Searching for an apartment in any new city is a challenge. Here in Mexico City, the process can seem especially daunting for foreigners. Often facing a language barrier, an unfamiliar system, and even some fraudsters targeting clueless gringos, finding a decent, fairly-priced apartment is no easy feat. Lucky for you, this gringa and her friends have seen it all. I hope my apartment search tips can help you make an informed decision and find your ideal living situation in this beautiful city.

How to Search for Apartments

If you’re coming from the U.S., Canada, or Europe, your modern apartment hunt is probably 100% digital. You go to Zillow and similar websites, search for options in your area and price range, and dozens if not hundreds of options pop up. The Mexico City apartment search is a little different. There are online options, and I’ll get to those in a minute. But you might have to be a bit more creative here to find your perfect apartment. Here’s a rundown on your apartment search options:

In Person

I highly recommend that you rent a cheap, well-located AirBnB room for at least a couple weeks when you come to Mexico City. During this time, explore the city, and choose a couple of your favorite neighborhoods — close to work if you have a job, close to classes if you’re studying. On the weekends, walk around these neighborhoods and snap pictures of every “Se Renta” (For Rent) sign you see. Call or WhatsApp the numbers, request price and other info (just ask for “los datos del departamento”) and schedule a visit. This is how I found my apartment.

It’s not fool-proof, but it’s probably the most common method in any Mexico City apartment search. It gives you the chance to see many apartments that aren’t posted online, and often for lower prices. If you know locals — friends, coworkers, etc. — don’t hesitate to ask them too! Mexico City runs on personal connections, and it’s likely that somebody knows somebody moving out, who may be willing to give you a deal.

Online

That said, there are increasingly good options to apartment hunt online. This is actually the best option if you’re just looking for a room, in a shared apartment with roommates. If that’s the case, check out Dada Room and CompartoDepa — these are typical roommate search websites, where you make a profile, and pay if you want more up-to-date postings. You can specify what kind of living situation you’re looking for, including the area, pets or not, smoking/non-smoking, etc.

Send a lot of messages, because many of the listings are old, and you might not get many responses. You can check out Craigslist too, but these are mostly directed at foreigners with inflated prices. Also check out Facebook groups like Roomies VIP CDMX, with plenty of high quality listings. Just be careful about who you choose as roommates, and try not to sign a highly binding contract. I’ve known quite a few people who ended up in bad shared situations, and you want to be able to leave quickly if you need to.

If you’re looking for an entire apartment of your own, there are online options for you too. This is especially true if you’re looking for a temporary place for a couple months, or a furnished apartment. Some of the best ones are Vivanuncios, Lamudi, and Inmuebles 24, which all function basically like Zillow. Make sure you specify “renta” rather than “venta” (buy) on these search engines.

You can also search by area on Facebook Marketplace and direct message people. But be warned: these online listings are often directed at foreigners, because expats tend to search digitally more than locals. That often means inflated rent prices and limited listings in many neighborhoods. Tread with caution, and you might find a gem in higher end neighborhoods like Polanco and Condesa.

What Neigborhood to Live In

In my experience, expats tend to cluster in a few neighborhoods in Mexico City: La Condesa, Roma, Polanco, Santa Fe, and Lomas de Chapultepec. I understand why — it’s tough finding apartments, and these areas often advertise to foreigners and are close to their work. I’ll discuss these neighborhoods (in Mexico City, these are called “zonas” or “colonias”), and suggest some other great options that don’t yet have a huge expat presence.

La Condesa and Roma

These are two of the most central, beautiful neighborhoods in all of Mexico City. In recent years, the historic colonial, 19th century, and even Art Deco buildings of La Condesa and Roma have filled with art galleries and restaurants. The current hipster scene here has, understandably, made the areas extremely desirable to live. Tons of young expats make their home here happily. Because of this, however, rents are very high, and you’ll hear English everywhere you go. One last caveat is that these neighborhoods are on some of the city’s least stable soil, and are prone to tons of earthquake damage.

Polanco

This genteel, European-looking neighborhood is a longtime foreigner favorite, beginning when many Jewish immigrants moved here in the early 20th century. Today, this influences remains in the upscale neighborhood, alongside many of the city’s wealthy residents. There’s plenty of older and lovely modern apartments available — for a steep price. Many locals, however, see Polanco as snooty. The closer you get to Parque Lincoln and President Masaryk Avenue (the Rodeo Drive of Mexico), the pricier the rent. Check out nearby Anzures, just north of Polanco, for somewhat lower rents and an equally great location.

San Miguel Chapultepec

Now we’ve arrived at my personal favorite among these centralized, historic neighborhoods. As the name suggests, San Miguel Chapultepec is right next to the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City’s Central Park. The proximity to the park makes this an amazingly tranquil, quiet neighborhood — like a small town, right in the center of the metropolis. These days, the colonia has its fair share of hipsters and art galleries, but it remains more low key than nearby Condesa, Roma, and Polanco. Rents aren’t cheap, but still a little lower than those neighborhoods.

Colonia Narvarte, Colonia Nápoles, and Colonia del Valle

Just a bit south and east from Roma and Condesa, these neighborhoods have a lot going for them. All three are a bit less fancy and perfectly preserved than the alternatives above, but they have plenty of charm to go around. They have central locations close to public transport, and lower rents that attract more young professionals every year.

Coyoacán and San Angel

These are two of my favorite neighborhoods in Mexico City. They have everything, from gorgeous colonial houses to winding streets to art to street life. Coyoacán has the absolute loveliest plaza in the city, the Jardín Centenario. Coyoacán in particular has more affordable housing options than many of these other neighborhoods. But these areas are pretty far south of the center — I only recommend them if you work remotely, or in the south of the city. If not, your daily commute will be a huge headache.

Lomas de Chapultepec and Santa Fe

I don’t recommend these neighborhoods, unless you have a very high budget and prefer a suburban environment. Both Lomas de Chapultepec (usually just shortened to “Lomas”) and Santa Fe are hilly, extremely upscale areas towards the Center-South of Mexico City. Lomas is the Mexico’s Beverly Hills, with huge mansions — and not a ton of apartments.

Santa Fe is a new, glitzy business area with many companies’ HQs, so it’s mostly huge modern skyscrapers. These areas have poor public transport, so live here if you have plenty of money, have a car, and work in an office here. As you can tell, these aren’t my favorite areas. But they are pretty, with lots of green space, and beautiful views of the mountains.

What To Look Out For

As a foreigner, you need to be careful during your Mexico City apartment search — as you would be anywhere. Here’s a few issues to watch out for:

Prices listed in dollars

When you see a listing online, double check that the price is listed in Mexican pesos, not U.S. dollars. Believe it or not, some neighborhoods in Mexico City (I’m looking at you, Polanco and Lomas de Chapultepec) will often show rent in dollars! Many of these neighborhoods’ residents are very wealthy, and plenty are foreign, so make sure you’re not signing up to pay USD $8,000 a month…

Not Having a Fiador (Co-signer)

This issue depends a lot on the nature of your apartment search. If you’re renting a whole apartment, rather than just a room, you may run into this problem. A lot of Mexico City rental contracts requiere a fiador, or co-signer — this means a Mexican citizen who vouches for you legally and financially. Not all apartments do, but usually there’s a way around it as a foreigner. I put down a larger security deposit (two months rent) to avoid the requirement. Sometimes, you may be able to talk a landlord out of it entirely.

Scams and Sketchiness

The vast, vast majority of people renting out apartments in Mexico City are honest and just want a decent price for their property. There are, however, some predatory/scammer landlords, who often target foreigners who may not know the intricacies of Mexico City housing. If you’re subletting a room, only do so from someone who actually lives in the apartment, and proves they own/rent it — this is a common scam. Ask your landlord to show proof he or she returns security deposits to renters, as some try to take your deposit at the end.

Also, don’t agree to any “special payment plans” with a landlord, like paying two months rent at once for a discount — it may be a way to steal that money, then evict you before the months are up. Double check which utilities are included and how to pay the ones that aren’t, and check that water runs all the time. Finally, if your potential landlord seems sketchy or off to you, follow your intuition. Especially in a city where people often don’t use formal contracts, it’s better to avoid anyone who seems at all suspicious. I personally know of one confirmed scammer landlord: Luis Jovany Salmeron Ramos. Avoid him!

Listings That Aren’t Honest About the Neighborhood They’re In

When it comes to online apartment listings, a lot of them will list their location as “Condesa” and so on. In reality, they might not be in that neighborhood, but rather on the outskirts, or in another neighborhood entirely. Be sure to get the address, look it up, and confirm it’s in your desired neighborhood.

Noisy Neighbors

Most big cities have issues with thin-walled apartments and loud, obnoxious neighbors. If you like tranquility or you’re a sensitive to noise, be very careful during your Mexico City apartment search. Watch out for nearby buildings/lots under construction, and listen for noisy neighbors when you visit an apartment. Parties are very common in many apartments, and you may be seen as rude if you ask them to quiet down, even very late if it’s a weekend. Technically you can report neighbors (find info on how to do it here) for noise violations. I recommend apartments in San Miguel Chapultepec, San Angel, and residential-only streets in Roma for maximum chances at peace.

I hope my housing guide helps you make the apartment search in Mexico City a bit easier. Whether you end up in a posh penthouse in Polanco, or a shared student apartment, there’s lots of great housing in the city — if you know how to find it.