Recently, Mexico City has seen many Americans settle in some of its most popular neighborhoods, seduced by the charm of the Mexican capital and helped by the generalization of telecommuting. But…

Reportage

In Mexico, massive arrival of American teleworkers

Audio 03:33

Since the health crisis, many Americans have come to settle in the Roma district in Mexico City (Illustration image).

Text by: Gwendolina Duval

4 mins

Recently, Mexico City has seen many Americans settle in some of its most popular neighborhoods, seduced by the charm of the Mexican capital and helped by the generalization of telecommuting.

But the massive arrival of these digital nomads with much higher purchasing power than locals is not without consequences, and can generate significant transformations in a city where the average salary is barely 400 dollars.

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In Mexico City, in the chic district of Polanco, Alexandra Demou runs a real estate agency.

It offers a turnkey expatriation service in Mexico: “

Each week, we answer about 55 calls from new American clients, just Americans, who are looking for information on settling in Mexico City.
So there has been a huge increase.

Most are

young teleworkers or
freelancers

For a few months, a year or more, they are looking for a pleasant living environment: “

The main attraction of Mexico is that it's not expensive.
So you can have a much better quality of life for less.
I think that's the number one reason that draws people here.
And there, we are witnessing a big boom in the Roma and Condesa districts.

A gentrification

La Roma today is one of the liveliest areas of the capital.

Janis Dominguez has lived there for years.

She is Mexican and works as a make-up artist in nearby theaters.

For those of us who live in the city, prices have gone up, both in the supermarket and in the shops and even in restaurants," complains the Mexican.
In those where you used to go to eat, you no longer go there, because the prices are higher.

Like a cascading phenomenon, the gentrification at work in Mexico always pushes the locals back a little more, like Janis from the centers of activity: "

A Mexican cannot buy a property at 100,000

150,000
dollars.
Today, these opportunities are presented to tourists more than to Mexicans themselves… In fact, I am in the process of moving.
I'm going to a place further south in Roma where the prices are lower.

During the health crisis, Mexico remained

one of the only countries open

to tourists.

Many of them came there to escape confinement.

Consequently, in these tourist areas, the attendance of foreigners has continued to increase.

It is in this context that Carlos and Ricardo converted professionally to give Spanish lessons.

There was a demand that required us to offer this type of service, that's why we just started

The majority of students come from the United States.

Now located in the building of a chain of shared offices, their school has six teachers and teaches the language to about thirty students each week.

This is the case of Jessy and Eric who regularly come to work and have a good time in Mexico City.

“

We are lawyers and we have our own firm.
So we can work remotely and we can show up for hearings and mediations remotely

, says Jessy.

Lucky for us.

“

We love everything about Mexico City.
You can stay here for months and months without having seen everything, all these beautiful museums, all the restaurants, the bars

,” enthuses Eric.

Foreigners who spend a lot

Every year, spending by foreign tourists in Mexico amounts to several billion dollars.

For Carlos and Ricardo, who run the Spanish school, it's obvious that the massive influx of Americans is beneficial... and not just for their business, but also for the entire local economy: "

A lot of restaurants, businesses benefit from it.
Also, foreigners have a high purchasing power, so there is more consumption.

They have lived in the neighborhood for several years.

Even if both see an increase in the standard of living there, they assure that American tourism is transforming it positively.

“

In reality, he is recovering part of the life he lost, for example because of the earthquake of 2017. Many people have left, tourists too.
So I feel the neighborhood is recovering momentum.

Even if tourism accentuates the social divide in an already very contrasting city, the Mexican economy depends on it more than ever.

This year, it represents about 15% of its GDP.

►Also listen: Éco d'Ici Éco d'Ailleurs - Telework: slow revolution in companies

In Mexico, massive arrival of American teleworkers

In Mexico, massive arrival of American teleworkers

A gentrification

Foreigners who spend a lot

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