Mexico City – A City of Surprises and Contrasts

Now that we’ve been settled in for a couple of weeks, we think we finally have a handle on slow travel life here in Mexico City.

We’ve done our usual scouting for grocery shopping options, as well as restaurant and entertainment opportunities that don’t break the bank.

We’ve also gotten to know a number of the more popular zones in the city, always looking for the best deals and activities in each area.

And we’ve also come to some interesting realizations about life here.

So what do we think now that we’ve had a couple of weeks to get to know Mexico City?

Let’s find out.

Rumor Has It…

Before coming to Mexico City, we heard lots of stories about slow travel life here.

And in our experience, some of these stores are true.

But most of them are open to interpretation, subject to whatever personal baggage you bring to the table.

What do I mean?

I’ll explain by addressing some common talking points.

Costs

Is Mexico City expensive? Yes.

Does it have to be? Not necessarily.

What do I mean by this?

No question, Airbnb rent in Mexico City isn’t cheap (by Mexico standards), especially in more gentrified neighborhoods.

Sure, you can get around some of this by which location you stay in and the amenities offered.

And if you are an expat resident, you might be able to lower costs further by taking out a 1+ year lease on an apartment.

But what is surprising is that in just about every other way, it is no more expensive than any other Mexican city or town we have been in.

Supermarket, local market, and department store prices have been no more expensive here than in other places in Mexico, aside from minor regional cost variations on certain products. But in general, prices are about the same as in Merida, Puebla, and Oaxaca if you are willing to shop around.

However, location can really matter.

For example, restaurant prices in our heavily gentrified community of Roma Norte are REALLY expensive. More expensive than in the USA in many cases. And the quality isn’t necessarily better, at least in our experience. The majority of restaurants here serve non-local cuisine catering to expats, tourists, and digital nomads, with prices that match.

Thankfully, there are a few hidden gems near us. As usual, if you look where the locals congregate that is where you find your best bang for buck. But in Roma Norte, it took a few days before we started figuring things out.

As you might expect, if you go to the less gentrified neighborhoods, your affordable local cuisine options open up greatly.

And we are learning where the best street food opportunities are. Oddly, some of the best concentrations of street food are around the Plaza de la Constitución and Bosque de Chapultepec, more touristic areas that have many historic attractions.

Weird.

Is Gentrification As Bad As They Say It Is?

In our experience, yes.

More specifically, gentrification tends to be in concentrated pockets in Mexico City so it isn’t everywhere.

But when you see it, it is EXTREME.

No joke, you can’t throw a rock in the neighborhoods of Roma Norte, Roma Sur, and La Condesa without hitting a non-Latino digital nomad. And they all appear to be rich, stylish, and in their late 20s or early 30s.

Not that we’re not jealous or anything like that. 😏

And you will often see well-to-do expat retirees roaming the streets too.

Seriously, the ratio of non-Latinos to locals in these neighborhoods seems around 75%/25%. The difference in the parks and streets is striking and frankly, a little off-putting.

It doesn’t feel like Mexico until you LEAVE these neighborhoods!

Now to some, this might be a perk.

But to us, we prefer being an oddity where we live. Locals are more curious about us and try to get to know us better. This is much better than us being a presence that has to be endured.

Rent prices have risen far faster than the cost of inflation, which was bad enough on its own. And locals have largely been driven out of these neighborhoods because of it.

Getting Around The City

Is Mexico City a busy metropolis? Absolutely.

Is it crazier than other big cities we have lived in? Not really.

To be honest, every town or city we stayed in Mexico has been a sensory overload experience. Lots of cars, lots of motorbikes, lots of pedestrians…all crammed into streets that often aren’t able to handle the volume.

At least Mexico City has a very useful Metro system, which helps you get all over the city for $5 – $6 MEX per trip. And the sidewalks here are generally better than in most places in Mexico.

So oddly enough, we find navigating Mexico City a less stressful experience overall.

Compared to living in the Atlanta, Georgia (USA) urban sprawl, this is easy!

Safety

Is Mexico City excessively dangerous? Reading the news back in the USA may make you think it is.

But in our experience, Mexico City is no more dangerous than any other place we have lived in in Latin America.

Or in the USA for that matter.

And like cities in the USA, there are areas in Mexico City you avoid and those that you don’t. It is no different than any other city in that way.

Although we admit to living near three of the safest neighborhoods in Mexico City (Roma Norte, Roma Sur, and La Condesa), we have explored well beyond these gentrified safe zones.

We’ve walked many miles in neighborhoods more geared toward middle-class locals, and we’ve even gone through neighborhoods with less savory reputations (Doctores) although it was by accident.

And in each case, we never felt that our safety was at risk.

Granted, we only go through less reputable (or unknown) areas of the city during daylight hours and stick to high-traffic areas. And we constantly scan our surroundings for anything that doesn’t “feel right”, or situations where we might be vulnerable.

As always, if we ever get in a situation like this and are beyond our depth, taxis and Ubers are the ultimate bug-out tool.

Bottom line, following common sense rules of safety has served us well here, as it has for all of Latin America. That said, everyone needs to do their due diligence and gauge their safety tolerances.

Reputation As A World-Class City

Mexico City is often thought of as the “New York City of Mexico”.

To us, this comparison is 100% valid.

In fact, we wonder if this is what New York City was like in the late 1990s, especially when considering its price point.

And like New York City, we are amazed by how much there is to do here.

In our area of Mexico City, there are numerous parks and greenspaces for relaxing. And there are many restaurants (at varying price points) and cafes to whet your appetite.

Not to mention the street food!

You also see some pretty spectacular Spanish colonial architecture and street art by walking around different neighborhoods.

And the number of top-tier museums to see at reasonable prices (or free!) is too long to list.

There are also many theatrical and music productions, at FAR more affordable prices than any major city in the USA.

And once you’ve exhausted all of the possibilities in one region, you just hop on a bus or subway and find a new area to explore.

Wash – rinse – repeat.

Honestly, Mexico City is a world-class place for city lovers. Even country bumpkins like ourselves can appreciate what Mexico City has to offer.

Overall Impressions of Mexico City

As you can probably guess, we have enjoyed our first two weeks in Mexico City. Life has been good here and we have only touched the tip of the iceberg.

Granted over the long term we prefer places with a more slow-paced country vibe, but that doesn’t mean we won’t thoroughly enjoy everything Mexico City has to offer.

That’s the nice thing about slow travel – you can appreciate and enjoy almost any pace of life for a month or two. You just move on and shift gears to your preferred lifestyle when the need strikes.

And finally, don’t worry about the lack of specifics in this post regarding our day-to-day activities. For sure we’ll blog more about some of the trips we have taken and sights we have seen. Not to mention the old friends we have reconnected with from our graduate school days!

But that will have to wait until another time.

Until then…

Thanks for reading!

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