A Week In Mexico City, Mexico, On A $92,000 Salary

Occupation: Analyst
Industry: Tech
Age: 27
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Salary: $92,000
Paycheck Amount (2x/month): $2,800

Monthly Expenses
Rent: $1,200 for a two-bedroom apartment, split evenly with my partner.
Mortgage: $2,900 for our house in Seattle, split evenly with my partner. (We have a renter who pays us $1,000/month and runs half of the house on Airbnb, which we usually make about $1,400/month from. My partner and I split the remainder, which works out to be about $250 each per month.)
Student Loan Payment: $564
Utilities: $120
Phone: $89
Car Insurance: $130 (for our two cars in Seattle)
Spotify: $10
Netflix: $8

Additional Expenses
Drinking Water: $4/week
Housecleaning: $15 for four hours a week

7 a.m. — I wake up hungry for the first time in a while — I got a nasty stomach infection over a month ago that landed me in the hospital, and it's taken me a while to recover. I send obnoxiously chipper texts out to friends and family exclaiming my #hungerwonder and make myself a bowl of yogurt with banana, mango, and a spoonful of local honey.

10 a.m. — Still hungry! I've been working on a project that's fast approaching its deadline for a couple hours straight now, and I decide to take a break to eat some dates dipped in tahini. I also have a spoonful of edible cookie dough I made with my boyfriend last night, and then soft-boiled eggs with reheated congee and sautéed spinach.

1 p.m. — Barre subscription renewal. I have lower back and hip problems, so I try to do at-home barre workouts two to three times a week. It's cheaper than physical therapy and helps keep things stable. $30

6:30 p.m. — There's a spin studio near our apartment offering a two-for-one deal. I book bikes for my boyfriend and me and we walk to class together. $15

8 p.m. — Dinner is a smoothie with sweet potato, cauliflower, blueberries, heaps of cacao, and vegan protein. And another spoonful of cookie dough.

7 a.m. — Yogurt again for breakfast. I also cook oatmeal for lunch and add egg white, vegan protein, cacao and maca powder. I mix in dates and drizzle with tahini. Am I a food blogger yet?

9 a.m. — 30-minute Uber ride to the office. I try to make it in twice a week, mostly for the opportunity to socialize with people who are not my dog. I'm still learning Spanish though, so my conversations with coworkers are somewhat limited. $5.88

12:30 p.m. — Mmmm, protein oats at my desk.

2 p.m. — My mom's birthday is coming up, and since I won't be spending it with her this year, I send her flowers and chocolate to be delivered to her on the day of. $80

5 p.m. — Uber home. Traffic is terrible, so it takes almost an hour to make it back to my apartment. I check my air quality app and decide to take the dog out only for a quick walk, since it isn't great. $7.24

6:30 p.m. — Boxing class with a friend. Before I got sick, I was taking boxing classes pretty regularly. This is my first class back and it kicks my butt in the best way. We get tea afterward, and she picks up the bill. $15

8 p.m. — Pick up eggs and a bar of artisan soap on the walk home. For dinner, we make eggs with leftover sweet potato, avocado, and sautéed spinach. I'm rereading the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, so I read while my boyfriend watches a couple episodes of The Office. We set our alarms for the morning and pass out. $2

7:30 a.m. — Yogurt and coffee for breakfast. Boyfriend roasts all our coffee, and right now I'm loving the batch he roasted from Chiapas. Mexico grows some of the most phenomenal coffee. Boyfriend heads to work and I water our (many) plants before logging onto my computer.

10:30 a.m. — I need a break from work, so I take a walk around our neighborhood. Near our home, there's a beautiful tree-lined footpath loop that's about a mile long. It's perfect for people watching. On my way back, I buy sliced mango with chili and lime for $1.50 and eat it when I get back to the apartment. $1.50

12:30 p.m. — Another at-home barre workout. I choose a shorter workout today, since I'm sore from yesterday's boxing class.

2 p.m. — We have a beach trip coming up next month, and a few more people have decided to join. I book my flight ($100) and an extra hotel room to accommodate the newbies who pay me back on Venmo. $100

2:30 p.m. — Thinking about my trip has me thinking about my wardrobe, so I dig out my summer clothes to assess. Being sick caused me to lose weight, and while I know I'll eventually get back to my normal weight, none of my clothes fit right now. I see this as reason enough to buy an Isabel Marant skirt on The RealReal that is super on sale and a one-piece swimsuit from a local brand. $100

8 p.m. — Date night! Boyfriend and I have been together for six years and have lived together for almost that long. Having a designated date night carves out time specifically for our relationship, and it's something we both make a priority, even during the busiest of weeks. Tonight we try a new vegan restaurant nearby ($25, which we split) and make cinnamon rolls together (not not a euphemism) when we get home. $12.50

7:30 a.m. — More yogurt, today with banana and mango. Boyfriend has to go in early today, and he makes me coffee before he leaves. True love. I settle in for a three-hour work call to go over quarterly earnings.

11:30 a.m. — I noticed a tiny hole forming along the seam of my favorite workout pants which, sadly, do not ship to Mexico, so I can't order a new pair. Once my call is over, I take them to a tailor nearby and he repairs it for about $1.60. While I'm waiting, I browse English books in a nearby bookstore and land on a biography of Coco Chanel and The Two Towers ($55). Books here are not cheap — the biography is especially expensive — but I spend enough to qualify for a sweet reusable bag. $56.60

1:30 p.m. — I make rice porridge with half an avocado and a hardboiled egg for lunch. My stomach is feeling a little queasy from last night's meal, so my lunch is light (and boring). I eat a couple of Saltines as well.

5 p.m. — I sign up for spinning and boxing classes tonight, since I know the spinning instructor is an easy one. I have one extra spin class credit, so I only have to pay for the boxing class. $15

9 p.m. — A friend is visiting for the week, and my boyfriend and I offer to meet him at the airport. Boyfriend pays for the Ubers both ways. We're all tired when we get back to our apartment, but we're excited to catch up, so we get drinks at a bar down the street. Our friend picks up the $62 tab.

7 a.m. — Yogurt and coffee on our patio. On Friday mornings there's a small open-air market on our street, and I love listening to the sounds of the vendors setting up. It's mostly food and plant vendors, but there's a stall that sells vintage goods as well that's always worth checking out.

11 a.m. — The air quality is clear, thanks to rain last night. I take advantage and go for a lunch run in the Bosque de Chapultepec, a huge city park almost twice the size of Central Park. It's a huge tourist attraction, so the people-watching is always prime.

1 p.m. — I'm starving after my run, so I snack on dates dipped in tahini while I wait for a sweet potato to roast in the oven. I top the sweet potato with ghee, eggs, sautéed spinach, and avocado.

4 p.m. — Boyfriend gets home from work early on Fridays, and we usually make an effort to get to the market before it closes. While there, I pick up an etched mercury glass decanter ($3) from the vintage vendor and he buys a miniature cactus plant. We also share jicama slices with chili and lime ($0.75). Our visiting friend was out exploring all day, but he's back at the apartment when we return. We solidify plans for the night, and then I Skype with a friend from home while the other two nap. $3.75

8 p.m. — We have dinner and drinks at an amazing Oaxacan restaurant. We lived in Oaxaca a couple years ago and the mole at this restaurant is just as good as we remember it. We order way too much food and mezcal and split the $120 bill equally between the three of us. $40

6 a.m. — We head up to the mountains this morning for a soccer game. We're almost 10,000 feet above sea level and the air is so much cleaner than it is in the city. This also means the sun is a lot stronger, so I'm wearing sunscreen and reapplying throughout the day. It's early and I'm still sleepy when we arrive, so I buy cafe de olla to wake up. $1.25

12 p.m. — We get a ride back with friends and stop for tacos. $12 buys us 10 tacos to split and a couple beers. I pay, since I'm the only one with cash on hand. $12

8 p.m. — Lazy day! We come home and read/nap after the tacos. At around 8 p.m., my boyfriend and I make eggs with avocado, which we eat on the patio and with a couple glasses of wine. Then we read more and head to bed.

9 a.m. — Sunday mornings in Mexico City are the absolute best — a number of streets shut down and become pedestrian/biker only, so my boyfriend and I decide to take the dog on a long walk to our favorite bakery. There are no signs, so I couldn't tell you the name of the place, but they have the best baguette and croissants in the city. We pick up a baguette and a couple pastries for later ($1.30, I pay) and share the baguette as we walk. We also stop for two coffees ($4.50, boyfriend treats). $1.30

11 a.m. — Sunday is market day. After our walk, we head to our usual market for weekly food supplies. I buy miso to make congee later this week, plus fruits, vegetables, and ingredients to make Josey Baker's Adventure Bread. I can't find psyllium husk, which the recipe calls for, but I figure I'll add extra chia seeds and hope it works (spoiler: it does). $35

3 p.m. — I spend the afternoon prepping for the week — in addition to baking the bread, I roast a couple sweet potatoes and make sauerkraut and coconut yogurt. Lunch ends up being a somewhat random medley of sautéed mushrooms, a hardboiled egg, half a sweet potato, and a spoonful of macadamia nut butter.

7 p.m. — Instagram scrolling during dinner — I know, I know, it's a terrible habit — leads me to purchase a swimsuit for our upcoming trip. I take a long walk to avoid any further boredom shopping. Boyfriend meets me at the park after playing in a soccer game and we walk back home together. $166

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