Living in Mexico City

Mexico City combines a large urban forest with established school and hospital campuses. Summer rain and cool winter nights are practical tradeoffs.

Updated October 23, 2026.

Sources 2,3,5,6,7,9,11,13,14

Housing and household spending belong in the Mexico City rent guide and the monthly cost of living guide. Keep the school or hospital campus you use in view when comparing an apartment's location.^4,8,12

Mexico City's federal entity had 9,209,944 residents in the 2020 census. Iztapalapa accounted for 1,835,486 and Gustavo A. Madero for 1,173,351. These are borough populations within Ciudad de México. They describe a different geographic scale from an individual neighborhood or the wider metropolitan area.¹

Density also varies across Mexico City's boroughs. INEGI reported 17,523 residents per km² in Iztacalco, 16,784 in Cuauhtémoc and 16,260 in Benito Juárez. Milpa Alta had 152,685 residents, while Cuajimalpa de Morelos had 217,686. A citywide average therefore gives little detail about the size of a particular borough.¹

National paperwork and residence routes appear in the Mexico country guide and Mexico residence guide.

The map shows Mexico City's federal-entity boundary, borough boundaries and selected colonia reference points. Roads, rail, stations, parks and water are omitted. Colonia circles mark reference points, not boundaries.²¹

In INEGI's February to April 2026 perception survey, 74.1% of CDMX residents aged 18 and older considered their federal entity unsafe. The share considering their own colonia or locality unsafe was 45.0%. These resident responses do not rank individual neighborhoods or measure a visitor's probability of harm.¹³

INEGI's ENVIPE 2026 estimates 34,930 victims of covered crimes per 100,000 CDMX residents aged 18 and older during 2025. That compares with 30,804 in 2024. INEGI marks the increase as statistically significant. These estimates cover the Ciudad de México federal entity, rather than the wider metropolitan area.¹³

INEGI's April to June 2026 ENOE estimates 4,873,434 employed residents aged 15 and older in Ciudad de México. Tertiary activities, including commerce and services, accounted for 84.4% of those employed residents. This is resident employment, rather than a count of jobs physically located inside CDMX. The report was published on August 25, 2026.¹⁴

The April to June 2026 income table covers all employed CDMX residents aged 15 and older. The share in the band up to one minimum wage was 41.2%. Another 33.9% fell above one and up to two minimum wages. Income was unspecified for 4.9%. These categories do not provide a mean or median salary. INEGI requires equivalent wage thresholds and price adjustment for comparisons over time.¹⁴

ENOE counts employed CDMX residents. Its table supplies no vacancy count or evidence of an individual applicant's hiring prospects. The Mexico residence guide covers national residence and work rules.¹⁴

EF EPI 2025 lists Mexico City at 428 index points in its Very Low band. EF's Mexico fact sheet separates that city label from the country and Estado de México. The report does not define the city label's exact administrative boundary. The score is an index for test takers, rather than a percentage of residents who speak English.^15,16

EF's 2025 edition draws on more than 2.2 million EF SET test takers worldwide in 2024. That global count is not Mexico City's sample size. City scores use a three-year rolling average calibrated against the national score, without population weighting. EF includes cities with at least 100 test takers, but does not disclose Mexico City's exact sample size in these documents.¹⁵

The online test-taking sample is self-selected. EF says general-population representation is not guaranteed, and people without internet access are excluded. The index does not measure English service at a hospital, school, landlord or public office. Named provider facts elsewhere on this page describe their published campuses and services.¹⁵

Tacubaya Central's annual mean temperature was 18.1°C in the 1991 to 2020 normals. The highest monthly mean was May's 20.4°C. April had the highest mean daytime maximum, 27.5°C, while December and January each averaged 8.5°C overnight. A warm spring afternoon and a winter night are different housing conditions.²

Rain increases sharply in the middle of the year. Tacubaya Central records 132.5 mm in June, 174.0 mm in July, 175.6 mm in August and 158.1 mm in September. July has the largest rainy-day normal, 21.8 days. February's normal is 5.7 mm across 2.1 rainy days.²

October is a transition in this station record, with 71.3 mm of rain and a mean temperature of 17.6°C. November falls to 17.4 mm, and December to 5.0 mm. Use the climate tool to compare the months that matter to your own schedule.²

Chapultepec covers 866.37 hectares across four statutory sections under the August 31, 2023 decree. The first section accounts for 273.83 hectares. The fourth section adds 180.61 hectares in Álvaro Obregón. The forest's total area therefore describes much more than its first section.³

The second section covers 168.03 hectares and the third 243.90 hectares. Together with the first and fourth sections, these form the 866.37-hectare forest in SEDEMA's description. Treat a reference to Chapultepec's first section and a reference to the whole forest as different locations.³

Centro Médico ABC lists separate Observatorio and Santa Fe campuses. Observatorio is at Sur 136 No. 116, Las Américas, Álvaro Obregón, postal code 01120. Santa Fe is at Av. Carlos Graef Fernández 154, Santa Fe, Cuajimalpa, postal code 05300. ABC publishes 24-hour emergency care throughout the year.^4,5

Sources 4,5,6,7

Angeles Mocel publishes +52 55 5278 2300, extensions 5019 and 5020, for its emergency service. Angeles Pedregal publishes +52 55 5449 5500, extensions 2092, 2093 and 2068. Those contacts refer to the named emergency departments.^6,7

The American School Foundation lists its campus at Bondojito 215 in Las Américas, postal code 01120. Its Early Childhood Center serves ages three to six. Lower School covers grades 1 to 5, Middle School grades 6 to 8 and Upper School grades 9 to 12.^8,9

ASF's K1 applicants must turn three before September 1 of the relevant school year. The campus address appears in the school's May 4, 2026 foundation announcement. The age threshold and school divisions give families a starting point for matching the campus to a child's stage.^8,9,10

The Edron Academy describes programs from PreNursery through the IB Diploma for ages two to eighteen. It lists Kinder at Desierto de los Leones 5907. Primary and Secondary use Desierto de los Leones 5578. Both campuses are in Olivar de los Padres, Álvaro Obregón, postal code 01780.^11,12

ASF's Las Américas campus and Edron's Olivar de los Padres campuses are different destinations within Mexico City. Compare these campus addresses when choosing an apartment. School fees belong in a household budget alongside the other costs of living in Mexico City.^8,12

Put the school campus, hospital campus and housing address beside your work schedule. ASF's Bondojito 215 campus and Edron's Desierto de los Leones campuses are different local destinations.^8,12

For an international move comparison, use the Brazil country guide and Argentina country guide alongside Mexico's country pages. Residence and tax rules belong to each country's own guide. Mexico City's rent and household budget pages cover the local spending decision.

💵Currency

Mexican peso, MXN (opens in a new tab)

🕒Time zone

UTC minus six (opens in a new tab)

America/Mexico_City. No seasonal clock change in 2026.

🗣️Language

Spanish

🚨Emergencies

911 (opens in a new tab)

General emergency number.

🍽️Tipping

Voluntary (opens in a new tab)

Diners must consent to adding a tip.

🛂Visitor entry

Mexico visa and residence guide

Sources 17,18,19,20