Excerpted from the Mexico Career Guide

Cost of Living

Mexico’s economy has been expanding rapidly and it is now the world’s 11^th largest. The nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product – a measure of a country’s wealth) grew by 3.8 percent last year. Moreover, the economy is expected to continue to show strong growth over the next two years.

Housing

Home prices are rising across Mexico, but by and large housing for expatriates is still affordable. Xpatulator.com ranks housing costs for expatriates in Mexico City at 372 out of 780 international locations. These costs include rent, utilities and taxes.

Just as overall prices vary across Mexico, the cost of housing varies significantly as well. Even within Mexico City, there are significant variations in types of housing and neighborhoods. A furnished three-bedroom apartment or house in an exclusive neighborhood can rent for as much as 6,000 USD per month.

Transportation

Mexico has the largest paved road network in Latin America, including more than 10,000 km of expressways. Toll roads known as autopistas de cuota connect Mexico’s largest cities. These toll roads are among the most expensive to travel in the world. The quality of Mexico’s other roadways is variable. Some roads in more rural areas are in poor repair. In addition to automobile travel, Mexico has many inter-city bus services connecting most of the country. Bus travel in Mexico is not only economical, but also efficient and comfortable. Several classes of bus travel are available, ranging from luxury to very basic.

Medical Care and Health Insurance

Mexico’s universal health care system (Seguro Popular or cobertura universal de salud) now covers more than 50 million previously uninsured Mexicans in public insurance programs Apart from Seguro Popular, Mexico has two main systems of medical care: the national government program and private insurance. Salaried workers in Mexico are covered either by private schemes or through the Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social or IMSS).

This is just a short sample of what you’ll find in over 100 pages of information in the complete Mexico Guide.