I went through this exact research when I moved down from Canada, so I'll share what I found and what I actually ended up doing.

I looked at Mexican private insurance first. GNP Seguros and AXA Mexico both offer full hospital coverage — hospitalization, surgeries, specialists — for about $15,000-25,000 MXN per year ($800-1400 USD) at your age. Deductibles run $10,000-30,000 MXN. BUPA Mexico is the premium option with a wider network if you want to spend more.

Then there's international insurance. SafetyWing is popular with the nomad crowd, about $45 USD/month. It covers emergencies worldwide but isn't great for day-to-day stuff. Cigna Global and Allianz Care are comprehensive but pricey — $150-300/month. I'd only go that route if you're traveling frequently.

IMSS is the public system. You need temporary or permanent residency to enroll. Costs about $15,000 MXN/year and covers everything including prescriptions. The trade-off is wait times. A lot of expats I know carry IMSS as their safety net and still see private doctors for convenience.

Honestly though? Many healthy expats here just pay as they go. When a doctor visit costs $30 USD, blood work is $15-40 USD, and a dental cleaning is $40 USD, the math changes. Even an ER visit runs $500-2000 USD — a fraction of what it would be back home.

What I settled on: a Mexican private plan through GNP for the catastrophic what-if scenarios, and I pay out of pocket for routine visits. Works out to roughly $100/month total and I've been happy with it for three years now.