Nuevo Progreso is a town of around 10,000 people (2010) in Tamaulipas in Mexico. Nuevo Progresso is considered to be one of the safest border towns in Mexico.

Understand

Nuevo Progreso faces the United States-Mexico border across the Rio Grande River from the city of Progreso Lakes, Texas.

Nuevo Progreso is a popular destination for medical tourism, due to the presence of hundreds of pharmacies and dentists, the significantly cheaper healthcare, and its position on the United States-Mexico border.

Get in

By foot

While it is possible to enter by car, it tends to be very slow. Most tourists from the United States cross by foot and park their cars on the other side of the border. There is a parking lot just on the other side of the border which costs $2 per car. As of November 2021, the toll is $1 into Mexico, and 30 cents into the United States.

See

There are many street vendors in Nuevo Progreso.

Do

As mentioned earlier, Nuevo Progreso is a very popular medical tourist destination.

Buy

There is a currency exchange on the other side of the border, both currencies are typically accepted in Nuevo Progreso.

• El Disco Super Center Mexico, Av Benito Juárez 206, ☏ +52 899 937 0120. 08:00-20:00. 
• Galerias Shopping Center, Av Benito Juárez 114, ☏ +52 899 937 0055. 09:00-20:00. 

Drink

• Red Panty Bar, Av. Benito Juárez 130. (updated Nov 2021)

Stay safe

Despite the reputation of the rest of the state of Tamaulipas, the streets of Nuevo Progreso are very safe during daylight hours. Under the bridge over the Rio Grande, it is common to see beggars reaching out for money with empty plastic containers on sticks and sometimes hats, though they should not pose any threat of serious harm to you.