I’m here now and it’s awesome!

It’s super safe and cheap to live. I spent like $40 a week on eating out and groceries, it’s great! You can also find some really affordable places via airbnb and if you’re up for it there are some REALLY nice houses here for not very much. Agreed with wanderingdev though, it’s starting to get really hot and I was told it will only get hotter until like July. If you’ve got aircon it fine though. Oh and there’s a Walmart, so you know, life is good.

Hey, if you are now or coming to Mérida… please say hi to [email protected] i can connect you with the startup ecosystem there and with many geeks and people to love tech and travel!

Merida is awesome. You could not pay me to ride a bike pretty much in any city in Mexico. Mexican drivers are nuts! Public transport is good and taxis are cheap. I lived in Mexico for 4 years sans car so it’s easily doable. Internet is fast and profilic (in the Yucatan, every public park has free wifi and most have places to plug in and charge while you sit on your device). Most restaurants have it with a password, just ask.

My apartment without internet was $300/month in the centro. It was annoying but also a good excuse to get out and go to the part or a new restaurant/cafe. I also rented a casita with internet but only a hammock to sleep in and a pool to stand in while working (because it was so fecking hot and many places have no AC) and it was $250 on the outskirts of the city in the direction of Motul.

I liked Merida but parts of it are pretty gringo. It’s a huge retirement/medical hub. It also got WAY too hot for me and very humid. I personally don’t go there from late March - late August. There are also lots of mozzies which I loathe. I prefer the mountains where there are no mozzies and the weather is nice year round.

But if you don’t mind the heat, Merida is great.

Hi Rustic!

Sorry about that, the coworking space price was wrongly interpreted as USD instead MXN.

I fixed it now https://nomadlist.com/merida-mexico

Hi, i live in mexico city and it is very normal. Some stores/restaurants close earlier, some limit the amount of people, but for what i can see, most of the places keep working as usual.

I'm also interested. I'll be in PV Nov-Dec this year and Playa del Carmen in Dec - Feb 2021.

This post is quite old but I would be interested as well

Going in Cancun/Playa del Carmen for 3 months starting January 5th !

I could be into this. I’ll be there March 24th. I’m looking for someone to split costs with.

Just in case anyone stumbles across this later, I totally agree with Parque Espana as a fun place.

You can’t really go wrong staying anywhere along Tamaulipas. You can walk to a different restaurant for every meal for weeks on end. A lot of the places to stay here reflect that popularity which is good and bad. If you’re willing to pay above the market rate of surrounding areas you can almost always find a very nice place on Airbnb that’s available. If you have a lower budget then you’ll want to book pretty far in advance.

Roma Norte also has a great scene it’s worth checking out.

As far as good goes, do not pass up trying the tacos Por Siempre Vegana. Whether you’re vegan or not, these are some of the best tacos in Mexico City which means they’re among the best in the world!

If you’re feeling really adventurous, befriend a local and ask them to tell you about the Tepito neighborhood.

I went to CDMX for 1 month and ended up staying 2 and still didn’t feel like I scratched the surface. One of my favorite cities!

Try Condesa near Parque Espana, which seems to be the most fun area to stay in right now

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i drove down to san miguel from Laredo, i drew additional attention from police / got stopped at checkpoints but other than having to pay a speeding fine i had no issues. driving with american plates does seem to draw additional attention. Also, you need to have the title to your car and the registration in your name, and you need to register it after crossing the border or you will get turned back at some point.

I drove my Jeep over the border a couple of weekends ago, from Atlanta to Mexico City.

Lots of Mexico is accessible via highways these days (usually gotta pay a toll though), and I find driving on them much more enjoyable than in the US. The semi trucks actually wait for you to pass before trying to pass another vehicle themselves, so I used cruise control almost nearly uninterrupted the entire trip.

Re: rural areas, I've driven through wine country in Baja California and through farmland in CDMX to get to the volcanos (both via dirt roads), and never had issues. I'd just be very mindful of the topes that are scattered throughout Mexico like landmines. You won't find them on highways, but you'll usually find them on city/town streets, and they're usually unmarked. I think it's one of the reasons why people recommend to not drive at night if you're unfamiliar with the area.

Parking in the city is fine. I've seen really nice cars (Mercedes, Tesla, etc.) parked along the streets, but there's generally paid secured parking if you're uncomfortable with leaving the car on the street.

All in all, I'd say it's been an enjoyable experience. Know the driving rules in the major cities that you plan to drive through (foreigners can't drive on Saturdays in CDMX), and you should be fine.

You're more than welcome to ask me additional questions if you'd like!