Medical Emergency Resources for Expats in Tulum

Before an Emergency

Keep this page saved on your phone. Knowing who to call and where to go saves critical time.

Key things to know:

• 911 works everywhere in Mexico and connects to police, fire and ambulance dispatch.
• Tulum has a private hospital with 24/7 emergency care (Costamed Tulum) and a public IMSS-Bienestar hospital. Quintana Roo's public hospitals are now run by IMSS-Bienestar.
• For serious cases, the nearest large hospitals are in Playa del Carmen, about 65 km away (roughly 50–60 minutes). Cancún is about 130 km (roughly 1¾–2 hours).
• Tulum has had its own international airport (TQO) since December 2023
• If you can safely get there yourself, driving to the nearest emergency room is often faster than waiting for an ambulance
• Emergency rooms must stabilize you, but private hospitals will usually ask for a deposit, a credit card or an insurance guarantee before admitting you. Carry a card and your policy number.

Emergency Numbers

• 911 — police, fire, ambulance
• Cruz Roja (Red Cross) Tulum: 984 802 5521. If it doesn't answer, use 911.
• Costamed Tulum (24/7 emergency): 984 124 0830
• Police: call 911

Tulum opened its first 24/7 municipal ambulance base in 2025. Municipal ambulances and Cruz Roja are both dispatched through 911.

Hospitals & Clinics

In Tulum

• Costamed Tulum — Calle 3 Sur s/n, Lote 8, Villa Tulum. Private hospital with 24/7 emergency care, English spoken, works with insurers. Tel. 984 124 0830.
• IMSS-Bienestar Hospital Tulum (Hospital Comunitario) — Calle Acuario Poniente. The public hospital, open since September 2023. Free for people without Mexican social security. Limited specialist and emergency capacity; serious cases go to Playa del Carmen. Little English.
• IMSS and ISSSTE members (Mexican social security) are sent to their hospitals in Playa del Carmen.
• Hospital Joya Tulum is under construction and expected to open around December 2026. It is not open yet.

Playa del Carmen (about 65 km, roughly 50–60 minutes)

• Hospiten Riviera Maya — Av. Balamcanché Lote 1, Mz 30, Playacar. Private hospital. Tel. 984 159 2200.
• Costamed and Amerimed also have hospitals in Playa del Carmen.

Cancún (about 130 km, roughly 1¾–2 hours)

• Hospital Amerimed Cancún — Av. Tulum Sur 260 (Mz 4, 5 y 9), SM 7. Private hospital.

English-Speaking Doctors

Doctors in Tulum change often as people move, so ask for current recommendations:

• Recent residents in the local expat Facebook and WhatsApp groups (search "doctor" or "médico")
• Your landlord or property manager
• The private hospitals in Tulum and Playa del Carmen; ask which of their doctors speak English

Medical Translation

• Local expat groups can often find a volunteer or a paid translator to come with you; ask a day or two ahead when you can
• Download Google Translate's Spanish pack for offline use BEFORE you need it. The camera mode reads forms and medicine labels.
• Useful phrases: "Necesito un médico" (I need a doctor), "Me duele aquí" (It hurts here), "Soy alérgico/a a…" (I'm allergic to…), "Tomo estos medicamentos" (I take these medicines)

In a true emergency, hospital staff will find a way to communicate. Point to where it hurts, use your phone's translator, and don't let language stop you from getting care.

In-Home Care

Nursing care at home is available but limited in Tulum. Pharmacies can often refer a nurse, and hospitals in Playa del Carmen can give nursing referrals when you are discharged. Ask for current rates, including travel, when you book.

Air Evacuation

• Tulum International Airport (TQO), which opened in December 2023, is the nearest international airport, about 30–45 minutes from town. Ask your evacuation provider whether it would use TQO.
• Cancún International Airport (CUN), about 1¾–2 hours away, has the most flights to the US and Canada
• SkyMed and MedjetAssist are the evacuation memberships most used by expats in Mexico. SkyMed covers transport to the nearest adequate facility or home; Medjet focuses on getting you home.
• Many travel insurance policies include evacuation, but read the fine print: it often needs pre-authorization and may only cover the nearest adequate facility

Prevention

• Register with your embassy: US citizens use STEP (mytravel.state.gov/s/step), Canadians use ROCA
• Carry a wallet card in Spanish with your blood type, allergies, medications, emergency contacts and insurance details
• Save this guide on your phone for offline access; cell service can be patchy
• Know what your insurance covers in Mexico, including evacuation, before you need it