Mexico City, Mexico 🇲🇽

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What is Mexico City, Mexico like for Digital Nomads?

Find out in this Digital Nomad Trip Report from Nathan, covering 10 weeks spent in this vibrant, welcoming & diverse city 🇲🇽 

📆 Time Spent

2.5 Months / 10 weeks

👥 Traveling As

Solo - Without Pets

📍 Location / Area

Roma Norte

🏡 Accommodation

2-bedroom apartment (Airbnb)

🌐 Internet / Working

• There were no issues with the Wi-Fi in my apartment or most public spaces such as cafes.

• Mexico City (and many other cities in Mexico) also have decent free public wifi, but I wouldn't count on it for work purposes.

• Mexico City has a huge digital nomad/expat scene. You can find lots of local Facebook and Whatsapp groups.

• Prices are on the rise for accommodation as the city becomes increasingly popular with expats and digital nomads, especially in the more popular neighbourhoods of Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco.

🗣️ Language: Spanish

• Knowing some basic Spanish phrases will go a long way, but nearly everyone working in the tourist areas speaks at least basic English.

• Many locals speak great English and in the most popular neighborhoods you're as likely to hear English as Spanish.

• You will want to know basic phrases for transactions at convenience stores, street food stalls, and similar.

🌤️ Weather

• Mexico City has a high elevation, so it's generally pleasant year-round, but there can be a lot of rain in the summers, and the winters get quite cold.

• It can get quite cold at night, and the temperatures don’t peak high enough for all apartments to have AC. So be sure to check if your place has AC if you're visiting during the hottest time of the year (generally April and May)

• Be sure to pack a light jacket as temperatures can drop at night even when it's warm during the day.

  I often find myself in short sleeves during the day and a thin jacket when I go out for dinner.

Things to do

• Mexico City has endless things to do, and there's always something going on - think festivals, exhibitions, or street fairs.
  

• You can join Facebook and Whatsapp groups to stay in the loop, especially about events happening in English.
  

• If you visit with friends, one can't-miss activity is renting a boat at Xoximilco for a floating fiesta.
  
  Also, be sure to explore the nearby pyramids of Teotihuacan, located about an hour outside of town. You can even take a sunrise hot air balloon over the complex!
  

• If you're a fan of museums, Mexico City has arguably the most museums in the world.
  
  There's a bit of a dispute about whether that honour goes to Paris or Mexico City, but you'll find tons of museums
  

  My favourites are the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Soumaya, and Frida Kahlo, and visiting the Antropologia Museum is a great way to get to know the history of Mexico better.

• Mexico City is one of the best food cities in the world. From street food to fine dining and everything in between, Mexico City has world-class dining options. Head to the markets for some of the best food in the city- La Merced being the most famous and Mercado San Juan boasting some of the more unusual dishes you'll find.

📈 Best things

• Affordability: Prices may be on the rise, but it's still much cheaper than most large cosmopolitan cities.

• Mexico City is a great base to explore the rest of Mexico from. There’s several budget carriers, and nearly everywhere in the country is a direct flight away. So you're only ever a short, affordable flight from beach towns, ruins, cenotes, jungles, and islands.

• I may be biased as a half-Mexican person, but I really do think Mexican people are some of the nicest in the world. They're really fun. and generally very welcoming.

📉 Worst things

• As I mentioned, costs are increasing, especially for short-term rentals, and locals are being evicted to convert long-term rentals to short-term rentals. Fairly or not, digital nomads have been blamed.
  
  I've never experienced negativity directly from a local, but I have seen some propaganda around town.
  

• During parts of the year, the city can suffer from really bad pollution, usually during the winter months, starting from late October.

• Parts of the city can be sketchy, as you'd expect from any city of its size (the population is estimated to be nearly 22 million) but in the areas most tourists/expats/nomads frequent you're generally fine, but you will want to be aware and take normal precautions.

✅ Go here if…

• You love big-city life

• You are a foodie

• You love museums and an almost overwhelming amount of options for things to see and do

❌ Avoid here if…

• You are more focused on nature (Mexico City is surprisingly green for a city of its size but it is still a very large city)

• You are very budget-focused

• You have breathing or respiratory concerns, especially during the winter months

See you back here next Friday with a fresh Digital Nomad Trip Report 🔵 until then…

👏 A Big Thank You To…

Nathan, from the USA, for submitting this report.

After 10 years on the road, Nathan noticed a lack of LGBTQ+ resources for digital nomads & remote workers.
… So he founded the Gay Digital Nomads community himself 🎉 
Check out the GDN resources & follow along on IG.

Nathan is also known as the Foodie Flashpacker🎒 

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