we have tested 15 different budget accommodations in mexico city, so you don't have to!
Hello world! Tuning in from Mexico, you have a collab from your local residents Katia + Ransom as we feature the hostels we have tried and tested in the biggest city in North America! While you may find Mexico City to have reasonable prices by Western standards, we do feel gentrification has elevated prices. Here we detail our experiences, prices, ambiance, cleanliness, and other factors from shared hostel accommodations,
Before we dive into things, we will give our overview of every neighborhood. If you're willing to ride the Metro (just 5 pesos, or 25 cents per trip), you can get around most the city for cheap. We recommend first time travelers stay in the heart of the action -- the Centro Historico or Zocalo -- which is the ideal location to orient yourself in your first few days. The adjacent and safe neighborhood of Juarez also has good options to stay close to the heart of the city. Others may want to base themselves in Roma or Condensa, the historically wealthier parts of the city which are also full of green spaces, pricey coffee shops, bikes, and all kinds of vegan food. If you want to get out of the urban heart of the city, you may enjoy staying in the suburban neighborhoods of Polanco or Coyoacan. Now I present our views on different accomodations...
OUR TOP CHOICE: DF Hostel Suites: 5/5
Our ideal CDMX hostel - central location near Parque Alameda, the Monumento de Independencia, and the metro blue line, it is affordably priced (around $10 USD for a dorm bed), clean, and social. It offers shared dorm beds in both mixed or single gender rooms, as well as affordable private rooms. Your stay includes a great breakfast in the mornings (pancakes, juice, and coffee), and there is a shared kitchen, which is admittedly pretty small. It doesn’t have a bar which keeps noise levels reasonable, but it has a nice shared space and offers a variety of low-cost group activities throughout the city. Overall, it's super easy to make friends here, as it seems to draw a good mix of travelers that like to party, and others that like to be up at dawn for big adventures! Finally, the friendly and helpful staff make this place a perfect 5 stars for the price.
A CALM AND CLEAN BET: Mexico City Hostel: 4.5/5
"Mexico City Hostel lives up to its name: it is a hostel in Mexico City." - Ransom
In fact, it is much, much more! Located directly off the Zocalo, you climb a nondescript staircase, and enter a centuries-old refurbished building which seems far too beautiful and clean to be a travelers hostel. The prices are affordable, both for privates and shared dorms, and the rooms and bathrooms are extremely clean. Coffee and pastries are offered for free in the mornings, and the shared kitchen is spacious and offers whatever you might need. For a first time CDMX goer, the location is perfect, although the ambience was not the most social - a lot of the travelers seemed older, and somewhat on their own vibe. Tranquil, quiet, beautiful and clean, it has the feel of a luxury hotel, without the cost.
ANOTHER FAVORITE: Massiosare El Hostal 4.5/5:
Comfortable, homey, affordable, and well located off the centro, Massiosare is exactly what I look for in a hostel. Located just south of the Alameda, it is walking distance to several metro stops, as well as all the food, shops, and museums that the centro has to offer. Massiosare is located on the 4th floor of an old walk-up, and really gives you the feeling of living in CDMX. This is somewhat of a downside if you are coming back to the city after climbing Nevado de Toluca, and your legs barely work, but a kind old man in the stairwell told me “welcome to my country!” and that made me feel better. The hostel itself has a super welcoming feel, with a big open shared space with couches and a guitar. It has the best kitchen I’ve seen in a hostel with three separate stoves and a big table for shared meals, as well as a separate kitchen just for vegetarians. Massiosaire has a ‘bar’, but it's really just a rooftop that you can sit on at night while you buy beers from whatever volunteer is working at that time. This gives it a nice social feel, without the all night music or party atmosphere which some hostels cultivate. The breakfast is included as well, and is home cooked by volunteers every day. Beds and showers aren’t great, but this hostel is exactly what to look for if you want a friendly and welcoming hostel in a big city, without staying in a grimy party hostel.
FOR MY FELLOW HIPPIES: Hostel Home Roma: 4/5
Hostel Home is right! This cute little hostel is located in the sleepy (and expensive) Roma neighborhood. Perfect for travelers who dread the grungy and party-centric ambiance which many big city hostels can cultivate, Hostel Home is reasonably clean, run by kind and friendly volunteers, and has a nice shared space and kitchen. The vibe here was social without being overbearing - people were happy to sit and talk, and go and grab a taco, but no one looking to get ripped and pound brews, so to speak. An awesome alternative for anyone looking for a more laidback hostel stay in CDMX, it is on the more expensive end for a dorm bed in the city (about $20 USD)
A HOTEL ON A HOSTEL BUDGET: Hotel Gilbert, 4/5
Okay, the inside looks kinda cheesy based on the funky neon color scheme, but staying in a hotel means you have immaculate cleanliness unlike your typical hostel. The normal rooms go for 500 pesos which is a steal to split between two people, and it straddles the two beautiful and walkable neighborhoods of Santa Maria La Ribera and San Rafael. We appreciated having free water bottles, a nice room with a tub, and somewhat functioning wifi. It's everything you could want for in a budget hotel.
HIGH-END FEEL FOR A LOW PRICE: Casa Turin, 4/5
Located at the southern end of the Juarez neighborhood just one block away from Roma Norte, I absolutely love this location and it has some of the best lightning of anywhere in Mexico City. A historical building with high ceilings, vintage decor, and a cute common area make this place very pretty and tranquil, meaning you can avoid the rowdiness of most hostels. We did have a little bit of mosquitoes (as do lots of places after the rains) hence the one less star.
FOR FIRST TIMERS: Casa Pepe 3.5/5
Very clean, comfortable hostel right off the Zocalo and one of the most professionally run hostels in the city, as it is a chain with other locations around Mexico. The beds are very comfortable, with curtains that give you privacy and heavy covers to protect against the (relative) cold of CDMX winters. Each room has a fantastic private shower, (and I don’t say that just because I’ve been bathing in a bucket for the past 8 months.)
The rooftop bar and restaurant offers great meals and drinks, including nice vegetarian options. It is a more social hostel, with daily activities organized by the hostel, including free walking tours. Its main downside is the price. We paid about 250 MX for a bed WITH a 60% off deal. A single bed for a night can easily get up to $500 pesos, which is like Paris prices. The hostel also offered tours to Teotihuacan and to see the Lucha Libre, and charged people $800 MX for each experience, which is a massive rip off. Great hostel for first time CDMX goers to get to know the basics without the hassle, if you have a bit more money or you can get a good deal. Otherwise, you might as well just get a hotel room.
Note: If you are interested in VOLUNTEERING at the reception here, I think this would be a great bang for your buck! Look on worldpackers.com.
SEEING A DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE CITY: Casa Indigo 3.5/5
If you want to be accessible to the centro but have a more authentic stay, we enjoyed Casa Indigo in the Buenavista neighborhood. This is a beautiful, multiple story home that feels like you are living in a co-op space. The prices are extremely affordable and the place is highly rated on booking.com. The spiral staircase to the rooftop is kinda dizzying, but the views are iconic. I didn't rate it higher just because it is no-frills and simple, don't come expecting much social scene or sense of community.
CHEAP AND CENTRAL OPTION: Casa MX Alameda: 3/5
Directly north of the Parque Alameda, Casa MX centers around a colorful open courtyard, and each of the rooms is themed as a Mexican historical figure. Its a pretty run of the mill hostel, with dorms about $10 USD. We thought it was clean enough, offers social activities, and has a good location, but it has a few significant drawbacks. For one, there is a single bathroom shared between a 12 person dorm (and that was a problem when some dude stays in there for 50 MINUTES getting nefarious!!). I also was not given my own key to the room, and had a long experience with the janitor while he tried every key on his loop to let me in. The kitchen is little more than a microwave and fridge. The rooftop bar in the hostel has extremely good prices for beer, but had a strange and somewhat unfriendly atmosphere, as well as loud, thumping music late into the night. "If the best place you can find to party in Mexico City is your hostel, you probably aren’t very fun." - Ransom
THE BEST ROOFTOP IN CDMX: Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral: 3/5
While you can't get a better location than this one (right off the Zocalo!), it is definitely a party hostel and the multiple times I've stayed here the music has gone all night! That being said, there is a free, good breakfast everyday starting at 8am which you can take advantage of if you don't have an early start. The view from the top of the hostel's rooftop bar is one of the best in Mexico City that I have yet to see! You have dorm beds and private rooms with shared bathrooms, a kitchen, and otherwise it is a pretty run-of-the-mill hostel. The hostel is really big and the noise is really annoying which is why it would not be my first choice, but the location is 10/10.
WEIRD BUT CHILL Casa Eufemia: 3/5
Located just south of the centro, Casa Eufemia is an unlikely choice with a stunning rooftop. It is situated in a gated building (you literally have to open three doors to get in) and up 12 flights of stairs! But once you get to the top, the vibe is super lax and it has one of the biggest CDMX rooftops I've seen. The volunteers were very helpful and trusting, and the general ambiance of the place was fairly antisocial and mellow. Very curiously, this hostel seemed to attract lots of Russian travelers and lots of the signs were in Russian, too! Hot showers, free laundry, free coffee, and a nice kitchen made it a good stay for us, but it definitely isn’t a particularly luxury place and I would recommend it only to the more experienced budget traveler trying to see a different side of town.
WHEN IN POLANCO: Casa Valka Sue 3/5
I only really include Casa Valka Sue because I found it on Hostel World, but it is more of a hotel than anything else. Located in the wealthy Polanco neighborhood, I stayed here because my generous aunt and uncle put me up for the weekend while they were visiting town. It has large, comfortable beds, spacious rooms, and fantastic bathrooms. All this being said, the ambiance was very strange. It has almost no reviews online, and after arriving, I waited over an hour on the street to be allowed in- the building has no signage or anything to distinguish it, and I quickly started to worry I had been scammed. Eventually the owner arrived and let me in, yet there was no lobby and it was very difficult to find anyone who worked for the place. Outside the room itself (as I mentioned, beautiful), it felt a little bit like being stuck in purgatory - it probably existed in this realm, but only barely. Good for a digital nomad, someone with a bit of cash, or some sort of inter-dimensional being.
BEST LOCATION HoM Balderas: 2.5/5
Although first time travelers often flock to the center of the city, we think that Balderas and Juarez neighborhoods are a better central option that leaves you walking distance to the center, Zona Rosa, Roma, Condensa, and more. HoM certainly has nothing to brag about inside, with a lackluster kitchen and shared spaces, and too few bathrooms and sinks for the amount of people. That being said, the price is pretty unbeatable (190 for a shared bed or 400 for a private room) and you probably won’t want to hang around long inside when you have so many cool places to visit right nearby! Make sure to try the super affordable and tasty street food along the main road. Despite our low review, we are 100% staying here again just because of the incredible price and location.
DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT: Roomies Hostel Roma: 1.5/5
Deficient hostel. There are many many ROOMIES hostels throughout the city— this is the only one I’ve stayed in— but if they’re at all similar, I would stay far away! While it is well located in the very popular and nice Roma neighborhood, and has a very nice price at around $10 USD/ dorm bed, this place is anything but nice. Sure, it has a kitchen and a common area, so that at least covers the basics. But then you have the bathrooms: in the womens restroom, the shower was a few drops of cold water. The mens bathroom window looked directly out to the balcony where people could see.*** We felt so bad for the volunteer who was working at reception because the lights on the patio weren’t working, and he tried to fix the wiring himself. This was during a cool time in April and it was too hot to sleep in our private room— I imagine the dorms were worse. I had to walk up to the roof multiple times in the middle of the night to just take a full breath of cool air, and we actually left the door open to our private room just to get some draft in. No fans here! The people and ambiance was very strange as well. I would be apprehensive to stay at any Roomies hostel in the city given their relative low rating and my experience here.
** we do not have high standards for the bathrooms, as we have constant water shortages in our rural homes and don't have hot water!!
All in all, this is our Mexico City hostel list (to-date) and we will keep updating it as we discover more spots! Is there somewhere we missed that you highly recommend to stay in CDMX? comment below! gracias :)
