🇲🇽Mexico City

A 22-million-person capital of murals, mercados, and arguably the best street food on Earth — sitting a mile and a half up in the sky. Far safer and far more cosmopolitan than its reputation.

Daily budget

$55–100

mid-range, per person

Cheap meal

$3.00–5.00

local staple

Mid-range hotel

$85–170

per night

Transit ride

$0.30

single trip

Avg. monthly salary

≈ $850

local, approx.

In photos

Quick facts

Language

Spanish. English is common in upscale restaurants and hotels, rare on the street — basic Spanish transforms your trip.

Currency

Mexican peso (MX$). US$1.00 ≈ MX$18–19

Time zone

CST (UTC-6), no daylight saving

Best time to visit

March–May is warm and dry; November–February mild and clear. June–September: sunny mornings, afternoon downpours.

Altitude

2,240 m / 7,350 ft — go easy on day one

Power

Type A/B plugs, 127V (US plugs fit)

Tap water

Don't drink it — hotels provide bottled; restaurant ice is purified and fine

Emergency

911

Money & what things cost

Cards are widely accepted in Roma, Condesa, and Polanco; street stalls, markets, and taquerías are cash-only. Use bank-attached ATMs (BBVA, Banorte, Santander) and decline their inflated 'convenience' exchange rate — let your home bank convert. Carry small bills: nobody can ever change a MX$500 note.

What locals earn

Average monthly salary (CDMX, formal sector)	≈ MX$14,000–17,000 ($750–900)	informal work often pays less
Minimum wage	≈ MX$280/day ($15)	roughly doubled since 2019

Why this matters: Your waiter may earn MX$8,000–12,000 a month, which is why the 10–15% propina is a genuine part of service wages here, not a bonus — budget for it and tip in cash when you can. It's also why MX$25 tacos coexist with $150 tasting menus: the city runs on two economies at once, and visitors float between them.

Food & drink

Item	Local price	≈ USD
Street tacos (order of 3–4, al pastor)	MX$50–90	$2.70–4.80
Comida corrida (set lunch at a fonda)	MX$90–150	$4.80–8
Mid-range restaurant, per person	MX$300–500	$16–27
Top-end tasting menu (Pujol tier)	MX$3,000+	$160+
Café latte in Roma/Condesa	MX$60–80	$3.20–4.30
Beer MX$50–90 · mezcal cocktail	MX$150–250	$8.00–13

Transport

Item	Local price	≈ USD
Metro ride (any distance)	MX$5.00	$0.27
Metrobús ride	MX$6.00	$0.32
Uber/DiDi across town	MX$60–180	$3.20–9.70
Uber, airport → Roma/Condesa	MX$200–350	$11–19
Authorized airport taxi (prepaid counter)	MX$300–400	$16–22

Where to sleep & what it costs

Tier	Per night	Notes
Hostel dorm	MX$350–550 ($19–30)	Roma/Condesa hostels are stylish and social
Budget hotel	MX$900–1,400 ($48–75)	Solid, unglamorous, clean
Mid-range boutique	MX$1,600–3,200 ($85–170)	Design-hotel gems all over Roma Norte
Luxury (Polanco)	MX$5,500+ ($300+)	International five-star row on Campos Elíseos

Getting around

From the airport: From AICM: order an Uber from the departures level (less chaotic), or prepay at the official taxi counters inside arrivals. 30–60 minutes to Roma/Condesa depending on the traffic gods. Ignore anyone soliciting rides in the terminal.
Uber / DiDi: Cheap, ubiquitous, and the visitor default — especially at night. Nobody who can avoid it hails a street cab, and neither should you.
Metro & Metrobús: MX$5.00 goes anywhere on one of the world's busiest metros. Fine off-peak; crushing at rush hour. Front cars are women-and-children-only. Keep phones and wallets in front pockets.
On foot & EcoBici: Roma, Condesa, Centro, and Coyoacán are wonderful walking neighborhoods — but they're islands in a vast city; use rides between them. EcoBici bike share works great on Condesa's leafy avenues. Remember the altitude when you're inexplicably winded.

Neighborhoods to stay in

Roma Norte: Cafés, galleries, taquerías, Art Nouveau townhouses — the default first-timer base, deservedly.
Condesa: Leafy Art-Deco streets wrapped around two parks. Calmer than Roma, equally charming.
Polanco: Upscale and polished: museums, luxury shopping, the famous restaurant row.
Centro Histórico: The Zócalo, Diego Rivera murals, Aztec ruins — electric by day, quieter (stick to main streets) at night.
Coyoacán: Frida Kahlo's cobblestoned colonial village, 40 minutes south — lovely, if far from everything else.

Tipping & etiquette

Tipping: 10% is the floor at any sit-down place, 15% for good service (cash preferred — 'propina' when paying by card). MX$10–20 for grocery baggers, gas attendants, valet, and the person who watches your parked car. Street stalls: no tip expected.

Greet with 'buenos días / buenas tardes' when entering shops and elevators — it's noticed.
Lunch (comida) is the main meal, around 2–4 pm; dinner runs late. Many restaurants are packed at 3 pm and empty at 6.
Even ten words of Spanish and a smile change every interaction. 'Por favor' and 'gracias' do heavy lifting.
Keep phones off café tables and out of sight on the street/metro — casual snatching is the main petty crime.
Salsa roja is usually the hot one. Usually. Ask '¿pica mucho?' and calibrate.

Safety & common scams

The reputation lags a decade behind reality: the neighborhoods visitors frequent — Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacán, the main Centro streets — feel like any big cosmopolitan city, full of families and joggers at night. Petty theft is the genuine risk. Use Uber after dark, keep valuables invisible, skip Tepito and Doctores, and apply normal big-city sense.

Scams to know

Street taxis are the one hard rule: don't hail them. Express-kidnapping robberies via libre cabs are rare but real — this is exactly what Uber/DiDi solve.
Card overcharges at some bars: keep your card in sight and read the terminal before tapping.
The 'damaged bill' switch — a driver swaps your good MX$200 note for a torn one and demands another. Pay with small bills.
Fake 'fines' from men claiming to be police: ask for the written ticket ('la multa por escrito, por favor') and offer to resolve it at the station. The matter usually evaporates.

Emergency numbers: 911 · tourist police patrol Centro Histórico and main visitor areas

Phone & internet

A Telcel SIM (~MX$200 with several GB, any OXXO or Telcel shop) gets you the country's best coverage; eSIMs (Airalo etc.) are the zero-effort option. Data matters here — Uber, maps, and Google Translate are your infrastructure.

First-timer FAQs

Do I need a visa?

Most Western passports get up to 180 days visa-free as tourists. Keep the entry slip or stamp — you may be asked for it on departure.

Is Mexico City actually safe?

For visitors staying in the usual neighborhoods and taking Ubers at night: yes, comparably so to other huge world cities. The headline violence you've read about is concentrated far from the capital's tourist core. Petty theft is what you're actually managing.

What about the altitude?

At 2,240 m, expect mild breathlessness on stairs and stronger-than-usual effects from alcohol for a day or two. Hydrate, pace yourself, and it passes.

Can I drink the water / eat the street food?

Skip tap water (locals do too) — but eat the street food, absolutely, or you've missed the city's soul. Busy stalls, cooked-to-order, and a gradual ramp-up are the rules. Restaurant ice is purified and fine.

How many days do I need?

Four to five: two for Centro and the museums, one for Roma/Condesa grazing, one for Coyoacán and Xochimilco, and an early-morning day trip to the Teotihuacán pyramids — arrive at opening, before the heat and the crowds.