“I don’t have a plan, but I definitely don’t want to go back to the United States, not soon”, maybe the first world isn’t first class, it’s not enough, it doesn’t satisfy. “Paying rent in a more or less central neighborhood of CDMX is priceless”, the city becomes priceless and pushes the residents of the capital to the outskirts.
While Mexico has become the ideal home for dozens of foreigners who come from developed countries, the areas in which they live have become unaffordable for most Mexicans.
house prices explode
Almost four years ago I started renting and sharing an apartment. When the pandemic started, one of us lost her job and so did others in the building. The landlady reduced our rent by 30% for almost all of 2020. Around November, she told us that the price was the same again and gave us a month to decide whether to stay or vacate the place. The rush was because his distant French nephew was coming to live in the City and “he was willing to pay him up to double” for this same place.
We moved here and moved there and we were able to keep the apartment for a few more months. We laughed a lot because before we suddenly saw him, but from one moment to another, whenever we went for a run or for coffee, we saw more puppies and gringos than Mexicans, said Daniela Robles in an interview with The Economist.
Daniela lived with two friends in an apartment located in the Hipodromo Condesa neighborhood. Between the three of them they paid almost 25,000 pesos each month to rent the property with services.
Then our contract ended and we could no longer renew it, the three of us were in different conditions and each one opted for the option that best suited her needs. Daniela found an apartment in the Paseos de Churubusco neighborhood, in the Iztapalapa mayor’s office. “The neighborhood is safe and quiet, a bit far from everything, but it is something I can afford without having to work wonders. In my work we have a hybrid scheme, so I have to go to the office sometimes, I spend almost an hour and a half, but thinking about renting again at Condesa or Roma on my own is impossible”.
Daniela comments that some of the apartments in the building that she rented with her friends are now on Airbnb. on said platform The Economist found accommodation in this neighborhood ranging from 14,000 pesos per month to 120,000. Not counting taxes and other charges made by the platform.
According to figures from the rental services platform, Roomi, the average cost per room in the Condesa neighborhood is 6,700, considering sharing a small apartment with two other people. If we add food, entertainment and public transportation, the platform suggests that between 13,000 and 15,000 pesos per month would be needed per person, if you live with “roomies”.
According to other platforms such as Vivanuncios and Inmuebles24, renting an entire apartment, on the other hand, in neighborhoods such as Roma, Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, Escandón and Juárez, could require a budget of between 18,000 and 60,000 pesos each month. Depending on the size, location and condition of the property.
But in Mexico, half of the workers earn less than 4,251 pesos per month, according to figures from the ENOE (National Survey of Occupation and Employment) of the Inegi. And barely 2% of the population earn more than 21,255 pesos for their work each month.
Even the average salary for professionals and technicians in Mexico City would be tight to afford these properties. On average this group of workers receive 6,200 pesos per month.
So yes, paying for life in one of these neighborhoods in Mexico City is out of reach for the majority of the population. And if living in a central area that avoids spending three hours a day on transportation is unaffordable for almost all residents of the capital, then who is living here?
About 30% of the leases in the Cuauhtémoc mayor’s office, which concentrates the aforementioned neighborhoods, are active contracts with foreigners.
The first world is no longer first
The United States and Canada are the countries from which most international visitors to Mexico come. Two of the most developed countries in the world. This migratory paradox is curious; While thousands of Latin Americans try to migrate to these two countries, many of their citizens prefer to come to Mexico and other Latin American countries to live. What is happening then in the first world?
“It’s cheaper to live here, yes, but it’s not just that. I am collecting experiences, the weather is an important factor, but the culture, the food, the people. That is what makes you feel the quality of life. There are things here that you can’t find in America. Dogs on the street, friendly gentlemen in a taxi, people preparing food, are things that really add to my life. I don’t have a plan, but I definitely don’t want to go back to the United States, not soon,” said David Kinkade in an interview with The Economist.
David was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, he is a graphic designer and although he came to Mexico by some kind of chance, he has been living here for about a year, since the Covid-19 restrictions allowed to reactivate international travel.
“When the pandemic started I was in Spain, so I returned to Arizona, where I am from and where my family lives, but I was ready to travel to any part of the world once it was possible. At the end of 2020, I saw that Mexico was one of the few countries that was open. I thought it was dangerous but it was worth it. My plan was to travel fast, I thought it would be 10 weeks, but well, then Mexico happened.
And what is observed in the streets, restaurants and cafes of the capital is in line with the figures: during 2021 international visitors continue to arrive in Mexico, staying longer and longer and spending more and more money here. Only in the accumulated of January-November entered 17,263 million dollars for tourism concept. And the monthly data of tourist currencies in November reached a historical amount since records have been kept.
But not everything is pink. “I am aware that this is not my country, it is not my culture and I have income in another currency. And that I live here has an impact. Of course I am to blame and I try to compensate for the privileges with some other actions. I don’t know if there is a fair solution, but I think it’s important to respect these places, their people and their culture,” added David.
And then what do we do with gentrification?
Mexico is a deeply unequal country, its most important metropolis, Mexico City and its outskirts are not exempt from this problem. Since before the pandemic. While the Benito Juárez mayor’s office is one of the most developed towns in the country, some neighborhoods in Iztapalapa do not even have a daily water supply.
The gentrification of downtown neighborhoods and cool of the Mexican capital has been more of a catalyst for these inequalities, which were even more exposed with the pandemic. It’s not just about housing anymore. Buying an elote con queso from a mobile establishment probably costs twice as much in Roma Sur compared to any neighborhood in Milpa Alta.
The long stays of foreigners in Mexico impact in a “chiaroscuro” mode. Beyond its negative or positive effects, the figures show that it is an unstoppable trend. On the other hand, the unknown persists about the factors, in addition to economic flexibility, that push citizens of developed countries to move to cities like this and many others in Latin America.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx