This was my biggest question before I moved here. So far, it’s been cheaper than Dallas, but not “we can live like kings!” cheap. (Because, um, only one of us has a steady income.) A quick run-down of stuff I’ve bought recently, using about 14 pesos to $1 USD:
Groceries: Box of cereal $2 to $3; 1 lb. chicken breasts, less than $3; gruyere cheese, $6… that was a moment of weakness, I’m sticking to Mexican varieties in the future.
Coffee: At a nice cafe, less than $2 for a cappuccino. Same place charged $3 for a veggie sandwich.
Beer: Around $2.50 at a trendy cafe in our neighborhood.
A giant torta spilling with grilled meat: About $1.50 in Condesa.
Gym: Double what you’d pay in the U.S.
Taxis: My fetish-taxista ride cost less than $8 and it took about 30 minutes. (Not including the foot massage.)
Big bottle of water at the convenience store: Less than $1
Rent: Can’t really gauge this yet, but the neighborhood we’re looking at, Condesa, seems at least $200 and $300 cheaper than what you’d pay in Dallas. (Which is also pretty reasonable, as far as big American cities go.) Other places in Condesa are way out of our price range. In Polanco, where we’re staying now, I think we’re pretty much priced out for what we want.
On that note, our apartment search continues. Today we’ve officially been in Mexico City one week.
For better value, I’d check out Roma Norte, on the other side of Insurgentes from Condesa. It’s hip, up and coming, and cheaper than Condesa. But it’s close, also has nice restaurants, and is also walking distance to Zona Rosa.
For a fairly detailed look at the cost of living in major cities around the world including Mexico City done by UBS, the Swiss investment bank, click this link, and then look to the bottom for the “Prices and Earnings 2008” survey. http://www.ubs.com/1/e/wealthmanagement/wealth_management_research.html. It was done when the peso was about 10.5 to the dollar, so things are much cheaper now.
Regards,
Kim G
Boston, MA
P.S. Cool Blog!
P.S. The other nice neighborhood with good restaurants is Cuautemoc, basically behind the U.S. Embassy on Reforma. There are good restaurants, it’s quiet, and seems to be safe.
Happy house hunting!
Thanks so much Kim! We actually looked in Cuautemoc this weekend and LOVE the neighborhood. I’m sure we’ll end up settling there because it’s so close to my husband’s job. I did like Roma Norte too. Vibe there seems to be bohemian and laid-back.
Glad you’re reading!