Has Mexico City Gotten Too Expensive? How to Save Money on Your Trip to Mexico City
Check any Facebook group for Mexico City adventurers out there, and you’ll see one common, wailing cry across all of them…
Mexico City has gotten so expensive!
Poppycock.
Before we even dive down this rabbit hole, let’s cover some main points…Mexico ain’t Southeast Asia. Maybe it was similar 30 years ago? But not in 2024 (and beyond). This is not a blind refusal to recognize that prices are going up worldwide, including in Mexico, and the peso has been extremely strong for the past year or so.
Trust me, I know…I’ve lost 30% of my purchasing power!
But if you’re visiting Mexico with US dollars, or euros, or Canadian dollars, then you’ve still got a real advantage in your pocket. This is all about how to leverage that advantage to have an amazing vacation without breaking the bank.
Here’s what everybody is complaining about, and exactly how you can avoid the foolishness (and stop doomscrolling in those forums, man).
1) Stop staying in Polanco, Roma and Condesa!
Everyone wants to stay in Beverly Hills but expects Harlem prices. SERIOUSLY.
Polanco is beautiful, Roma is lovely but you’re planting yourself firmly in the middle of a Tourist Trap with a Capital T. If you’re looking for where to stay in Mexico City, why not try out the downtown area, like Buenavista, San Rafael, San Maria la Ribera, or even parts of Guerrero? (I said parts of Guerrero, not all of it!)
These areas are near the heart of the action, steps away from the metrobus and metro systems, and worlds cheaper than the sky-high neighborhoods mentioned in the subheading.
You run a higher risk of running into a homeless person or maybe a little graffiti, but I’d say it’s worth slashing the prices in HALF.
2) Why are you eating at the Zócalo terrazas?
If you’ve been around here for any length of time (thank you), you know I hate blowing my money on overpriced food.
And the Zócalo terrazas and hip little cafés on Masaryk are perfect places to set fire to your wallet.
I’m looking at you, Pujol.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times…most of the time, when a restaurant is super hyped-up on social media, it’s popular because it’s popular, not because it’s that good. (At least in Mexico.)
Grab a tamal in the street for 15 or 20 pesos. Pop by the Ideal Bakery and get some amazing pastries for under a dollar a pop. Have a bowl of pozole at Casa de Toño for 5 bucks. (Check out this video to see more about some of the best cheap food in Mexico City.)
If you wanna eat on a rooftop garden restaurant because of the breathtaking view, I get it. Just understand that you’re paying for that view.
And, I mean, isn’t that the same for everywhere else on this planet?
3) Stop paying $350 USD for Mexico City private drivers…are you kidding me?!
This one is just plain ridiculous to me.
I saw, in a popular forum of Mexico City travelers, that someone had paid $350 USD for a Mexico City private driver, for one day. My jaw dropped.
If you take nothing else away from this post, please do NOT pay that unless you’re hiring a mini-bus!
Did you know you can get around many of the most popular tourist attractions on the metro and metrobus for under $0.50 a ride? (See my guide to the metrobus in this video.)
But I get it. Maybe you’re not a city-dweller. Maybe you have mobility issues or small kids or big suitcases or a general aversion to the smell of urine in public places. (If that’s the case, don’t stay in La Guerrero.)
Fine. Hire my Mexico City private driver, Azael, for $150 USD a day. I just saved you 200 bucks.
4) Stop paying through the nose for Mexico City day tours.
Yeah, we offer tours of Mexico City here on this website. If you’re looking for stuff to do in Mexico City, we’re all about that. Some tours are more expensive than others. It all depends what you want.
If you want that all-inclusive incredible hot air balloon adventure to Teotihuacán with the ATV cave exploration, it ain’t gonna be free. (Seriously, we have that. Check it out.)
But maybe you’re bold enough to do the metro, and you just wanna meet for a half-day tour of Mexico City? Maybe you’re really intrepid and you just wanna plan stuff yourself and struggle with the Spanish solo?
I teach you all about stuff to do in Mexico City, how to get there, and the pitfalls to avoid over on my YouTube channel.
Check it out. Subscribe. Learn how to get around Mexico City on your own.
We’re not about taking advantage of you, here. We’re about helping you get exactly the experience you want out of Mexico City.
And shouldn’t that be what you always get on vacation?
