived in one here in Nuevo.

🏡 Puerto Vallarta apartments for rent 2023

Please note that we regularly update this list of Puerto Vallarta apartments for rent is regularly updated depending on availability. If you need a fresh list, subscribe to our newsletter where we send available Puerto Vallarta rentals every month.

4-bedroom condo

• Area: Nuevo Vallarta
• Fully furnished
• Shared complex pool
• Gated community
• 2 parking lots
• 10 minutes from the beach
• Internet included
• Long-term price: from $2,000 USD
• Nightly price: $250 USD

✨ Puerto Vallarta rentals tips and tricks

Time-saving tip: ask locals to show you around

Like I said at the beginning of this article, we, at Mexico Insider, have this service for a fair price. First, we will ask for the type of housing you are looking for (i.e. condo, house).

Our team will give you a few listings you want to see, and from there, we will schedule your VIP car service to take you around and see the listings.

It can take at least 4-5 days to see them all, but it depends on your liking. Maybe you’ll like the first apartment you’ll see!

Readers of Mexico Insider get a 10% discount. Just get in touch, and we will arrange it for you!

Try other areas near Puerto Vallarta

I get that you want to have the “Puerto Vallarta” address, but right now, I need to be honest that only people with a higher budget can live in great areas.

Other suggestions are Bucerias, Nuevo Vallarta, and Valle Dorado. These are decent places, although Bucerias is popular with Canadian expats and travelers.

Do not speak “USD” with landlords

You will live in Mexico, so always deal in Mexican pesos. Do not mention dollars. Ask for Mexican prices. Just to warn you, many will talk in USD but you should change the conversation.

As a foreigner who moved here, I felt I was disrespecting the local communities if I used USD in a country that does not use USD.

All the landlords will speak to you in USD but correct them and say you want to be charged in pesos. Just convert it in your head but do not ask for monthly USD Puerto Vallarta rentals.

The more we push our USD currency here, the more apartments for rent in Puerto Vallarta get expensive. People here will think that they can charge foreigners whatever they want and that greatly affects our local economies.

Many people cannot afford what we can as foreigners so let us help them get a fair pricing. Be a part of the local community if you want to live here!

Mexican landlords have cheaper (and fairer) Puerto Vallarta rentals

It is only possible to find Mexican landlords if you know the right people. I am very thankful to have invested in my Spanish at a very young age (from living in Spain and Argentina) so that hard work paid off when I decided to live in Mexico.

Sometimes, the price of your Puerto Vallarta rentals (sometimes) depends on how you look. As for me, I am brown, speak American English, speak Spanish from Spain, so they can’t put where I am from.

They always end up charging me Mexican prices, which is a gift. I know it’s a shit thing that we must be charged with our skin color, but this is the sad reality in many countries popular to expats, not just Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta is pet-friendly but…

Some landlords are still not OK with pets, especially big dogs. When I first talk to landlords, I say I have 2 medium dogs (without actually bringing my dogs to the showing).

They will ask you for photos of the dogs via Whatsapp, but I have perfect photos of my dogs where they look small. My dogs are well-behaved and trained.

They are also adult dogs so they won’t ruin anything in the rental but it’s simply hard to convince landlords how well-behaved your dogs are, especially if they don’t have pets.

They’ve also had renters before that they had bad experiences with (pets) so they are traumatized to rent to pet owners.

💵 What is the average rent in Puerto Vallarta?

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Puerto Vallarta is about $500 USD monthly. If you want something a bit bigger, two bedrooms can be found from around $600-$700 USD monthly.

Of course, it depends on where your accommodation is located and how far away from the beach it is – many apartments closer to downtown may require less of a rental fee than those situated directly along the oceanfront.

💰 How much is it to rent an apartment in Puerto Vallarta?

The cost of renting an apartment in Puerto Vallarta depends on what kind of space you’re looking for.

For starters, if you want something basic with all the essentials—a kitchen, living room, and bedroom—you can get a one-bedroom unit for around $450 USD per month.

Of course, as you move into larger spaces like two or three bedrooms with more amenities, prices increase accordingly.

No matter your budget or taste preferences, though, there’s sure to be something that works perfectly for you here in PV!

💸 How much does it cost to live in Puerto Vallarta every month?

The cost of living in Puerto Vallarta every month depends on your lifestyle. In this article, you will find many different price ranges because there is no one answer to how much it will cost.

Costs are objective and personal. We are all different individuals with different budgets, so take note that this all depends on the life you want to live.