Mexico City 🇲🇽 Gringo's Guide
Superb weather, stunning architecture, fascinating museums, walkable tree-lined streets, and so much more...
Ah, Mexico City.Â
The Latin American destination everybody and their uncle seems to be talking about these days.
And for good reason!
The Number of U.S. citizens granted temporary residency in Mexico in 2022 increased by 85% compared to 2019. For better or for worse, many of these Americans are choosing Mexico City as their home base.
Among Latin American enthusiasts, it’s a polarizing city. Many people love it. Many people hate it.
Having spent some time in the Mexican capital, I’m here to give you a tremendously comprehensive and honest rundown of this monstrous metropolis.
Mexico City, Mexico 🇲🇽
Population:
22,085,000 in the metro areaÂ
Mexico City, also known as ‘CDMX,’ is the 5th largest city in the world and the second largest city in Latin America, behind São Paulo.
Weather:Â
Mexico City has close to ideal weather.
It rarely creeps above 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33C) and rarely slips below 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8C).
The only thing to keep in mind is the city’s rainy season, which runs from June to September. During these months you can expect a few hours of heavy rain almost every day, typically in late afternoon. If you’re angling to visit Mexico City, I would avoid these months. It’s annoying enough to put a damper on your experience (no pun intended).
The absolute best time to visit Mexico City is from February to May. You’ll be rewarded with sunny skies and almost no rain. Blissful!
Quick note…
You’ve probably heard something about how bad the air pollution is in Mexico City. Although it’s not going to win an award for air purity any time soon, it’s worth noting that the city has made progress over the past decade. I wouldn’t worry about this too much. For most people, it isn’t a concern.
Another thing…
EARTHQUAKES.Â
Mexico City is plagued by earthquakes. If one happens to occur while you’re there, stay calm. There’s a city-wide alarm system in place. This is what it sounds like. If you hear this alarm, you’ll have a few minutes to get out of the building you’re in. Please take it seriously – earthquakes in Mexico City can be deadly.
Why Visit Mexico City?
In addition to its agreeable weather, there are a host of other reasons to visit the Mexican capital!Â
First, it’s damn easy to get to!
For the American readers, a few hours and a couple hundred bucks or less and you’re there. Leave your city after breakfast and you’ll be engulfing tacos and sippin’ mezcal on a jacaranda tree-lined boulevard by lunch.Â
Second, you will never run out of things to do here. Never!
Mexico City has an incalculable number of activities for a man to get stuck into. Museums. Parks. Galleries. Restaurants. Cantinas. Aztec Ruins. Markets. Theaters. Landmarks. Concerts. Lucha Libre. The list is inexhaustible. I lived in Mexico City for roughly three years, and I only saw a small percentage of what this fine city has to offer.
Third, livability. If you’re new to Latin America, Mexico City is probably one of the best choices to transition into life down here.
It has better infrastructure than many Latin American cities, it’s safer than most Latin American capitals and you can sneak by on limited Spanish.Â
It’s also got all the delivery and taxi apps you could ever want. Hell, Mexico City even has Amazon for all your online shopping needs!Â
Additionally, there’s plenty of great neighborhoods to choose from. The government has done an admirable job of preserving its colonial buildings and urban parks, so there are several barrios here than offer pleasant vibes for day-to-day living.
Fourth, the food and the people!
We can’t talk about Mexico City without mentioning food. This may be the best culinary destination in all Latin America.
Here, or Lima, Peru.
Regardless of where you’re staying in CDMX, you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from excellent food, whether it be a humble street stall or top-ranked restaurant.
You won’t go hungry here, frens.
And, although Chilangos — Mexico City locals — have a reputation among other Mexicans for being arrogant and unfriendly, this was not my experience in the least. People here in the capital are generally warm and welcoming towards outsiders.
How to Get to Mexico City
As a megacity and important travel hub, getting to Mexico City is no problem at all.
All major, and several non-major, US cities will have direct flights. Major Canadian cities have direct flights. For the European bros, London, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Munich have direct flights. Australian bros? You’ll have to do one quick layover in probably Los Angeles, Dallas, or San Francisco.
If you’re arriving from a different city in Mexico, there’s no need to fret either. Mexico has an impressive domestic flight network and an extensive bus system. You’ll invariably pay under $100 to get to the Mexican capital no matter which other Mexican city you’re in.
Check all direct routes here: Flights From
Best Neighborhoods
Mexico City has 16 boroughs and nearly 2,000 neighborhoods, technically speaking.
So yeah…it’s big.
That said, I’m going to try to make this as simple as I can, while also giving you some underrated ‘hoods to consider.
You know, for those of you who want to put a bit of distance between yourself and the other gringos!
You should stay somewhere that’s located within the confines of this map – excluding Anzures and Anahuac – which aren’t anything special.Â
So, ignoring those two neighborhoods we’re left with the following:
Lomas de Chapultepec - very expensive; rich Mexicans. Some foreigners
Polanco - expensive; tons of foreigners
La Condesa - moderately expensive; overwhelmed with gringos
Roma Norte - moderately expensive; flooded with gringos
Juarez (where it says El Angel de la Independencia on the map) -slightly cheaper than Roma Norte or La Condesa; arguably less gringos than La Condesa and Roma NorteÂ
There are two other neighborhoods that are popular among foreigners but aren’t pictured on the map: Centro (downtown) and Santa Fe.Â
I don’t suggest living in Centro. Too many people and can be moderately dangerous at night. And Santa Fe, while lovely, wealthy, and modern, is just too far away from the rest of the city once you take traffic into consideration.Â
You should certainly visit these neighborhoods but, personally, I wouldn’t stay in them.
If you want the best combination of safety, bars/restaurants, and walkable avenues, I suggest you live in one of the following 3 neighborhoods.
Roma Norte
La Condesa
Polanco
Although these 3 barrios have been utterly ran-through by gringos, this happened for a reason. Logistically, they legitimately are the best places to base up in the city.
For those on a tighter budget and/or who really want to avoid other gringos, I have another map for you!Â
Napoles
Del Valle Norte
Del Valle CentroÂ
Narvarte
These neighborhoods are perfectly safe, have everything you need, are home to fewer foreigners and will cost you a bit less.
TL;DR
If you have a good budget and don’t mind other foreigners, my top neighborhoods are:
La Condesa, Roma Norte or Polanco. You can’t go wrong with any of these.
If you have a smaller budget and/or want to avoid a high concentration of foreigners, my top choices are:
Del Valle Norte, del Valle Centro, Napoles or Narvarte. Â
Where to Stay in Mexico City?
The two hotels that provide the best logistics while also being the best value for money are:
These hotels are on the Roma Norte/La Condesa border. They’ll run you $100-$200 a night, depending on the room you select…which is a good deal for a quality hotel in this city.
And here are a few solid Airbnb options:
Cost of Living
Mexico City is one of Mexico’s more expensive cities.
Here’s an approximate breakdown of costs:
Airbnb Apartment in Best Areas: $1000-4000 USD a month
Hotel in Best Area: $3000+ USD a month
Maid: $300-600
Grocery Store: $350-700
Eating Out / Delivery: $300-600
Gym: $50-80
BJJ / MMA: $55-90
Partying / Dating / Social: $400-800 USD
Cell Data: $20
Mexico City is no longer the affordable destination it used to be.
Rent prices have shot up in the more affluent neighborhoods thanks in large part to an influx of our gringo friends. Taxis, while still reasonable, have also increased recently. That said, an Uber right from Polanco to Roma Norte should still only cost you about $6 or $7.
One thing that remains cheap in Mexico City is the food. You can get 5 tacos from a street stand for $3 or less and fresh juice for about half that price. Supermarket necessities like milk, eggs and meat also won’t break the bank.
Nightlife here is somewhat expensive by Latin American standards. Set some dollars aside for date nights. A cocktail at a nice establishment in the city can easily run you $9 or more.
After the cost of rent, I’d want an additional minimum of $1500/month here to cover my expenses.Â
In other words, the cost of your apartment or hotel + another $1500/month.
Is Mexico City Safe?
Yes. Mexico City is reasonably safe.
During my years living here I never suffered any major incidents. The authorities do a good job of making sure the affluent neighborhoods stay secure. If you’re staying in any of the above recommended neighborhoods, you should be OK.
I mean, just look at all the foreigners flooding into Mexico City. They wouldn’t be doing that if they felt their well-being was at risk, so this is a pretty good indication that you won’t end up hanging from an overpass or anything like that.
Nevertheless, there are a few things you should watch out for.
The first is...the police.
Yes, you heard that right! Regrettably, Mexican police are horribly corrupt. If they notice you’re walking the streets visibly drunk, urinating on a lamp post, enjoying a beer in public, etc., they will accost you, and not cease until they get some of your hard-earned pesos.Â
If you’re unlucky enough to find yourself in such a situation that you can’t quite weasel out of, a small bribe is usually enough — 150-200 Mexican pesos per/cop should do it.
Note: Mexico City police will not normally do this for no reason. You’d have to be doing something vaguely wrong. They’re opportunistic. If you’re not engaging in anything that could be interpreted as sinister, they will leave you alone.
Another thing I’d add is don’t walk home alone at night.
Although you’ll be in a safe neighborhood, there’s no good reason to risk it. If your place is more than a few blocks away, just take an Uber, a Beat or a DiDi. These are some of the taxi apps here.
In Mexico City, if you stick to basic safety rules that apply to any city on the globe, you’ll be just fine. Incidences like having your drink drugged or elaborate dating scams aren’t particularly common here.
Dating in Mexico City
I’m going to keep it real with you, folks.
There are plenty of cities in the world with scores of beautiful women, blessing parks and public spaces with their mere presence.
Mexico City, I’m afraid, is not one of these cities.
You might be thinking but a city of over 20,000,000 people must have some good-looking females.
And you’re right! There are…some.
