Moving to Mexico City in June 2010

[AussieIrish]

Hi there,
My husband and i have just received confirmation that we will be moving to Mexico city in june. We have 4 months to plan our trip but we are totally confused about areas we should research living in etc...
We can stay at a hotel for about 40 days or so. So we will have some time on our hands to look around. My husband will be working at the Airport so we hope to be some what nearby or near a good road to get him there. I know the traffic is terrible!!!
He expects to be driving at least 40 mins each way (on a good day) from what we can make out.

We dont have any children so we dont need to be near an International school.

I would like to live in an area near some expats as I wont be working.

We have not been given our budget yet for housing, so I have no idea what our price range would be.

Also we are weighing up bringing furniture with us, as we have some great pieces. Is it better to start from scratch when there?

Any advice you could give us would be really appreciated.

Thanks
J

[RVGRINGO]

Welcome to the forum and to Mexico.
Generally, it is wise to live as close to your work as possible but, in your case, not right in the flight path. DF traffic is tough and there are every other day restrictions on driving your car, due to the anti-pollution laws. As such, your company, and others on the forum, might suggest desireable neighborhoods close to public transportation to and from the airport, as well as the city center.
It is very expensive to ship furniture and you might find that it looks out of place in a Mexican home. I suppose the decision rests upon the length of your stay in DF and how attached you are. In any event, you are sure to enjoy your new assignment.

[Rodrigo84]

Originally Posted by AussieIrish

Hi there,
My husband and i have just received confirmation that we will be moving to Mexico city in june. We have 4 months to plan our trip but we are totally confused about areas we should research living in etc...
We can stay at a hotel for about 40 days or so. So we will have some time on our hands to look around. My husband will be working at the Airport so we hope to be some what nearby or near a good road to get him there. I know the traffic is terrible!!!
He expects to be driving at least 40 mins each way (on a good day) from what we can make out.

We dont have any children so we dont need to be near an International school.

I would like to live in an area near some expats as I wont be working.

We have not been given our budget yet for housing, so I have no idea what our price range would be.

Also we are weighing up bringing furniture with us, as we have some great pieces. Is it better to start from scratch when there?

Any advice you could give us would be really appreciated.

Thanks
J

The Aiport is on the East side of town, whereas the expat communities are mostly on the West. I can't think realistically of a single area on the East side that you could live in. My cousin's landlord also use to work near the airport and lived in the same building he did on the west side in Huixquilucan, Estado De Mexico. The area is known more often as Interlomas. To the south of that area is Santa Fe and that has a huge mall and is also a big expat area. If you want to start going a bit east from there, Lomas de Chapultepec (that is getting a bit expensive). Polanco is an area of mostly apartment buildings and high-rises just to the west of downtown and is an area most people stay for business related reasons (hotels). Lots of restaurants and high quality shopping areas (Masaryk Avenue is a somewhat scaled down version of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills). Polanco realistically is about the closest you can get to the airport and still be in what I call a high quality area. Your husband can easily get on the Circuito Interior from their to the airport and back.

There is an area called Del Valle in the south central area that also is close to a major expressway called Viaducto that is a quick drive to the airport, but the problem there is pollution is high. It's practically all high-rises and there's not much to do there unless you are close to Insurgentes Sur. However, it is cheaper than any of the other areas I mentioned in terms of living expenses, but it's not what I'd call a true expat area.

Again, places I would consider would be.

Interlomas
Santa Fe
Lomas de Chapultepec
Polanco

To give you a rough estimate on rents for those areas above. The lowest I've seen go for $800 US a month, but something like what my American cousin had in Interlomas (which was I believe 3 bedrooms/4 bath) was going for $1700 US including the monthly maintenance fee, but that was a few years ago when the economy was better and rents were a bit higher. I think in his building the first few floors with a similar configuration were going for about $1400 with maintenance per month.

Also make sure when you do rents to try to work out a diplomatic clause in case you have to leave. Some landlords are very picky here in DF and like to hold you to the full 12 months.

[Rodrigo84]

As far as furniture, sometimes there are furnished apartments here, but furniture (unless you buy it some high end store) can be cheaper than say in the United States. They will kill you with the prices on electronics though.

[AussieIrish]

Thanks guys,
I really appreciate your responses. we have decided not to bring our furniture. I have collected a lot of cool and funky pieces in my 16 yrs in Australia. But I will have fun replacing them I am sure.
We may be going to MC in May for a week to look for a place... thanks to my husbands work. They have a relocation agent there who hopefully will help us with a lease and maybe set up some real estate agents to show us properties (if that is how it is done there!)

We are excited about our new adventure. It will be a very different life to the one we have in Sydney. Now if I could only start getting a grip on some Spanish! ;-)

Thanks again
jacks

[RVGRINGO]

The OP will probably need new electrical stuff anyway. Mexico is 120V vs. 220V and the prices aren't that far apart any more.

[AussieIrish]

Luckily my husbands company pays for all new Electrical stuff. So we dont have to stress too much.
I never thought I would say this but I will be sick of shopping by the time we get our new home set up.
J

[Rodrigo84]

Originally Posted by AussieIrish

Thanks guys,
I really appreciate your responses. we have decided not to bring our furniture. I have collected a lot of cool and funky pieces in my 16 yrs in Australia. But I will have fun replacing them I am sure.
We may be going to MC in May for a week to look for a place... thanks to my husbands work. They have a relocation agent there who hopefully will help us with a lease and maybe set up some real estate agents to show us properties (if that is how it is done there!)

We are excited about our new adventure. It will be a very different life to the one we have in Sydney. Now if I could only start getting a grip on some Spanish! ;-)

Thanks again
jacks

My cousin was offered the service (he was in a multinational corp) for real estate, but one of his co-workers ended up suggesting the apartment building he ended up living in.

You know, in Google Earth, they now have Street Views of Mexico City (and other large cities in Mexico, too) and the surrounding area, so if somebody gives you the address of a place to live in Mexico City you could type it into Google Earth and then see what the area looks like.

Interlomas would be my number 1 choice, but traffic can be an issue at times during the day, but they have A LOT of shopping centers there. It probably has more stores/car dealers/movie theaters/etc. in a square km than anywhere in the world I can think of.

[jlms]

Originally Posted by Rodrigo84

The Aiport is on the East side of town, whereas the expat communities are mostly on the West. I can't think realistically of a single area on the East side that you could live in. My cousin's landlord also use to work near the airport and lived in the same building he did on the west side in Huixquilucan, Estado De Mexico. The area is known more often as Interlomas. To the south of that area is Santa Fe and that has a huge mall and is also a big expat area. If you want to start going a bit east from there, Lomas de Chapultepec (that is getting a bit expensive). Polanco is an area of mostly apartment buildings and high-rises just to the west of downtown and is an area most people stay for business related reasons (hotels). Lots of restaurants and high quality shopping areas (Masaryk Avenue is a somewhat scaled down version of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills). Polanco realistically is about the closest you can get to the airport and still be in what I call a high quality area. Your husband can easily get on the Circuito Interior from their to the airport and back.

There is an area called Del Valle in the south central area that also is close to a major expressway called Viaducto that is a quick drive to the airport, but the problem there is pollution is high. It's practically all high-rises and there's not much to do there unless you are close to Insurgentes Sur. However, it is cheaper than any of the other areas I mentioned in terms of living expenses, but it's not what I'd call a true expat area.

Again, places I would consider would be.

Interlomas
Santa Fe
Lomas de Chapultepec
Polanco

To give you a rough estimate on rents for those areas above. The lowest I've seen go for $800 US a month, but something like what my American cousin had in Interlomas (which was I believe 3 bedrooms/4 bath) was going for $1700 US including the monthly maintenance fee, but that was a few years ago when the economy was better and rents were a bit higher. I think in his building the first few floors with a similar configuration were going for about $1400 with maintenance per month.

Also make sure when you do rents to try to work out a diplomatic clause in case you have to leave. Some landlords are very picky here in DF and like to hold you to the full 12 months.

Just to agree with all the above and to say that my sister's family (2 children) live in Colonia del Valle (they are high earners under any standards). As bad as pollution is the situation has improved quite a bit in the last few years (more public transport, old car stock going away, etc). Although not an expat area as such it is easy enough to negotiate, has lots of quality housing, the main caveat is that older buildings (pre 1940s) may not be designed to withstand earthquakes, an important consideration.

[jlms]

Originally Posted by AussieIrish

Thanks guys,
I really appreciate your responses. we have decided not to bring our furniture. I have collected a lot of cool and funky pieces in my 16 yrs in Australia. But I will have fun replacing them I am sure.
We may be going to MC in May for a week to look for a place... thanks to my husbands work. They have a relocation agent there who hopefully will help us with a lease and maybe set up some real estate agents to show us properties (if that is how it is done there!)

We are excited about our new adventure. It will be a very different life to the one we have in Sydney. Now if I could only start getting a grip on some Spanish! ;-)

Thanks again
jacks

Sydney! I was there just in October :-)

Lets say Mexico City will be a shock to your system, but in an exhilarating way.

I really urge to take intensive Spanish lessons. You will enjoy your stay far more and will have more chances to see the real Mexico that way, also it is advisable for practical reasons, handy men and traders (plumbers, electricians, etc) rarely speak English, and even the people working on the shinny towers of Interlomas may speak little if any at all.

Many people are surprised about how little English is spoken in Mexico, so considered yourself warned :-)