Upon journeying to Mexico, we were looking for a place where we could slow down and work without feeling isolated. Like many remote workers who end up in Chiapas, we wanted a space that offered community without chaos, structure without excessive rules, and a delightful daily rhythm. A friend told us about Co404, a small digital nomad coliving in San Cristóbal de las Casas, and we decided to give it a try.
Yellow trumpet flowers alongside a small bird cooling off in the courtyard fountain
From the first day, it was clear why people speak highly of it. Co404 is a well-designed home for people who need consistent wifi, a comfortable room, and an easy way to meet others who are also working as they travel. It is exactly the kind of community-oriented coliving that many remote workers look for but rarely find.
Settling into Co404
The coliving sits just a short walk from San Cristóbal’s historic center. The first thing we noticed when we stepped inside was the garden. It’s a simple space—some grass, hammocks, and a few outdoor tables—but it’s clearly a part of daily life at the house. People watch the sunrise and sunset from the terrace, sit outside with coffee in the mornings, or take calls under the shade. The garden quickly became where we spent most of our working hours, and in a place like San Cristóbal de las Casas, where the weather is comfortable for most of the year, it’s one of the best features Co404 offers.
The layout of the coliving is practical: rooms adjacent to the quiet garden area, a kitchen at the center, a coworking space with a view to the garden, a terrace above the garden, and enough common areas that you can choose to be social or find quiet without effort. Everything is close together, but never cramped. After staying in other colivings where people constantly compete for workspace, the amount of usable space at Co404 was a relief. Work happens naturally here. You don’t have to plan around noise or negotiate for quiet.
The rooms
Our private room was simple and comfortable: a good mattress, thick blankets for San Cristóbal’s colder nights, a desk, and reliable wifi that never cut out. We had multiple video calls during our stay, and none of them struggled with connection issues. We especially appreciated that the shower was quite large and had great hot water.
Rooms at Co404 vary in layout and style, but all share a warm, rustic design with wooden furnishings
Something else we appreciated was the balance between social spaces and private rooms. Some colivings blur the line between the two, but at Co404's San Cris location, we could always retreat to our room without hearing noise from the common areas. It was easy to be social when we wanted, and invisible when we didn’t.
The magical garden
Co404's garden is center of the entire coliving space—visually, socially, and practically. You walk through the front hallway, step into the courtyard, and suddenly the atmosphere shifts. The house opens into a green space that feels surprisingly expansive for a small coliving with only a dozen rooms.
Flowers grow along the edges of the courtyard, adding subtle color to the space throughout the day. Depending on the season, you’ll see different plants blooming.
A closer look at some of the flowers growing in Co404’s garden
A lot of guests at Co404 spend most of their day in the garden. The space is designed so that it can serve multiple purposes at once: people sit at the tables with laptops, others relax in the hammocks, and someone creates a bonfire at night. It’s just big enough to give you personal space but small enough that you never feel isolated.
A glimpse of Co404’s garden from different angles
What makes the garden especially memorable is the fact that it isn’t just decorative—you’ll actually see fruits and vegetables growing there. Small tomato plants, herbs, chili peppers, squash vines, and leafy greens appear in different corners of the yard.
Banana blossoms and garden peppers growing in Co404’s backyard
Sometimes the herbs or greens show up in the weekly family dinners or in shared cooking nights. This adds a grounded, home-like feeling to the coliving experience.
Working from Co404
Work was one of the main reasons we chose a coliving, and Co404 turned out to be a very good environment for this. Most of the people staying there were working as well—developers, writers, designers, and long-term travelers taking advantage of Mexico’s flexibility for digital nomads.
Inside Co404’s coworking space
The atmosphere during the day was usually quiet and focused. Some people worked from their rooms, but most were in the coworking room, or outside in the garden or on the terrace. Both spaces have enough tables and chairs that it never felt like seating was scarce.
The terrace became one of our favorite places to work, especially in the mornings, when the light was soft and the neighborhood was waking up.
Community and activities
What makes Co404 different from many other colivings in Mexico and beyond is how well-organized the community side of things is. The coliving has its own app, which is updated regularly and lists all upcoming events, shared meals, and group outings. It’s simple, but it works in a way that keeps the house connected without creating pressure to participate.
Housemates at Co404 sharing activities on the rooftop and gathering by the fireplace in the evening
During our stay, the schedule included everything from family dinners to bonfires to casual excursions around the, such as the fungi hike or tour of Chamula and Zinacantán. One evening we painted skulls for Día de los Muertos. Another night a volunteer hosted a group cooking session. There were nights when someone suggested watching a film together, mornings when people gathered for coffee runs, and plenty of spontaneous moments that turned into longer conversations.
A rainbow over Co404’s terrace after an afternoon rain, and a Día de los Muertos altar
The app played a big role in making this feel natural. Instead of relying on fragmented information passed through whoever happened to be in the kitchen, everything was centralized. New arrivals figured out the rhythm of the house almost immediately.
The community manager, Santi, also shaped the tone of the space. He was welcoming from the start, and set a calm and friendly atmosphere.
It’s easy for colivings to swing too far in one direction: either too social, where it feels like a nonstop schedule of activities, or too hands-off, where nothing ever happens and community has to be built from scratch. Co404's San Cris location struck a rare balance: there was enough to join, but nothing felt forced.
For anyone specifically searching for a community-oriented coliving in Mexico, this is one of the strongest reasons to stay here.
Life in San Cristóbal de las Casas
Living at Co404 shaped the way we experienced San Cristóbal. The coliving is close enough to walk everywhere—markets, cafés, small restaurants—but far enough from the busiest streets that daily life feels slower.
San Cristóbal de las Casas is a popular destination for remote workers, especially those seeking affordable living, cooler weather, and a strong cultural scene. As a base for digital nomads in Chiapas, it works well: good internet across town, plenty of cafés to work from, and a variety of accommodation options. But for us, Co404 offered a really lovely sense of community.
The house also made it easier to adjust to the altitude, the cooler climate, and the slower rhythm of Chiapas. Our days became simple: work in the morning, lunch with someone from the house, an afternoon walk through town, a few hours of focused work in the garden, and dinner with whoever happened to be around. It was the kind of routine that makes a place feel like home faster than expected.
The people we met
Most people staying at Co404 were working remotely or taking a break from long-term travel. We met people from all over the world. Some stayed for a week, some for a month, and some had already been in Mexico for half a year.
Because the coliving is small, you naturally get to know everyone. You eat together, work near each other, and cross paths constantly. What stood out was how easy it was to form friendships without effort. People were open, curious, and interested in exchanging stories and advice. No one seemed to be passing through only to check San Cristóbal off a list. Most came because they wanted a community-oriented work base in a place that supports slow living.
This is one of the main advantages of staying in a coliving for digital nomads. You meet people who live similarly to you—people who might be on calls in the morning, exploring the city in the afternoon, and cooking dinner in the evening. The shared structure of daily life makes conversations feel natural, not forced.
Details from around Co404
By the time we left, the house had become a small network of familiar faces.
What Co404 offers remote workers
If you’re looking specifically for digital nomad coliving in Mexico, a few things make Co404's San Cris location stand out:
- The house is small enough to feel personal but large enough to meet a variety of people.
- The internet is reliable for remote work, including calls.
- The garden and terrace give you outdoor work options that are comfortable year-round.
- The app and activities make joining the community extremely easy.
- The balance between quiet work time and social connection is unusually good.
- You’re close to everything but not in the middle of the busiest streets, which gives you both access and quiet. It’s safe, walkable, and surrounded by small stores where you can pick up groceries or fresh fruit. If you need cafés or gyms, everything is within reach. It's only a 15-minute walk to the town center, and a 5-minute walk to Santo Domingo Market.
But more than any single feature, it’s the combination of structure and simplicity that makes it work.
Details from around Co404
After several months of travel, this coliving helped us reset. It gave us a sense of community without overwhelming us. We actually enjoyed it so much that we extended our stay a bit. Many people come here planning to stay for one month and end up extending longer because the city is very affordable, and a truly charming mountain town.
We’ve stayed in many colivings over the years, but Co404 had a real special quality to it. Something about the garden, the people, the easy rhythm of the house, and the way community forms so naturally there made our time feel genuinely memorable.
