# Mexico City Housing



## Quelso

Hello,

I am new to this website. My Husband will possibly be moving to Mexico City and working at/in: Centro de Estudios Superiores Navales Alianza Popular Revolucion​aria Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

I would make a link to Google Earth, but because I am new I am not allowed yet.

My Husband is half Mexican and we visit his family in Tijuana and Tecate, BC every month (we live in San Diego, CA). To be honest I am a little terrified of moving to Mexico City. I have only heard BAD things so far...and this coming from Mexicans! TJ and the rest of Baja has become quite violent and I have had a friend who's family member was kidnapped. This makes me worry even more about the situation since we also have a young daughter.

If we have to move there, where is the safest area that is near the above address? I would prefer a secured gated community. And what about preschool/kindergarten schools that offer bilingual education that may be close? I know traffic can be a nightmare there as well, so hoping we can live close.

Do assistants exist in Mexico City? Someone to possibly drive for us and buy groceries, run errands? Any idea how much this would cost? Our current gardener and cleaner are Mexican and I love how they try to teach me Spanish! My Husband would make a bit more while living in Mexico City and I would need all the help I could get! 

ANY suggestions are MUCH appreciated!


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## Isla Verde

Quelso said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am new to this website. My Husband will possibly be moving to Mexico City and working at/in: Centro de Estudios Superiores Navales Alianza Popular Revolucion​aria Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
> 
> I would make a link to Google Earth, but because I am new I am not allowed yet.
> 
> My Husband is half Mexican and we visit his family in Tijuana and Tecate, BC every month (we live in San Diego, CA). To be honest I am a little terrified of moving to Mexico City. I have only heard BAD things so far...and this coming from Mexicans! TJ and the rest of Baja has become quite violent and I have had a friend who's family member was kidnapped. This makes me worry even more about the situation since we also have a young daughter.
> 
> If we have to move there, where is the safest area that is near the above address? I would prefer a secured gated community. And what about preschool/kindergarten schools that offer bilingual education that may be close? I know traffic can be a nightmare there as well, so hoping we can live close.
> 
> Do assistants exist in Mexico City? Someone to possibly drive for us and buy groceries, run errands? Any idea how much this would cost? Our current gardener and cleaner are Mexican and I love how they try to teach me Spanish! My Husband would make a bit more while living in Mexico City and I would need all the help I could get!
> 
> ANY suggestions are MUCH appreciated!


I have a couple of comments for you to start off. At this moment in Mexican history, Mexico City is one of the safest cities in the entire country. Don't listen to the stories that Mexicans living in places like Tijuana tell you about the capital. It have nothing to do with the reality of life in this (admittedly huge) metropolis and everything to do with the irrational dislike of anything and anyone connected to the capital. 

Depending on what kind of salary your husband will be earning, there are many lovely (and safe) neighborhoods where you and your family can make your new home. I know nothing about gated communities here. I live alone in a small apartment building in a centrally-located middle-class neighborhood with nothing but a secure front door to keep out the "bad guys", and I feel perfectly safe.


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## maesonna

On one of your points, finding a bilingual preschool/kindergarten, see this thread. I stand by what I wrote there; namely don’t be concerned with finding bilingual education, since the quality of the English may be poor anyway, and your daughter doesn’t need it; she will learn English at home with you.


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## jlms

OK, the link in google to the general area where the Centro de Estudios is is this: calzada de la virgen - Google Maps which is in the south of town.

Since this is the area where my sister has lived from some time now (because her parents in law are around there) I'll mention the 3 places where she has lived in recent years:

First come to mind several developments close to the Dolores Olmedo Museum (around 10km south of Avenida de la Virgen, the street where the Centro de Estudios Navales is) in particular Residencial La Galvia just opposite the museum, which are nice flats with one bay of off street parking. The problem here is that you will need your car for everything and some parts in the proximity are not really nice, but since you would be driving you would hardly notice.

North of the Centro and more towards downtown, but still close enough to your husband's place of work, she used to live in a block of very nice flats in the intersection of Amores & Eje 8 Sur (Jose Maria Rico), the advantage of this place (also gated with security guards controlling access in and out of the buildings and off street parking) is that you have all amenities close by (I would say walking distance, but you don't want to walk around there: lots of traffic and the sidewalks are substandard, although it is doable) and the Viveros de Coyoacan, which is a green area where people go for a jog away from the traffic, a rarity in town. Last time I was there I saw lots of gated developments under construction, so they should be finished by now. Google Map: amores - Google Maps

Finally she now lives close to Parque Hundido, In Millet Street, so close to Azul football stadium that you can hear the crowds roar on match days, I believe there are several gated developments there and is an area with several private schools offering bilingual education and good shopping and amenities in the vicinity, the area is becoming wealthier and sought after. Google map: parque hundido - Google Maps

This is just the tip of the iceberg, if your husband receives a generous living allowance the sky is the limit literally, and he may prefer to sacrifice his comfort in order to allow for you to live in Mexico City's suburbs ( several former foreigner colleagues went this route, but they used to drive up to 2 hours each way to work, unfortunately most desirable suburbs are in the north & north-west of town, which IMHO makes it impractical to live there for your particular situation, but others may have an opinion about that), what is undeniable is that traffic in Mexico City can be hell, so if you can live close to his place of work it would make life much easier for everybody.

Regarding security, it is all a bit strange. Most people will never face any problems, it is a big town, and you should follow the normal precautions you would in other big towns elsewhere, but there is no denying that nobody is 100% safe from gang drugs wars, so once in a while you wake up to the news that some people have been found executed not far from where you live. Is this a daily occurrence? No. Could it happen to you? Unlikely, but the risk exists to be at a crossfire which is not what you expect in a civilized place, which Mexico City by most standards is.

My sister and her family for example are well off people, earning very good money, and they drive themselves and go out about town without any problems, she sometimes parks her very expensive car in downtown Mexico City and pushes her baby pram all around downtown, sometimes in streets where you can barely walk, forget about pushing prams  

I have been back home many times in recent years and I would still recommend visit and live in Mexico City, just keep your eyes open and don't put yourself in risky situations (if you want to explore town your husband's job would be the ideal way to meet locals that could help you to find your way around).

As for assistants they do of course exist, but it can all be quite informal. My uncle for example worked as a driver for a Spanish family for a while, but it was all cash in hand (part of the grey economy). My uncle at some point was the head of industrial safety of the Ford Motor Company plant that used (is?) to be in Cuatitlan, so as you can see, you never quite know what you can get when hiring people in Mexico 

The most important thing is to employ people that come recommended to you, and the only recommendations you should accept is from people you really trust. I don't know if there are agencies providing this kind of helpers, expatriates in town may help you out with this.

One last point: Mexico City is not Tijuana (yet, hopefully never) the levels of violence are not remotely close to what people are enduring there or in other towns in the north of the country.


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## Hound Dog

This nonsense of what urban area is safe and which is not is a fatuous comparison. To compare a huge urban zone such as Mexico City or New York City or Paris or Los Angeles or Madrid or New Delhi or New Orlaens or Bangkok or Chiacago or any such place with places we live in or thravel through these days such as Chapala or San Cristobal de Las Casas or Taxco or Tuxtla Gutierrez or Oaxaca City or Merida or any number or other urban zones or rural areas is the height of stupidity. I feel more secure in Oaxaca City or Mexico City or Tuxtla Gutierrez than I ever have felt in rural areas such as Playa Troncones or Tulum or a dozen other hick towns where the cops are virtally guaranteed to be corrupted, Everyone who can in the rural foothills of Guererro is moving to the big towns jsut so they don´t get their gizzards extracted. by the guys with the big machetes. Mexico is not as easy to understand as you may think.


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## Hound Dog

Double Post.


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## Longford

:welcome: to the Mexico forum!

Some good comments, thus far. Yes, it's a huge metropolitan area. Probably the 8th or 10th worldwide. There are very bad sections of a colonia, or colonias, adjacent to really very nice colonias. Strangely ... other than along the borders of such colonias (good/bad) there's little spill-over. You're smart to be asking this/these questions. Most of what's happening in Mexico, or Mexico City, never sees the light of day in press reports or on the internet. There have been prior discussions, during the past year, started by people from the USA moving to Mexico City due to employment opportunities. Try to search for them and pick from them what's helpful in your situation. Landlords in the D.F. typically require a lease guarantor. The employer in your situation should be able to assist in advice or as guarantor. Leases typically, also have a one-year term. Relatively few of the apartments are listed anywhere for rent. Driving around, walking around ... colonias or sections of colonias is how many people find a place to live. So, unless you've done so already ... one or more exploration trips are probably necessary. But do listen to the people working at the school. Local advice is most often the best advice, particularly so when it comes to safety/security issues. Lucky you ... the opportunity to live/work in Mexico City, one of the great living experiences one could have. Best of luck.


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## Guategringo

This thread originated in March of 2012, I would think the OP is either living here already or come and gone?


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## Longford

There's a tremendous value to archived posts are updated. They're frequently consulted by people searching for answers, and updating the discussions is something suggested by website management. If someone doesn't like the updates they can simply pass them by, without comment.


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