Let’s be honest Mexico City is engineered to impress you, and it’s also ridiculously easy to blow your money if you stick to the ‘Polanco Bubble’ or the expensive tours that the travel blogs recommend. Follow the shiny Instagram travel guides and the top-rated rooftop bars, and you’ll be broke by Tuesday. The thing is, though: millions of chilangos live in Mexico City on the cheap every day of the week, and they eat better than most tourists do. The advantage of traveling Mexico City solo is huge because you can squeeze into a packed taco stand or score the ‘last-minute’ seat at a lucha libre event that a group of four couldn’t possibly get.

Want to have a world-class experience without the premium price? Take the metro and eat at the places the locals do.

Getting Around Mexico City on the Cheap

Transportation is where most people bleed money on Ubers. While Ubers are cheaper here than in the US, the traffic is legendary and will eat your time.

  • Get a Mobility Card: Stop messing around with individual tickets. Get yourself a "Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada" for 15 pesos. This card can be used to pay for your Metro, Metrobus, and even your Cablebús tickets.
  • The Metro is Your Best Friend: For the low price of 5 pesos (30 cents) per ticket, the Metro is one of the cheapest subway systems in the world. Tip: If you're a woman, the first few cars are reserved for women and children during rush hour. This is a much more pleasant experience for the solo woman traveler.
  • The "Best Free View" in the Sky: Take the Cablebús (Line 2) with your mobility card. Cablebús is the public teleférico system. The cable car system offers users the experience of flying over the colorful rooftops of Iztapalapa for 40 minutes. And the best part is, it's the cost of a regular Metro ticket!
  • Ecobici: Mexico City has one of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world. For the low price of a daily or weekly pass, rent yourself a bike and ride through the flat and tree-lined streets of Roma and Condesa. On Sundays, the main street, Paseo de la Reforma, is closed off to all motor vehicles.

Solo Dining: Where to Eat for Under $150 Pesos

The "solo tax" doesn't exist here. In fact, the best food in the city is designed to be eaten standing up on a sidewalk or perched on a plastic stool.

  • The “Street Taco” Culture: This is the ultimate budget hack. Eat at the stands with the largest crowds. A couple of tacos al pastor or suadero will cost you 15-20 pesos per taco. Two or three tacos and an agua fresca is a full, delicious meal for under $5 USD.
  • Fondas (The “Comida Corrida”): Between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, look for these small, family-owned restaurants. They have a menu del día, which includes an appetizer, main dish, side dish of rice and/or beans, and a drink. All of this for 80-120 pesos.
  • Mercado Roma vs. Mercado Medellín: Skip the trendy, expensive Mercado Roma and head to Mercado Medellín in Roma Sur. This is an old-school market where you can get massive piles of carnitas or fresh ceviche for a fraction of the “gourmet” price.
  • Churreria El Moro: It’s an institution. While there are fancy ones, the original in Centro Histórico is the place to be. A solo order of churros and hot chocolate is a classic NYC equivalent of “coffee and donut,” but infinitely more atmospheric.
  • The “Street Taco” Culture: This is the ultimate budget hack. Eat at the stands with the largest crowds. A couple of tacos al pastor or suadero will cost you 15-20 pesos per taco. Two or three tacos and an agua fresca is a full, delicious meal for under $5 USD.
  • Fondas (The “Comida Corrida”): Between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, look for these small, family-owned restaurants. They have a menu del día, which includes an appetizer, main dish, side dish of rice and/or beans, and a drink. All of this for 80-120 pesos.
  • Mercado Roma vs. Mercado Medellín: Skip the trendy, expensive Mercado Roma and head to Mercado Medellín in Roma Sur. This is an old-school market where you can get massive piles of carnitas or fresh ceviche for a fraction of the “gourmet” price.
  • Churreria El Moro: It’s an institution. While there are fancy ones, the original in Centro Histórico is the place to be. A solo order of churros and hot chocolate is a classic NYC equivalent of “coffee and donut,” but infinitely more atmospheric.

The Culture "In" (Without the Entry Fee)

Mexico City has more museums than almost any other city on earth, but you don't always need a ticket to experience the art.

  • Mural Hunting for Free: You don’t have to spend money to get into a museum to see the Diego Rivera murals. Walk into the Secretaría de Educación Pública building or the Palacio Municipal. Government buildings have massive murals that are free for the public and are of the highest quality. You just need to bring your ID to get in.
  • Sunday is Free Day: State museums like the Anthropology Museum or the Bellas Artes Museum are free on Sundays. Be warned: they get very crowded. So if you’re a solo traveler and don’t like crowds, it’s worth paying the $90 pesos entrance fee on a Tuesday morning.
  • The Soumaya Museum: This stunning silver-tiled museum in the glitzy Carso neighborhood is free every single day. Inside are thousands of Rodin sculptures and European masterpieces.
  • Tianguis (Street Markets): For a strange and fascinating cultural experience, visit the Lagunilla Market on a Sunday. It’s a massive flea market with free access to antiques, Lucha Libre masks, and vintage clothing.

Local Vibes: Making the City Your Own

  • Bosque de Chapultepec: This park is twice the size of New York’s Central Park. It’s great to walk around in, check out the ‘Audiorama’ (a secret forest hideaway with classical music and seats), or sit by the lake – all of which is free of charge.
  • The Lucha Libre Hack: It’s cheaper to buy tickets at the window of Arena México than to book them online through the ‘tourist packages.’ And besides, sitting in the ‘cheap seats,’ also known as ‘gradas,’ is more fun anyway – that’s where the best heckling is.
  • Kiosco Morisco: Check out the neighborhood of Santa María la Ribera. The Moorish Kiosk in the park is in the center of the park and is beautifully designed. It’s the perfect place to sit and read a book and watch the world go by without a single other tourist in sight.
  • Plaza Garibaldi: Go at night to listen to the Mariachi band. It’ll cost you money to get them to sing a song just for you, but it’s free to sit in the square and listen to them sing for other people.

The Bottom Line: Mexico City is only as expensive as your fear of the Metro. If you skip the "curated" experiences, embrace the street food stands, and travel during the day like a local, you’ll find that CDMX is one of the most welcoming—and affordable—cities on the planet for a solo traveler.