Derrick Morgan moved to Mexico during the pandemic after a solo trip.
“I fell in love with the culture, the people, just everything about the city,” the 31-year-old attorney and self-described “digital nomad,” said.
The warm weather and relaxed Covid restrictions played a part in his decision to spend more time there after he first visited at the end of 2019. He now lives and works in Mexico City during the fall and the winter — he calls himself a “snowbird” — and he stays in short-term rental properties. The most enticing factor? It’s less expensive to live there than when he’s at his Chicago condominium.
“I was living in an apartment that was just as nice as my condo but for a third of the price. You can’t really beat that,” Morgan said, noting Mexico’s cost of living, in general, was almost half of what it is stateside.
Mexico City has seen an influx of people migrating to the historic metropolis, especially during the pandemic when remote work made it possible to work from different places. Currently, 1.6 million Americans live in Mexico, according to the State Department, and Mexico City is the fifth-rated destination for digital nomads globally, according to nomadlist.com.
While foreigners have reaped the benefits of cheaper housing as they spend money on the local economy, some critics say it’s created more inequality for local Mexicans who are feeling priced out.
With information from NBC News
