# Moving to Mexico City, advise?



## DoubleJ (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm new to the forum, and looking for a little info and advise on Mexico City.
I'll be moving to Mexico City next year for work. I'm in the military and will be assigned to the U.S embassy for a 3 year tour. My monthly income is about 4k USD plus I'll get a housing allowance from the embassy, I'm single, no children, and 37 years old and I speak Spanish, not the best but getting better.

My questions are: 
- What kind of quality of life can expect to have both living and social?

- Should I bring a vehicle?

- Is there an housing options (houses/condos/apartments) in the area around the U.S embassy for rent? If so whats the area like, would like to live close to work for an easy commute.

- What's the recreation like?

Any info/advise is appreciated. Thank you


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## johnmex (Nov 30, 2010)

DoubleJ said:


> I'm new to the forum, and looking for a little info and advise on Mexico City.
> I'll be moving to Mexico City next year for work. I'm in the military and will be assigned to the U.S embassy for a 3 year tour. My monthly income is about 4k USD plus I'll get a housing allowance from the embassy, I'm single, no children, and 37 years old and I speak Spanish, not the best but getting better.
> 
> My questions are:
> ...


4K US/month? Single and no kids? I envy you... You should be able to live like the crown prince.

I would not bring a vehicle. Any type of car or motorcycle can be bought here. Plus Mexico City has horrible traffic problems and a very good public transportation system.

I don't know the area well enough to comment on housing options. Maybe Isla Verde can help you out on that one... 

Recreation...jeez...where to start? I guess it depends on what you like to do, Mexico City has it all. Bars, restaurants, museums, sports. The list goes on and on.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

johnmex said:


> I would not bring a vehicle. Any type of car or motorcycle can be bought here. Plus Mexico City has horrible traffic problems and a very good public transportation system.


If your going to be part of the mission and will have a diplomatic passport, you'll get diplomatic plates for the vehicle and can park anywhere and never be stopped by the police


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

joaquinx said:


> If your going to be part of the mission and will have a diplomatic passport, you'll get diplomatic plates for the vehicle and can park anywhere and never be stopped by the police


Yes, but driving in Mexico City is still pretty awful, no matter what type of plates your car has  !


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DoubleJ said:


> - Is there an housing options (houses/condos/apartments) in the area around the U.S embassy for rent? If so whats the area like, would like to live close to work for an easy commute.


I live near the US Embassy. It's a nice middle-class neighborhood, perhaps kind of quiet for someone your age, but it's safe and gives you easy access on public transportation both to downtown and Chapultepec Park. There are definitely nice apartments for rent here, though I haven't gone looking for one in several years. With the salary you'll be receiving plus a housing allowance, you'll be able to find a fabulous place to live!


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## ABCinATL (Jun 19, 2010)

I will preface this with - these are just my opinions and observations from living here for a couple of years.

If you speak spanish you can look online for some housing options to give yourself an idea of the market and prices. You should have no problem finding a nice place with your income level and housing allowance. Here are some sites I use:

Anuncios Gratis | Vivastreet | Clasificados Gratis
Anuncios clasificados gratis. Autos, motos, inmuebles, celulares, casa, animales, libros, hogar, juegos, juguetes - segundamano.com.mx
Mitula Casas, buscador de pisos en venta, pisos en alquiler | Mitula Casas
fotocasa.com.mx: inmuebles DF, inmuebles México, Inmuebles Querétaro, obra nueva...

The neighborhood where the Embassy is located is in Delegacion Cuauhtemoc (sort of like borough equivalent of NYC) and colonia (neighborhood) Cuauhtemoc. Usually they have different names but you got lucky!

Some other neighborhoods around there that might work for you are:
Delegacion Cuauhtemoc - Colonia Roma (Roma Norte or Roma Sur)
Delegacion Cuauhtemoc - Colonia Condesa
Delegacion Miguel Hidalgo - Colonia Polanco 

I once spoke with a girl whose husband was working in the embassy in Mexico City. She told me they restrict some areas where you can live because of the higher risk of damage in case of earthquake. She told me they could not live in Roma or Condesa but Polanco was ok. 

If you have a chance to come before you move I would highly recommend it so you can get a feel for the different neighborhoods.

As for the car - yes, it is challenging to drive in the DF, but it is not impossible (I do it every day). It just depends on how quickly you can learn to throw out all of the driving rules you learned before coming :eyebrows: Seriously though, if you can get diplomat plates you will be fine. If not I would recommend selling the car in the US and buying locally - less hassle - or if you can go car-less, even better.

Your quality of life will greatly depend on your commute to work. Many people in the DF commute 1-2 hours each way. If you can live closer to work to avoid this, you will be way better off.

All of the neighborhoods I mentioned are walkable, have lots of options for restaurants and services and are also serviced by the EcoBici program - for one small yearly fee you can use the bikes as much as you want. More info at the link below
https://www.ecobici.df.gob.mx/usuarios/infouso/infouso.php?TU5fVVNVQVJJT1NfRkFRUw==&Mw==&MTk=

Lots of foreigners live in the areas I listed. If you are up for it you could venture to neighborhoods less popular with the expats yet still safe. Let us know if you are interested and maybe I or someone else can give you other areas to look.

It would help us if you could describe a bit more about your lifestyle - how you spend your spare time, if you like walking neighborhoods or are more of a suburbs kind of person, etc.

Hope this helps.

ABC


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## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

Thanks ABC. This info was helpful to me as well. I will be moving to DF in August, however my office will be in Tlapan and not anywhere near the Reforma. I just got back from Df this morning and hopping on another flight back for a few days on Sunday.

To the OP, check those links. I just did a quick peek and there are some good houses and apartments in there for great prices. If you will be making 4k a month, you are in the clear! Especially if you are single!


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