Thoughts On Remote Worker Life In Mexico City
If you work online, move to Mexico City. The city has the safety, cuisine, music scene, and exposure that other popular cities like London and New York provide at a more affordable price.
I’m boarding a plane heading from Mexico City to Bogotá in eight hours. Instead of working on the projects that fund my staycations, I’m writing this article. It’s a better time investment. As I write, I am reminded of what I felt during my stay, inspiring me to work and book my next flight.
If you work online, move to Mexico City for at least a month. The city has the safety, cuisine, music scene, and exposure that other popular cities like London and New York provide but at a more affordable price.
Neighborhoods (Colonias)
Except for Santa Fe, the city’s corporate area, walking into neighborhoods feels like entering a tunnel with every color from the chromatic circle. One building is red with blue accents, while the next is green with pink-colored windows. At the end of the tunnel, at the gap between two colonias, a yellow light reflected from an 18th-century house awaits you.
Color may reflect how lively people are in Mexico City. One time, a local stopped eating an arrachera taco dripping in red sauce to help me find the nearest barbershop—that’s how committed they are to helping.
Most remote workers stay in Roma Norte and Condesa, so I’ll mostly talk about these areas. Restaurants serve dishes from all over the world, making every foreigner feel at home. Both neighborhoods are safe and have fast internet. You can have Zoom calls from the sidewalk without fear of having a bandit video bombing your meeting. But they are also the most expensive areas, with Airbnb easily costing between $1000 to $2000 a month, despite the average Mexico City citizen making $3500 a year.
1. Condesa
I stayed in Condesa. It’s the greener, quieter, and less packed of the two areas, making it perfect for working from home. As long as you are not on an avenue like Tamaulipas, the only noises you’ll hear will come from your lamp moving because of Mexico City’s unstable ground and locals buying iron and steel.
Condesa has modern and classic Mexican-style structures. Some host cozy cafes and restaurants where you'll mostly see folks above 35-year-olds wearing pink pants they’d never wear in their hometown.
2. Roma Norte and Sur
Roma Norte is artsier and 5-20 minutes away from Condesa. People dress up more stylishly here, but they're still laid back. They wear sweatpants, colorful sneakers, oversized sunglasses, and a hoodie. You know, “effortless.” The crowd is younger, and since there are a few clubs around, you’ll see more locals here than in Condesa.
Roma’s buildings follow an eclectic style, making you question whether you are in Athens, Paris, or New York. Most expat meetups happen here. So, even if your brain tells you $4 Ubers are a deal, stay here and walk to events. Use the cash to buy a coffee or a stomach pill after indulging in five tacos for the attractive price of three dollars.
3. Polanco
Polanco is Mexico City’s upscale area and the safest. People walk with Bottega Veneta handbags, Mykita sunglasses, and Rick Owens boots.
Zones like Masaryk and Parque Lincoln felt more posh than rich as if people would hesitate to approach you. I never felt “less” than them, as my remote worker status places me in a privileged financial position. Yet, I didn’t like the arrogant aura around some people.
While Polanco’s safety and beautiful parks make it ideal to start a family, I won’t live here until then.
4. Non-Expat-Filled Neighborhoods
Coyoacán, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Narvarte Poniente, Escandón, and Del Valle are other safe areas where you can stay at a more affordable price. They are not as safe as Roma, Condesa, and Polanco, but you won’t get in trouble unless, I’ve been told, you flirt with a cartel boss’ girl at a club—you are fucked in that case.
Many remote workers living permanently in Mexico City move to these neighborhoods to seek lower costs and fewer foreigners. If it’s within your budget, live in Roma or Condesa first and then move to these areas. Condesa and Roma’s proximity to events gives you more chances to enjoy the city, making it more likely you will extend your stay or come back to visit other neighborhoods.
Making friends
A few days before arriving in Mexico City, I was slightly anxious about the scenario where I’d have nothing to do on a Friday night, leaving me with no choice but to order some protein with a tortilla underneath that looks like a taco, but it’s not. However, it turns out it’s easier to go out than to stay at home.
A girl named Raquel owns around 15 WhatsApp groups posting weekly events on many categories: crypto, clubbing, exercising, spending half your salary on food, and some more. There, you meet people as lonely and eager to make friends as you are. They’ll accept any invitation you offer them the next day, assuming you are extrovert enough to ask them out.
Most expats I met in Mexico City are in their 30s or above. So, if you are in your early 20s but don’t act like an older man as I do, there’s a chance you’ll feel uncomfortable. The stories about how they are taking a year off after surviving a Wall Street job thanks to cocaine won’t be relatable. Yet, there’s a solution for younger visitors: ask random people out.
I asked locals at museums, parks, and art events about upcoming events I should look out for. Then, if they seemed friendly, I asked if they wanted to go there with me. Ask enough people out, and you’ll have plans for the weekend and daily calls from your credit card company because you are overspending.
Earthquakes
Most of Mexico City is in the Texcoco Lake basin. As a result, the city moves a lot, literally. Garbage trucks weigh enough to make lamps and tables move. When many cars transit the same street, especially in the middle of the city like Roma or Condesa, the ground shakes for several seconds.
Often, I laughed at how my Zoom background shook out of nowhere. But sometimes I questioned if the earthquake alarm was about to go off, and I would run to a safe spot in my pajamas.
Police
I didn’t have any issues with the police, so I can’t vouch for how fantastic or horrendous they are. I only talked to one police officer for an address, mistaking him for a mall security guard. We laughed about it, and we both moved on with our days: he kept an intimidating view to scare off people, and I got lost in the next corner.
However, I might attribute my luck to my appearance. Locals mistake me for Mexican until I speak, and almost everyone from America, Europe, or Asia thinks I’m from the Middle East. Others, taller, with bluer eyes, and with more powerful passports, have had unpleasant encounters with the police.
A guy from an expat group said the police extorted him, demanding $418 for not wearing a mask in public unless he wanted to go to jail. Furthermore, a Mexican girl said some police officers plant bags of drugs into the cars they stop for check-ins. Then, they’ll ask what the bag is and extort you for money or threaten jail time. These are not minor police misbehaviors, but they are also not the norm. Most expats rarely interact with the police, and when they do, it is a pleasant experience.
My advice to every expat is to stick to the law. Carrying bills to bribe the police and not get fined for having over five grams of weed is not a solution to a police issue. Praying not to encounter immigration officers when you are overstaying is not a solution either, even if you planned to pay the $20 fine. These are crimes.
Have someone else carry your pills and weed. Curse the universe if immigration gives you a shorter stay than planned. But don’t risk your life for the sake of having fun. If you wouldn’t do it in your home country, why do it here? And if you will do it here, why would the law protect you?
Groceries
Groceries are affordable or appropriately priced for most foreigners. I spent around $15 on two kilograms of protein like chicken or steak and one kilogram of rice, a combo that fueled most of my stay. This is cheap for Americans and Europeans. Those from third-world countries will probably see it as OK.
Transportation
You can take an Uber or Didi to most of the neighborhoods I advised for $2-$5, depending on the time of the day. But the affordable price is not the main reason to take Ubers or DiDis; it’s talking to drivers.
Drivers will answer any question you ask them if you are respectful. They taught me museums people rarely visit, events only locals know about, and how to maintain a marriage in Mexico and a relationship in Perú—I didn’t need this last tip, Rafael, but I appreciate the transparency around your marriage.
The metro and buses work well. You’ll take longer to go places and bump into dozens of strangers along the way, but you’ll get there.
Send me a message to clear your doubts
It’s overwhelming to move to a completely foreign continent or country, even if it’s bathed in worldwide cultures as Mexico City is. The amount of activities feels endless, but so do your doubts about whether you are ready to quit your routine.
If you have doubts about moving to Mexico City, leave a comment or send me a Twitter or Instagram message. The 22 million people who live in Mexico City and I will be thrilled to have you join us.