Total Trip: How to enjoy a long weekend in Mexico City for less than $500

I’m a California-based photographer and I recently visited Mexico City (CDMX) for a weekend getaway with my girlfriend. I'd like to share how I experienced the best that the city has to offer in three days, with a budget of less than $500 per person.

Why Mexico City? Well, I had heard time and time again how amazing the city is. Given its proximity to Los Angeles – closer than Miami or New York City – I decided I needed to check out its exciting food scene, world-class museums, trendy neighborhoods and beautiful parks for myself.

My biggest concern for the trip was how I was going to experience all this on a medium-sized budget in just three days. But I did, and here's how.

Pre-trip spending

There were some up-front costs for the trip, as well as flights, which I haven't included in the budget. We paid $163.34 per person for four nights in an Airbnb in the Mexico City neighborhood of Roma Norte.

On the ground

Thursday

From the Airport: We landed late on Thursday night, so transport options were limited. Inside the airport, we were told a taxi would cost 580 pesos ($32.98); outside the airport, we were quoted a fare of 275 pesos ($15.63). After this confusing disparity, we discovered that Uber was even cheaper, at 199 pesos ($11.34), so we went with that.

Total: The cost for my half of the Uber fare (my girlfriend and I split everything down the middle) was $5.67.

Friday

Breakfast: For breakfast, we enjoyed coffee and chilaquiles (fried corn tortillas with sauce) at a joint near our Airbnb called Enhorabuena Café for 260 pesos ($14.79). You can’t drink the tap water in CDMX, so we bought a two-liter bottle of water for 22 pesos ($1.25) to keep us hydrated throughout the day.

Lunch: We spent a few hours exploring neighborhood sights in Roma Norte and nearby Condesa before grabbing lunch. Buying eight mouth-wateringly delicious tacos from a street stand called Tacos Chanito cost us 150 pesos ($8.53), 50 pesos of which was a tip.

Activities: We took an Uber for 210 pesos ($11.95) to the Museo Frida Kahlo, which had a steep-ish entrance fee of 250 pesos ($14.22) per person. Afterward, we spent the afternoon roaming local markets, including the lively Mercado de Coyoacán, before returning to our Airbnb on the Metro for just 10 pesos each ($0.57).

Dinner: You might think we would have had our fill of tacos for the day…but no, there was always room for more! For dinner, we got more tacos at the deservedly famous Tacos Orinoco in Rome Norte for 286 pesos ($16.27), followed by some drinks at La Clandestina, a local craft cocktail bar, for 305 pesos ($17.35).

Total: Our total per-person spend for the day was $49.57.

Saturday

Breakfast: We kicked off with a tasty breakfast at WO Barra De Café; I went for the chilaquiles, and my girlfriend the eggs, which came to 278 pesos ($15.82) in total. We grabbed another bottle of water for the day for 22 pesos ($1.25) and went on our way.

Activities: We took an Uber for 119 pesos ($6.77) to reach the Centro Histórico, CDMX’s historic heart. We could have taken the Metro, but we decided that an extra few bucks split between us was worth it for the time-saving convenience.

We spent the morning roaming around, checking out the striking Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución) before heading to another part of town. Since the traffic was crazy, it seemed easier to jump into an ordinary taxi than to call an Uber. This was a mistake; we ended up paying 510 pesos ($29.01), nearly twice what we would have paid by Uber. You live and you learn.

Lunch & Afternoon: After a quick lunch of tacos, tortas (sandwiches), grilled onions and a beer for 341 pesos ($19.40), we headed to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. This is one of the most-visited museums in the world and it holds a wealth of pre-Hispanic treasures. The entrance fee was only 90 pesos each ($5.12), and, honestly, we could have spent the entire day (or more) in this incredible place. One day simply wasn't enough.

Snacks: When we finally managed to tear ourselves away from the museum, we enjoyed a leisurely walk back to our Airbnb with a pit stop at the delightful Pasteleria Suiza for a few sweet treats. Their baked goods were as tasty as they were visually appealing – we got two pastries for 105 pesos ($5.97).

Dinner: We splurged on dinner at Meroma, an upscale restaurant where a meal including bright ceviche, grilled artichokes, crispy suckling pig and wine set us back 2004 pesos ($114.01) in total.

Total: Our total per-person costs for the day came to $101.23.

Sunday

Breakfast: We got an early start on Sunday to head to the colossal archaeological site marking the ancient capital of the Teotihuacán civilization, about 30 miles (50km) outside of the city. We grabbed a quick breakfast of two espressos and a mango smoothie at La Balance for 153 pesos ($8.70) to set us up for the morning.

Activities: To save time, we took an Uber to Teotihuacán for 664 pesos ($37.77) and paid an entrance fee of 90 pesos ($5.12) each, hiring a tour guide for two hours for 1000 pesos ($56.89). I've taken similar sightseeing trips before, and I've always found that paying extra for a tour guide gives a more detailed experience. Sated with history, we then hopped on the bus to get back to town for 60 pesos ($3.41) each.

Lunch: Lunch was a plate of tacos and tamales (steamed, stuffed corn-dough) to share for 150 pesos ($8.53) at hole-in-the-wall snack stop El Turix. We couldn’t help but have another round of pastries from Pasteleria Suiza on the way home (it was on the same block as our Airbnb). We spent 95 pesos ($5.40) on what I think was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever experienced.

Dinner: We wandered around, enjoying our neighborhood after a busy day, before an incredible dinner and drinks at Polpo, an elegant bar we happened to pass. Two cocktails and three shared plates (including creamy saffron rice with prawns and crispy-skinned beef with a smoky coffee rub) came to 1132 pesos ($64.40) in total.

Total: The total per-person cost for the day was $99.35.

Monday

To the Airport: Reluctantly, we had to wind up our trip on Monday. We headed to the airport at 5am, with an off-peak Uber fare of 109 pesos ($6.20).

Total: Our trip back to the airport cost us just $3.10 each.

The final tally

Our total on-the-ground costs in Mexico City came to just $422.26 per person, including accommodation.

While I often travel on a very tight budget, my girlfriend and I were happy to spend a bit more on this mini vacation and it was good value for such an activity-filled trip.

However, it’s also easy to enjoy Mexico City on a shoestring budget, sticking to the superb street food and more casual eateries, and enjoying cheaper sights. We found that cocktails were quite expensive relative to food, whereas beers were reasonably priced, so that's something to bear in mind when planning a night out.

We also spent a decent amount of money on transportation, choosing to save time by taking Ubers and taxis. If you're watching the pennies, the Metro covers the entire city for a fraction of the cost. To avoid too much traveling around, I’d recommend doing some careful research into the best neighborhood to stay in. We chose Roma Norte for its proximity to great restaurants, cafes, bars and art, and this didn't place us too far from the Centro Histórico.