I secretly worked from Mexico for Big Tech companies like Meta. The lower cost of living was worth the risk.

• Keith Romes moved to Mexico to work remotely when the pandemic hit without telling his employers.
• Romes sought a better quality of life and lower living costs than he had in California.
• He plans to work remotely abroad again because he values affordable living and cultural exploration.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Keith Romes, a 40-year-old tech professional based in California. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

I didn't go to college after graduating from high school. Instead, I started applying for work right away in 2005. I enjoy tech, video games, and Star Wars, so I wanted to get a job in that world.

I became good at interviewing by doing group interviews and seeing what others did, and I landed a position doing quality assurance for LucasArts. I had a six-month contract to work on the video game Star Wars Battlefront II.

I landed more contract roles at Electronic Arts, Friend Finder, and eventually companies like Meta and TikTok. For my first few contract roles, I was living in California.

During some of my more recent contracts, I worked remotely from Mexico without telling anyone — and got away with it.

While working at Friend Finder, I took my first international trip

My pay at Friend Finder was enough to take my first international trip to Tokyo, which started my love for travel.

I stayed at Friend Finder until 2008 and then got a great opportunity — my first full-time job at Apple in the App Store division. I worked at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino.

I had a crazy schedule because the launch of the App Store involved a lot of work. I worked 80-hour weeks and reached burnout.

I realized I didn't want my work to be my entire life. I stayed there for two years and then decided to take shorter contracts again and build more breaks into my work.

I re-entered the world of contract work in 2010

I got a contract with Google to work on the Google Play store and did the same quality assurance work I had done at Apple. I was at Google for close to a year and left in 2011.

After that, I worked for a video game company called Kabam in San Francisco for six months before leaving to take on a series of contract roles at Meta, working in developer operations and testing chatbots.

I did analysis work on Facebook's news feed feature but left because I felt like I had a terrible work-life balance and was burning out again.

After Meta, I worked for six months on a project-based contract at Twitter's headquarters in 2016. Then, I decided to take some personal time off to regroup.

In 2018, I returned to Meta for another contract role.

I realized I wanted a better quality of life and fewer bills than in California

I had been looking into dental work in Mexico because the cost was lower, and I heard there was a better quality of life there. I decided to move to Mexico in 2020 but had to figure out the logistics.

When the pandemic started, we were told remote work would be mandatory. That made the decision to go to Mexico much easier. I started that contract in California but didn't tell my bosses about my decision to move to Mexico.

I moved with just some luggage, set up my life and workstation in Cancún, and started working for Meta remotely from Mexico. I had no time zone challenges.

The cost of living was incredible compared to California — it was the total package for me. I enjoyed beach access, amazing food, the amenities of my apartment complex, and friendly people.

My new lifestyle was very affordable

I easily lived on less than $1,200 a month. For the first year, I lived in an Airbnb, and my expenses were one-third to one-fifth of my living costs in California.

I worried at first about having an issue remote working from another country, but as soon as I got there, I connected to Meta's systems. I didn't have to use a VPN for remote work — just a regular WiFi connection.

While in Mexico, my pets and I survived two hurricanes, and WiFi was pretty good both times — I didn't lose any data. The streams were great for holding meetings.

I had no issues working remotely internationally, so I stopped worrying about it

While still in Mexico, I got a second contract job as an app marketing manager for Avalara, an automated sales tax compliance software company for businesses. I used a family member's address in California to apply for the role and did not tell Avalara I lived in Mexico.

I had to fly back to California to pick up a company laptop but then returned to Mexico. I don't know if they would've fired me for quietly working from another country, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I took my meetings from my villa in Mexico, and I was loving life. I also visited cities near Mexico City, such as Guadalajara, and took mini-vacations often.

I worked both jobs until December 2021, when my contract at Meta was completed. Then, I continued to work only in the role at Avalara.

A new job brought me back to the US

In March 2022, I left Avalara and started a new contract role at TikTok. That October, TikTok ordered me back into the office, and I returned to California to regroup.

I didn't want to leave Mexico but needed the money from the TikTok job. I stayed at TikTok until February 2023.

Currently, I work in two remote roles focused on content review and AI content from California.

I want to move abroad again

I plan to return to Mexico or explore other countries like Colombia, Japan, or the Philippines.

My salary averages around $40,000 per six-month contract. I plan to set up a side hustle in addition to my contract positions to make more money and have more flexibility.

I want to leave the US again for a better quality of life. Less expensive, universal healthcare and opportunities to explore other cultures are important to me.