Exploring the vibrant streets of Mexico City doesn’t have to break the bank. With its rich culture, delicious cuisine, and stunning architecture, this bustling metropolis offers countless opportunities for budget-conscious travelers. Whether you’re a scrappy backpacker or a visitor who likes to travel in style, our top 10 money-saving tips will help you experience the best of Mexico City without sacrificing a thing.
- UBERs are plentiful and cheap, but public transportation is cheaper yet, and excellent. If you plan to take the subway (Metro), the awesome electric trolleybuses, or a conventional bus, purchase a Movilidad Integrada CDMX card for about 75 cents and load it with credits. Each ride is about 25 cents. (25 cents!) The trolleybuses, which ride in dedicated lanes on main arteries, and the Metro in particular are impressively clean and efficient. Miss a trolleybus, you’ll wait just a minute or two for the next one. Consult Google Maps to determine the best route. Maps will also break down a trip by public transportation stops, so it’s easy to track your trip as you go.
Note: Seating on the accordioned trolleybuses is segmented into three sections. The first section, with pink seats, is women-only; the second is men-only; the third is universal.
- Restaurant food is generally inexpensive, though there is plenty of high-end cuisine of all kinds to be found, but street carts and stands are abundant, reliably delicious, and much less expensive. It is not unusual to find generously loaded tacos for a dollar or less, tortas for $2-3. Hard to go wrong.
- Because the water in Mexico City is not safe for many travelers, drink and brush your teeth with bottled water only. The hotel was great at leaving bottled water for us, but we also bought a big jug and refilled our own bottles with it so we didn’t have to keep buying bottles.
- If you’re traveling with a student, have them bring their ID. Some museums offer free or discounted entry fees for students.
- When booking your flight, compare full-fare prices with a combination fare that includes some miles, if you belong to the airline’s loyalty program. We ended up with very inexpensive tickets and didn’t use that many miles.
- If you have an airline credit card, see what discounts are available, i.e., discounted snacks, Wi-Fi, rental cars, etc.
- If you stay in a hotel, see if nearby establishments or tours offer discounts for hotel guests.
- Book hotels that provide free breakfast–one less meal to pay for–or opt for a vacation rental and make one meal per day in the rental.
- CDMX offers free Wi-Fi in many areas of the city, but don’t rely on it for everything. Some US phone plans (like TMobile) include free calls to/from Mexico and Canada; if your plan does not, you’ll need to activate an international phone plan or use an eSIM, like Airalo, which is inexpensive. Note: your phone needs to be unlocked in order to use an eSIM.
- When you are purchasing tickets for activities or destinations, the prices can vary widely depending on the site you buy them from. I found that in CDMX, museum tickets were much cheaper when purchased directly from the museum’s site than from a travel provider like Viator or TripAdvisor.
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