WI-FI

If you were surprised about the slowness of the up- and download speed, you will be in shock now: The fastest WIFI which I have experienced in Mexico was at a friend´s house in Playa del Carmen with around 10 MB Download. The upload speed there was extremely bad. In parts of Mexico where I have been, it was not faster than 2 MB. If you are dependent on fast internet, you should think twice whether or not this country is the right one for you.

Mobile Internet

The cost of a sim-card in Mexico is around 2 Euros. The data packages therefore are pretty expensive. I paid 20 Euros for a package with 2 GB (2016). The most famous service provider is Telcel. Fast internet is generally a problem in Mexico. This is the same with mobile data. I mostly had around 2 MB download-speed and a little less than 1 MB upload-speed.

MiFi

Another possibility for mobile internet access is a MiFi device, which creates a WiFi network for you. I have tested the GlocalMe device and think it’s a really useful addition of my travel equipment. You can either use it as an ordinary wireless router with up to two SIM cards (very useful if you work with mobile TANs, you want to be available on your local number or if you want to use the social networks with a 2-factor authentication) but you can also use it without a physical SIM card but with the built in cloudSIM technology (which is of course more expensive) in over 100 countries worldwide. Apart from that it’s also a 6000 mAh powerbank, which is never bad to have with you.

Living in Mexico as a Digital Nomad

I stayed only with locals and in hostels in Mexico, only twice in real hotels. The prices vary extremely according to the region. In Chiapas you can find a bed in a hostel dorm for only 100 Pesos (around 5 euro) whereas the cost in Quintana Roo is up to three times the price. The breakfast usually is included. If you eat mainly Street Food and buy your groceries in the supermarket, you can survive on 100 Pesos a day for food and beverages. Restaurant visits are becoming expensive if you do them regularly and don’t eat only Tacos – the national dish. Those are small Tortillas, how we would call them, with meat or vegetables as a filling. One costs between 8 and 15 Pesos. Whereas a burrito – which is more satiable – is around 60 to 90 Pesos in a normal restaurant. Car rentals are pretty expensive in Mexico, the prices are similar to the ones in Central Europe. I wanted to rent a car in Tulúm but then changed my plans due to the price. When I was in San Cristóbal, I rented one with Melanie from “Good morning world” and two friends, which cost us 45 Euros a day. But you really can go with public transportation. There are busses, smaller distances can be covered with so-called colectivos (smaller busses or vans) or collective taxis and for longer distances there is a well-developed net of long-distance coaches. The busses are unfortunately not as comfortable as they are in South America but they also have television and sometimes even WIFI. Recommendation: If you travel with the ADO (that is the biggest long-distance company), you should download the App and buy the ticket through it. You can get up to 50% discount. On the website you can only pay with Mexican credit cards. Using the app international cards are accepted!