Living in Mexico City for 3 months or more: a checklist

A few months in Mexico City means a rental, a routine, a monthly budget and a city that's high up and occasionally shakes. This is the list we'd start from.

Before you go

• Check entry rules and how long you can stay for your passport with an official source.
• Get health insurance that covers the whole stay. Many travel policies cap trip length.
• Book the first two to four weeks short-term, then look for a medium-term rental once you've walked the areas.
• Tell your bank you'll be away and carry a card without foreign transaction fees.
• Decide what happens to your home, mail and car while you're gone.

First week

• Get a local SIM or eSIM.
• Get a Mexico City transit card for the metro and Metrobús.
• Save 911 as the emergency number, and find the nearest pharmacy and clinic.
• Learn what the earthquake alert sounds like and agree a meeting point with whoever's with you.
• Take the first days easy: the city is about 2,240 m above sea level.
• Sort drinking water: a filter or delivered garrafones.

While you're there

• Log spending by month against a budget. Rent is usually most of it.
• Keep an eye on the date your permitted stay ends.
• Plan side trips while you have time: Puebla, Oaxaca, Valle de Bravo, Teotihuacán.

Wrapping up

• Give notice on your rental in writing and agree how the deposit comes back.
• Cancel the SIM, utilities and any local subscriptions.
• Book the flight out before your permitted stay runs out.

Neighbourhoods people look at

Roma Norte · Condesa · Juárez · Coyoacán · Del Valle · Narvarte · San Rafael

Which suits you depends on budget, noise and how you get around. Cojourn's assistant can compare them for your stay.