Mexico City is in a valley in the mountains about 2000 meters above sea level. The weather is usually always warm-- ranging from 10 degrees in the morning to 30 degrees in the afternoons. The warmest months are April and May and the rainy season is June to October. Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. There are lots of museums and a large park in the center of the city.

The Mexican people are very open to foreigners. Mexico City is a very large city but is divided into neighborhoods. I do everything in my neighborhood. I recommend that you try and find a place to live that is close to your work and your children's school (if you have children) so you do not have to deal with the traffic. Traffic is very dense and when it rains, some streets tend to flood. Security is an issue but it is not as bad as the movies make it out to be, especially since expats can usually afford to live in nice neighborhoods. Being a single woman it is best to avoid eye contact with people on the street. You hear a lot about the pollution and it is true there are months when you can not see the mountains but during the raining season it gets much better. Lots of people have air filters in their homes. The best way to get away form the pollution is to get out of the city on the weekends. Mexico City is very close by to many interesting places that you can easily drive to (Cuernavaca, Puebla, Acapulco, Taxco, San Miguel de Allende, etc). The city is great in terms of cultural events, museums, great restaurants, cool bars, etc. The best areas are Coyoacan (markets), Condesa (night life), San Angel (art market on Saturday), Polanco (shopping and night life). There are lots of activities for children as well -- children's museums and amusement parks. I walk a lot in my neighborhood but sidewalks are a little uneven due to tree roots.

You need to have a FM3 to live here. You can apply for one at your local Mexican Embassy. You cannot ship anything in the country if you do not have this document. When you leave or enter the country there is a special form you must fill out stating you are a resident of the country.

You can choose from apartments or a house, depending on your housing allowance and where you want to live. Rents in Polanco range from 2000 to 4000 US dollars per month for a three bedroom apartment. And three bedroom apartments are becoming harder to find with the new construction that has been going on. Houses can be found in areas such as Lomas, Bosques las Lomas, Interlomas and Santa Fe with rents ranging from 3500 to 6000 US dollars per month for a three bedroom house. In the south of the city, most expats live in San Angel or Coyoacan.

Most people hire maids, either live in (planta) or day maids (entrada por salida). Salaries for a day maid per day are more than planta because the live in maid is receiving room and board. Usually expats pay entrada por salida maids about 200 pesos per day. Maids are found via word to mouth. The reason for this is that you can trust the expat's recommendation that the maid is trustworthy. Maids also like working for foreigners because they receive a better salary and are treated better. Many expats also have drivers. This is recommended if you live far away from your work. If you have a house with a garden, you will also need a gardener. A few expats have bodyguards, but it is not common.

The telephone service in your house is supplied by Telmex. You do not need to set up the phone line. It already is available and in the property owner's name, you just have to pay the bill at the end of the month. Long distance service is expensive so I use phone cards or Skype. The internet service can be supplied by either Telmex (Prodigy) or the cable company (Cablevision). I pay about 350 pesos a month for high speed internet service. Mobile service is supplied by Telcel. You can either have a monthly contract for a certain service per month or buy an Amigo phone and buy phone cards to recharge. Phone cards are sold on the street by people dressed in yellow jumpsuits. There is also Nextel who supplies radio phones. Cable is available via either Cablevision or SkyTV. I have Cablevision and it costs about 350 pesos for the service for one TV, additional TV cost about 50 pesos a month. Magazines and newspapers are available at the store Sanborns or via Todalaprensa. Todalaprensa.com delivers the newspapers and magazines directly to your door. They have a large selection from the USA and France but also from other countries around the world. I have sent one letter from Mexico in the five years I have lived here but I do receive letters often. It seems that letters from companies to me arrive faster than personal mail. I only know of one office for the Post Office and it is not near my home. The mail service is not known to be reliable so I usually buy gifts online and have them shipped via that website. Major courier companies are easy to find though, if you need FedEx, DHL etc.

Most Mexicans in the workforce speak some English. For day to day life (going to the market etc) you will need to know some basic words. If you have a maid, you will need to be able to speak some Spanish. There are a lot of tutors and schools available to help you learn the language. I went to the UNAM in Polanco, and met other expats from all around the world.

When you rent a property, the owner of the house or apartment has the electricity, gas and water bill in their name. You just need to pay it at the end of the month. Electricity for my apartment is expensive. I pay about 1000 pesos or more a month. I always wonder if there is not something going on when they read the meters... Gas is about 400 pesos a month- heating the water and gas clothes dryer. If you live in a house you will need to have the gas company come and fill your tank every month or so. Water costs about 400 a trimester. As water from the tap is not drinkable, you need to organize to have water delivered to your home or you can also buy 20 liter bottles from the market. I use the company Bonafont who delivers drinking water each week to my home from a guy with a bicycle which costs about 30 pesos a bottle. Another major company is Electropura, who delivers the same way.

It is always possible to look for employment, you just need to find the employer who is willing to help you get the work permit. The best way is via contacts. There are also a few websites that list available jobs.

It is easy to open a bank account once you have a FM3 visa. HSBC is a very popular international bank here. There is also Banamex, the local Mexican bank. People do not send checks in the mail to pay bills here. You can either pay online via your online banking service (I find this way the easiest, but others have warned about the dangers of online banking in Mexico, after some bad experiences) or go to the bank and pay with a check. You can also go to the supplier's office (Telemex, Telecel, Cablevision, etc) and pay the bill directly with them. Many people send their maids or drivers to pay the bills for them. Most people use debit cards, not credit cards. It is best to have a checking account and a savings account at the bank. The debit card should be only able to access the checking account with not much money in it, as you can see your accounts balance on the ATM machine. The major problem for expats is the ATM robberies. If you have all your money in one account, the robbers may hold you for longer if they see you have lots of money in your account.

There are doctors all over the city, but to ensure you get good healthcare you need to pay. A doctor's visit can cost between 600 and 700 pesos per visit. Medicine is not cheap but is available without a doctor's prescription at the many pharmacies throughout the city (only certain medicines require a prescription). It is important to have health care insurance.

There are many private schools in the area in which I live. Private schools offer curriculums based on either the American, British or French systems. There is also a Japanese school and German school. Most private schools offer a bus service. There are also lots of preschools in Polanco, for just a few hours a day or from 8am to 8pm.

Mexico City has a metro and bus system. A ticket costs about 4.50 pesos. Buses are a little dirty but get you where you want to go. Not many expats travel by bus. The metro is extensive but I would not recommend it at night or alone if you are a woman. Taxis are available all over the city and are affordable. There are two kinds: Sitio and street or ( Metro cabs -- ones that have a meter). It is best to take a Sitio cab for safety (one you call to have them come pick you up or go to a special stand on the street to catch). Sitios, of course, are more expensive but safer. Domestic travel is expensive (toll roads and expensive domestic flights). Most expats have a car. If you buy a new car you usually do not have the restriction that older cars do of not being able to drive one day a week (based on the number of your license plate) due to pollution. Older cars also need to get a smog check every six months. You will need to get a driver's license but this is not hard. You just go to the office with your FM3 and a few other documents (be sure to check the list) and they give you one right away, no driving or written test needed.

There are many supermarkets (Chedraui, Superama, Gigante) and many super stores (CostCo, Wal*mart, Sam's Club). I do not like the meat and fish in the regular supermarket so I buy those items in CostCo. I also have a fruit and vegetable outdoor market near my house each week and so I buy those items there as it is less expensive. Shopping for clothing is terrible. Either it is very expensive or really bad quality. The only store I buy clothes in is Zara. I usually shop for myself and the children when I am in the USA or France. Other expats who do buy clothes here tend to visit the major department stores: Palacio de Hierro; Liverpool; and/or Fabricas de Francia Electronic equipment is available but more expensive than in the USA. It is very easy to get a good haircut (for US prices) and manicures, pedicures, waxing, laser treatments etc. You can also find people to give you massages and manicures etc that come to the house.

There are many sports clubs in Mexico City but memberships are expensive. There are many auditoriums/concert halls for rock concerts and theaters for plays (usually in Spanish only).

I only have fish, so I am unaware of what to do for other pets.

No information supplied.

See too:

Our Expat Women Living in Mexico page

City Experience - Torreon Coahuila, Mexico - September 07, 2007

City Experience - Cancun, Mexico - June 15, 2009