Why Americans Are Relocating To Mexico City For A Better Life

What does it take to achieve the American Dream? For some, it means moving to Mexico City. CNBC Make It spoke to several Americans who have relocated in search of a better life. For locals, it’s complicated.

Producer, Narrator & Camera: Tasia Jensen
Managing Producer & Camera: Beatriz Bajuelos
Reporter: Celia Fernandez
Editor: Marisa Forziati
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Animation: Gene Kim
Senior Production Manager: Kathryn Mavrikakis
Color: Mickey Todiwala
Sound Mixer: Bill LaShell
Additional Footage: Getty Images
Executive Producer: Kamelia Angelova
Executive Editor: Jenna Goudreau
Deputy Managing Editor: Ester Bloom
Life Editor: Rudine Manning
Data Visualization Reporter: Gabriel Cortés
Special Thanks: Jesus Jeovanny Montes de Oca, Yadar Martinez Pepe, Joel Diaz, Francisco Otero, Hugo Luna

About CNBC Make It: CNBC Make It is a new section of CNBC dedicated to making you smarter about managing your business, career, and money.

Connect with CNBC Make It. Online

#CNBC
#cnbcmakeit

Why Americans Are Relocating To Mexico City For A Better Life

[killersanabria]

If you come and stay in Mexico City, remember 3 things: 1) You are not a tourist, expat or a "digital nomad", you are an inmigrant: You HAVE to adapt to our country and ways of life 2) Employees in shops, restaurants, etc are NOT BENEATH YOU, here in Mexico we treat people as we wish to be treated 3) Respeta nuestra cultura, esfuerzate en aprender el idioma y nuestra historia

[andrecastro]

Keep in mind, many locals hold a big grudge against americans who are moving to Mexico City. While americans see it as an affordable way of living or a "fun" adventure in their lives, for a lot of locals means a ridiculous increase in rent and having to move out from the place they have called home for many years. So yeah, it's easy to understand the escalating local anger toward remote workers living in Mexico since they are pretty much gentrifying people out of their homes.

[edgarmichel]

Desde que vi el titulo del video lo primero que se me vino a la mente fue la palabra GENTRIFICACIÓN.

[juelettefadness]

I just read that Mexico City has 20 million people and the city is running out of water. Underground water reserves have been depleted and the city is sinking into an ancient lake bed.

[princezacaramelo]

Yo solamente opino que el gobierno debería de poner reglas claras para los inmigrantes que quieran vivir en Mexico, en cuanto al pago de impuestos (no solo el IVA, sino el ISR), siendo ciudadana mexicana me parece triste que la vida de los residentes se encarezca enormemente debido a la gentrificación...

[nishiljaiswal]

I think the biggest takeaway in these *immigrant* videos is that people want good urbanism that most American cities lack.

[alejandraserna]

Un nivel inmenso de privilegio el creerse seguros en un país al que no pertenecen, de sentir esa comodidad mientras los verdaderos ciudadanos son desplazados a la periferia 💔

La nueva colonización, terrible

[alvarorivasvalencia]

My brother, who lives there, shared that it's becoming a problem for locals because prices on everything have soared. Also, they are gentrifying areas and slowly kicking out people who have been there for generations. It is what it is, but people are getting fed up with certain things.

[fiof]

I don't understand Americans. After 21+ years of living in the USA and constantly experiencing discrimination as a Latin immigrant, and hearing Latin America being described as a hellhole, now seeing Americans call Mexico the American dream while inflating prices for everything over there leaves me dumbfounded, it's adding insult to injury.

Edit: It's amazing how much hate I get in the comments when I'm simply pointing out hate. Mentally healthy individuals would say, "Sorry to hear that. I'm not like this. I hope you find better people, " or something similar. Instead, many people decide to double down on the hate.

I have a solution. I propose that Mexico passes a law requiring Americans in Mexico to:

1. Hang out only with other Mexicans (perhaps allowing one single American friend while in Mexico).
2. Get taxed on their American wages so that what remains after tax is equivalent to what a Mexican would earn in Mexico for the same job. For instance, if you are a software engineer making 100k in the USA, and the same job in Mexico pays 30k, then you pay the Mexican government 70k.

If you truly love Mexico as much as you claim, you should have no problem abiding by these rules. Otherwise, you'll receive a letter in the mail saying, "If you don't like it here, then go back to your country."

Before anyone tries to attack me on it, I have hung out with Americans 99% of the time since I got here, especially in the beginning when I wanted to assimilate.

[angelprat]

the humbleness in the way the Blaxicocina owner said "I'll stay for as long as you would have me" just goes to show that she understood mexico and that she is becoming one with us

[XanderLerGuez]

Por culpa de estos videos sufre la gente que vivimos en esta gran ciudad. Me impresiona que des a pie a la gentrificación.

[milosflaca]

Gentrification is becoming a huge problem for us (I am Mexican and prices are now sky high and we locals pay more taxes etc). Also, there is no water in Mexico city. I have lived here for many years now, and we are experiencing an alarming shortage of water. And this is a problem that has gone from bad to worse.

[dita]

Soy de Bosnia, emigré a EEUU hace unos años, ahora quiero emigrar a Mexico. Hablo español mexicano, y nuestra cultura balcánica es muy similar a la mexicana, me identifico muy fácil con la gente, la entiendo, y amo, amo a mexico. Lo que me choca de los gringos nómadas es que les gusta la misma manera de vivir como en los yunaites, pero con el precio menor, prefieren a pinche Starbucks y mamadas similares, tanto así que las colonias cambian porque los hay tanto que les gusta esa vibra de cero estética y desprovista de vida y belleza, según yo. No manches, si te vas a mudar en algún lugar, múdate porque te gusta la gente, la cultura, el idioma… no porque quieres continuar con la misma vida por menos lana.

[trips]

3:49 glad she ackowledged shes an immigrant, and not an expat like how so many Americans and Canadians claim when they move to Mexico. Honesty matters. Well done.

[abrahameduardoordoricaisla]

As a "digital nomad" you should take this in consideration:
Your peace, hapiness and relaxation generate stress, fear and disadvantage to locals.
You are working here with salaries that are completely out of the posibilities of any local worker and you are generating the cost of the life increasses to unsupportable levels.

In simple words: You are taking the hapiness and relaxation of another people. You are causing the rush and stress that you are scaping for to locals.

[IrasemaDilc]

Me dió mucha tristeza este video, la felicidad de unos es el desfortunio de otros!!!!....

[PAPO]

Mexican here. Great documentary by the way. It has some great points. To all *immigrants* coming here temporarily/permanently I give you three recommendations: 1-Speak spanish 2-Respect the people, culture, the law and the community just like you would your home country. 3- If you are staying long term, try to integrate with the community more. Trust me, México is not just Roma norte and La condesa.

[patricioromo]

She says something really important "Be part of the local fabric" Americans need to understand that if they come to live here in Mexico, you need to become part of society (pay taxes, learn the language, earn in pesos, etc.) if not you are only becoming a problem for us.

[ShunguRocks]

¡Hola Mexico!🇲🇽 Estoy aprendiendo Español y no puedo esperar para visitar. Soy de Zimbabwe.

[marcosaba]

Es importante entender que la Ciudad de Mexico es y ha sido la casa de millones de personas durante muchisimos años.

La CDMX es mucho mas que un “trend” americano. Es un lugar de cultura, tradiciones y hogar para muchos.

No estoy opuesto a la imigracion. Sin embargo, si quieres venir y experimentar lo que es ser Mexicano, hazlo de la manera correcta y empieza por aprender el idioma y adaptarte a la cultura con respeto.