I Took My Household of three on a Weeklong Trip to Mexico Metropolis for Much less Than $3,000 — Here is How I Did It

When your brother strikes to Mexico Metropolis, you go to — particularly when your child is about to show 2 and it’s your final probability to get in a free worldwide flight. (Youngsters fly free on main U.S. airways till their 2nd birthday.)

Along with saving a buck, I used to be concerned with seeing a special facet of Mexico, as I had solely ever been to its seaside cities. I used to be particularly excited to expertise Mexico Metropolis’s meals scene. You may eat at one of many metropolis’s seven Michelin-starred eating places (in some instances for lower than $20), and pattern gadgets like tamales, tacos, tortas, and tlacoyos on the road for lower than $1. 

Even higher, Mexico Metropolis’s lodging is reasonably priced, plus there are tons of direct flights from the U.S.

Right here’s how I took my household of three to Mexico Metropolis on a finances, spending lower than $3,000 for a weeklong trip.

We booked flights two months upfront and solely needed to pay for a 3rd seat on the way in which residence.

Value: $1,729

For this journey, flights accounted for nearly two-thirds of our complete finances. As a result of I dwell six hours from the closest worldwide airport, I at all times must pay for an extra puddle-jumper flight. Plus, my daughter turned 2 whereas we have been in Mexico, so whereas she traveled free of charge on the way in which there, we had to purchase her a seat for the return residence. 

Tickets to Mexico Metropolis from our regional airport have been $687 per grownup. Moreover, we needed to pay $355 for my daughter’s one-way return ticket.

We stayed in an Airbnb the complete time — and cut up the fee with my brother and oldsters.

Value: $385

Airbnb’s are splendidly prevalent and reasonably priced in Mexico Metropolis. You will discover a non-public condominium for as little as $15 an evening. We stayed in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom condominium within the swanky Roma Norte neighborhood. It value $961 for the complete week, however as a result of we shared the house with my brother and oldsters, we solely needed to pay two-fifths of the fee. Consequently, per week of lodging value lower than $400 for our household of three.

We bought at the very least one meal a day from street-food stalls and skipped costly eating places. 

Value: Roughly $250

Sometimes after we journey, we attempt to eat two meals at residence. However in Mexico Metropolis, the meals was too good and reasonably priced to withstand. We tended to get a espresso and a roll from Panadería Rosetta for breakfast (round $5 per particular person), seize lunch from a street-food stall (round $2 per particular person), and eat dinner at a pleasant but reasonably priced restaurant (round $10 per particular person). My nearly 2-year-old daughter normally ate off our plates.

We alternated between strolling, taking the prepare, and calling Ubers to discover the town. And we tried to stay to free sights.

Value: Roughly $200

Taking the metro in Mexico Metropolis prices 5 pesos (or roughly 28 cents) for one journey. Ubers value us round $8 a visit for my household of three. 

We visited many of the main sights, together with the Frida Kahlo Museum ($17 for adults, free for youths beneath 7) and Basilica de Santa María de Guadalupe (free). Exploring the park and testing the mercados have been additionally free. 

We splurged on a rental automotive to go to the Grutas Tolantongo sizzling springs and pyramids of Teotihuacan.

Value: $237

On account of site visitors and parking, renting a automotive in Mexico Metropolis was extra inconvenient (and costly) than taking the bus. However attending to Grutas Tolantongo, a cliffside sizzling springs resort, was troublesome to succeed in by bus — particularly with a child. We rented a minivan for 2 days so we may spend two half days and one evening on the sizzling spring and go to the pyramids of Teotihuacan on the way in which residence. 

The 2-day rental automotive value $326 complete, so we paid $130 for our two-fifths.

Our room at Grutas Tolantongo was $55 for the evening, and thermal park entry was $11 per particular person, per day (free for youths beneath 5). A ticket to entry Teotihuacan, an enormous archaeological complicated, was $4 for adults and free for youths.

In complete, I spent $2,801 to take my household of three on a one-week trip in Mexico Metropolis.

On common, we spent lower than $120 a day on meals and lodging — plus the price of flights and our weekend journey to Grutas Tolantongo and Teotihuacan. 

The truth that we have been in a position to cut up the price of our rental automotive and Airbnb with my household helped preserve our bills low, although you could possibly save much more by reserving an inexpensive Airbnb (there are alternatives for simply $15 an evening) and taking the bus to Grutas Tolantongo and Teotihuacan.