The Digital Nomad Guide to Mexico City

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Mexico City is a very popular place for digital nomads these days. The number of people that I’ve met who are here because of the cost of living, the great nightlife, and the ease of visas is growing constantly. It’s not just cheap and easy to live here though, the quality of life in Mexico City is awesome.

As a blogger and freelance writer who is location independent myself, I really enjoy living in Mexico City. The city has tons of options for places to live, the food is incredible, the produce is beyond fresh, and the transportation is convenient and cheap.

The Digital Nomad Guide to Mexico City

How to Find a Place to Live in Mexico City

Most digital nomads I know that are only visiting the city for a few months usually opt to go through Airbnb. My recommendation is to contact the owner before you book and see if they will be able to give you a discount for booking for several weeks or months at a time. Most people are more than happy to take a small cut if they can guarantee the apartment will be filled for several weeks at a time.

If you’ve never used Airbnb before, go ahead and sign up through this link to receive up to $35 off your first booking.

If you are planning on spending more than a few months in the city, I highly recommend checking these resources out:

• Short-Term Rooms in Mexico City
• Roomies and Roommates in Mexico City
• Dada Rooms
• Craigslist

If you share a furnished apartment with someone in the center of the city, you can expect to pay anywhere from 3,000-6,000 pesos per month (between $150 and $300 USD). If it’s at the higher end, I would expect your bills to be included in that price.

The Best Cafes for Digital Nomads in Mexico City

I personally love working outside of my house. I often walk to my nearby cafe and get a nice big coffee. I find I’m a lot more focused when I’m in a cafe than I am when I’m at home in my office. These are my absolute favorite cafes to work from in Condesa and Roma.

• Cafebrería El Péndulo – this is a really cool cafe to work in. It’s also a gorgeous bookshop. Tons of people come to their Condesa and Polanco locations to do work and enjoy their tasty lattes. You never have to worry about being kicked out of this place – you could easily sit in here all afternoon with a couple of coffees or a sandwich while you work or read a book. Check out their website for locations.

• Dosis: This is my absolute favorite cafe in Mexico City. The coffee is fantastic and inside there are plenty of places to sit. All of the tables have a power outlet, too. They also have freshly baked bread and really tasty baked treats. I recommend the blondie brownie. Check their website for their location.

• Tomas: This is a popular spot for people to work. They have good coffee, but they’re known for their huge selection of tea. It’s a really quiet and peaceful place to work. The wifi is really strong and there are plenty of power outlets. Find their location here.

• Tierra Garat: If you’re a hot chocolate lover you’ll definitely love taking your laptop to Tierra Garat. It’s a Mexican coffee house chain and you’ll find them all over the city. All of them are quite large and have wifi. They have Mexican style hot chocolate as well as other types of coffee and tea. Their cakes are pretty tasty, too.

Co-Working Spaces in Mexico City

If you’re into co-working spaces, there are plenty of them in Mexico City. If you’re a member of the larger chains like We Work, you’ll find plenty of their offices here to hang out and do your work in. These are the different companies that have offices around the city. Most allow you to have a free one-day trial to see if you want to get a membership. You can have short-term memberships or pay for an entire year. These are great options if you are working with someone else and you want a collaborative place where you can meet to get work done.

• We Work: We Work has tons of offices around the city so you’re sure to find one that’s near your apartment. I like the different amenities and I feel like most of the people there are location independent rather than it being a place for small businesses like some co-working places in Mexico City. Their offices all have free coffee, cereal, water, and sometimes beer, too! You can find all of their locations here.

• El 3er Espacio: This is a great spot to work from. It’s one of the first coworking spaces to show up here in Mexico City and it’s located right in Condesa with views of Parque Mexico. You can pay by the day if you think you’ll only use it every now and again for only 200 pesos (about $10). You can read more about it here.

• Impact Hub: Impact Hub is another international co-working space company with several different locations around Mexico City. It’s a really funky place with long tables, small rooms, and even hammocks and bean bag chairs. This is a great place to become a member if you want to network with other digital nomads and entrepreneurs. They host different events every month where you can learn about different things about creating your own business and meet other members. Find the locations here.

• The Pool: I only recently discovered this place. They have two or three locations around the city and it’s growing all the time. I really love their spaces – they definitely have design in mind with each of their offices. They have floor to ceiling windows that let in amazing natural light. The location in Roma is in an old warehouse building so it has really high ceilings and a nice open plan feel to it. They have a cafe inside where you can buy a coffee or a sandwich. A monthly pass costs 1,680 pesos (about $80). You can find out more on their website.

• Homework: I like the name of this place. It caught my attention right away and there’s only one location right near the Revolution Monument. There’s plenty of space with nice long tables and even an outdoor workspace so you can get some much needed Vitamin D. They have free coffee and water and a kitchen where you can store some food or heat it up while you’re there. Find out more on their website.

Visas for Digital Nomads in Mexico

There are two main options that people go with when they come to Mexico as digital nomads. If you are going to stay in the country for 6 months or less and you’re from one of these countries, you can simply arrive in the country.

Some airlines will require proof of departure. If you don’t know where you will be going after you leave Mexico, you can simply buy one as proof or rent one. I usually rent a flight from Fly Onward which is really cheap (only $10) and they sort it out for you. Basically, they buy a flight for you, you then have a real flight with your details on it. You can only buy them 24 hours before you fly into Mexico because the flight is only valid for 24 hours.

If you want to get something more permanent and think you’ll be staying in Mexico for more than 6 months, you can apply for a temporary residency visa. This basically allows you to stay in the country for one year. In order to apply you need to demonstrate that you have been earning at least $1,300 USD per month for the past six months and that you will continue to earn that for the year you will be in the country. If you have that amount in a bank account/savings account, that is also fine. I recommend going through an immigration lawyer who specializes in Mexico like MexLaw. You have to apply for this visa outside of the country.

Other Resources for Digital Nomads in Mexico City

• Digital Nomads in Mexico Facebook Group
• Digital Nomad Forum
• Women Digital Nomads: Mexico City
• Moving to Mexico City
• Why Millennial Expats are Moving to Mexico City

 

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