What's it like living in Monterrey Mexico?
Recently, I received an email from a person thinking about moving to Monterrey from the States. They wanted to know what it’s like living here. They asked about churches in the area, safety concerns, living conditions and transportation.
After I took the time to answer them, I though it would be a good idea to post my response (paraphrased) to my blog. Maybe it this information will be useful to you.
Churches in Monterrey
There are a wide variety of churches in Monterrey, as you would find in any large city. You can find just about any denomination, and many churches have services in English. It would take a little bit of hunting to find the right fit for you, but of course, we have a church south of the city where you are welcome to visit and attend.
Safety concerns
Monterrey is much safer that it was 10 years ago. In the early 2010's many Americans were leaving Monterrey, but today they are returning in larger numbers. You will hear all kinds of things in the news, but once you get here, and actually live in the city, you will get a sense for where to be and where not to be.
Photo by Jorge Orozco on Unsplash
Again, this is a big city, so there are all kinds of risk involved with moving to a metropolitan area like Monterrey. The safest place to live in the area would probably be the municipality of San Pedro. This is the upscaled side of town – more expensive and attractive as well as clean.
We live in Santiago which is a "Pueblo Mágico". It's technically outside of Monterrey, about 15 minutes south of the city limits, but with a sprawling city like Monterrey, we don't feel like outsiders. There is an area between where we live and the Monterrey called "La Rioja". It's an up and coming part of town with lots of new homes and businesses being built. If I were to move anywhere, it would probably be that area.
Obviously, you'd want to stay away from the "Colonias Populares". These are lower income, inner-city areas where most of the crime takes place. There are some areas like "Independencia" where not even the police go. We go to these areas for ministry and nobody messes with us because they know we are doing good. Tourists should just steer clear.
Santiago, Nuevo León — Photo by Cande Westh on Unsplash
Housing
Furnished houses and apartments are easy to find. Look at spending anywhere from $800 to $1500 USD/month for something comparable to what you would have in the States. We rent a typical Mexican house 1/2 mile from our church here outside the city. Not furnished, on a dirt road for about $350/month USD. This is CHEAP for our area, but we've been renting here for 13 years, so the Landlord hasn't raised the rent too much during this time.
Transportation
Gas isn't cheap here. It runs about 23 pesos per liter – that's about $4.58/gal USD. Since the city is growing faster than the infrastructure can keep up, there is traffic all the time. So just take that into account when commuting or running errands.
If you have an American vehicle, you can bring it to Mexico on a temporary permit. You'll have to provide proof of ownership, valid registration and insurance. Only American owners would be legally allowed to drive it. You'll have to use a credit card at customs on your way in the country to put down a guarantee of a few hundred dollars. This is to ensure that you aren't going to sell the vehicle in Mexico illegally. You have to renew the permit about every 6 months. The guarantee gets refunded to your card when you cancel the permit.
Buying a vehicle here is pretty straightforward. About the same paperwork as buying one in the States — whether from a dealer or individual. Be prepared to pay a little more here than you would in the States. If you are going to be here long term, I would buy a vehicle here. You wouldn't stick out as much with Mexican plates. It would help you keep a lower profile. Again, the city is safer than it was a decade ago, but we still try to keep a low profile.
Depending on where you live/work/buy groceries/kids go to school, etc, etc, etc you could get away with using public transportation/Uber/taxis, but don't plan on it unless you just find the perfect situation.
Groceries
We have good grocery stores. We do our shopping, primarily, at H-E-B and Costco. I don't know if you are familiar with H-E-B, but it is the Texas version of Kroger. Walmart is NOTHING here like it is in the States so don't get your hopes up. Be prepared for sticker shock. Some folks think everything is cheaper in Mexico. Not the case in Monterrey. This is a modern city and one of the most expensive in Latin America.
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Shopping/Texas
We buy most of our clothes in the States. We are just a 3 hour drive from McAllen, TX. We go about once a month to pick up mail/packages we order on Amazon, get some good fast food and buy clothes and household goods. You can find clothes here, but for the most part, if they are as good quality as what you are used to in the States, you pay about 3x more. Same goes for shoes, electronics, furniture, etc. You have to pay a premium here to get what is readily available in the US.
I would not recommend traveling through Laredo, TX (this is probably just subjective, I could be wrong). We do our border crossing at the Anzalduas/Hidalgo bridge in the McAllen, TX area. In our long experience crossing the border, this is the best place to cross. Again, just personal preference. Others will disagree so don't take this advice as gospel.
Get directions to Anzalduas here http://bit.ly/3uyrzoS
Internet and streaming services
This is important to our family because we all have something to do online, whether it's school, teaching online, banking or entertainment. There are several big internet service providers in the area. Telmex is the biggest. You shouldn't have trouble getting high speed internet but if this is important to you, you must ask before finalizing any housing arrangements because there are some areas where the service providers have maxed out their infrastructure (again, the city is growing rapidly).
It took us 5 years to get service where we live for this reason. Now we have two ISPs in our home. You'll be able to sign up for several streaming services. Some work internationally, others are limited or don't work at all. We use a VPN to get around some of the geofencing so we can enjoy American streaming services.
Mail/packages
I mentioned that we go to the border about once a month to pick up mail/packages. You might want to find a mailbox service in McAllen for this same purpose. You can get Amazon deliveries in Monterrey, but it takes a long time (customs) and it's more expensive.
School
We have an English Christian school here at the church. Not sure what you have thought about for your kids. There are many bilingual schools in Monterrey, lot's of options.
Other Resources
I'm in a couple of groups on Facebook for expats moving to Monterrey.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/monterreyexpats
https://www.facebook.com/groups/423892884619556
These are sometimes helpful.
Consulate
You'll also want to stay in touch with the Consulate in Monterrey.
https://mx.usembassy.gov/visas/u-s-embassy-mexico-city/u-s-consulate-general-monterrey/#more
They have valuable information about traveling/living in Mexico. I used to get emails from them periodically, but I haven't in a while. I may need to sign up again. They let you know if the Secretary of State has issued any warnings for U. S. Citizens living abroad. Comes in handy sometimes.
In closing…
Hope this quick article has helped you. Please like and leave a comment. Thanks