17 things to know about living in Oaxaca
1. It’s absolutely stunning
2. It’s cheap too
- Street food can cost less than a dollar
- My apartment was super expensive for Oaxacan standards and rent (most bills included) cost me $200 per month (I looked at one that would have cost me $60 per month!!)
- Beers are just over a dollar
3. Learn some Spanish before you go
English isn’t spoken all that much in Oaxaca – plus, it’s just common courtesy to be able to speak a bit of the native lingo, especially if you’re living there. People will be very grateful if you extend a few words in Spanish and most love a chat about what you’re doing in their city.4. It’s great for digital nomads
Sure, it hasn’t quite got the buzzing nomad scene of somewhere like Chiang Mai or Canggu in Bali, but Oaxaca does have… Convivio. Convivio is an awesome coworking space, which has a lovely family atmosphere.5. There’s ALWAYS a fiesta
There’s always something going on in Oaxaca. Whether it be an eight-day long Mezcal festival (I’m serious), a wine fiesta, a parade about corn or just a Cumbia dance on a Saturday night, I think it’s impossible to get bored in this vibrant city. Of course, the downside of this is… noise. Mexico is a noisy place to begin with, but Oaxaca is especially raucous. There’s not much you can do about it apart from buy some earplugs (tanpones de ojos – make sure you don’t ask for tampones which are exactly what you think they are) or join the party yerself.6. Be prepared for 24/7 fireworks
7. The culture is amazing
8. Mezcal can give you a hangover
I’ve found myself in many a debate with Oaxacans about this one: Mezcal, the drink of choice is alleged to not give hangovers. I beg to differ – it certainly gave me one or two during my time there! That being said, try some mezcal while you’re there. You’ll hate it at first, so try it again and again until you don’t mind it. Then eventually, you’ll find yourself automatically ordering it when you’re out. At 48% volume, it’s the quickest way to get drunk, after all.9. And never drink the tequila
Ok, you can if you want, but it’s cheap nasty stuff. I had the worst hangover of my life after just 2 beers, 2 mezcals and a tequila and from now on, I’ll only drink tequila if I’m actually in Tequila. You have been warned. Oh, and here’s a fun fact: tequila is actually a mezcal, although I think they’re very different. However, you can only call tequila tequila if it’s made in Tequila (make sense?). The same rules as Champagne. Tequila is a city in central Mexico not far from Guadalajara.10. Oaxacan food is nationally (and internationally!) famous
11. The mercados are where it’s at
I love a good Mercado (market), and there are so many in Oaxaca. What’s more, they’re cheap, the fruit and veg is organic and they’re just a general good time. There are often live bands and sit down areas serving fresh food. The mercados are such a great place to just sit and watch the world go by; I could spend an entire afternoon in one of them! Some of my favourites within the city are:- El Pochote market for sit down food
- Mercado de la Merced for the weekly shop
- Benito Juarez market for souvenirs and taste and smell sensations
12. Oaxacans are very proud
13. Get ready for a very strange bin schedule
Oh the bins in Oaxaca… what a palaver. Basically, there are no communal apartment bins or anywhere to put bins out. You just have to keep the rubbish in your house/ on your balcony until you hear the bin trucks coming around, which is most days – but at 5am. Sometimes they come around in the afternoon as well. As I’m sure you can imagine, I missed quite a lot of the 5am pick ups! Fortunately I had a small outside space to keep rubbish but it certainly got very disgusting at times.14. There is, unfortunately, quite a lot of catcalling
Now… into one of the things I really couldn’t stand about living in Oaxaca. I’m keeping it real, as always, and I can’t pretend that my whole time was rainbows and sunshine. Oaxaca is a traditional city, which means… some people’s views can be a bit backwards. This means catcalling. Any girl seems to get catcalled, but if you look foreign you’re especially vulnerable. Also – I am very much of the opinion that girls should be able to wear whatever they want, wearing shorts does not mean that men have a right to harass them – but even so, I was harassed just as much when I was wearing tracksuit bottoms to when I was wearing a skirt. Unfortunately, it is part and parcel of living in Oaxaca. Of course, not all the men are like it, but there’s no escaping that a lot of people are. I was grabbed twice (once by a supermarket employee!); both times they walked off after I screamed at them. I don’t think in either of these incidents would have turned really ugly (they were both in broad daylight, for one), but of course, this was always in the back of my mind when I was walking around. I wouldn’t let this put me off moving to Oaxaca, but I do think that any girl planning to spend time there alone – especially if they look foreign (light brown/ blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin) should know that it is a problem here.15. Make sure you spend a few weekends in the mountains
If you’re spending a month or longer living in Oaxaca, you’ve got to make sure that you get up to the mountains as much as possible. It can seem like a trek sometimes, but it’s well worth it.- Capulapam – a small community with cabanas that open out onto woodland
- Benito Juarez – a tiny village that doesn’t have wifi, where you’re immediately within nature whenever leaving your front door
- San Jose del Pacifico – the most famous mountainous town near Oaxaca – famed for one thing – magic mushrooms. But there are plenty of hiking opportunities as well and the chance to use a temazcal.
16. Look for rooms on Craigslist, Facebook or by word of mouth
There are plenty of Airbnbs in Oaxaca, and they’re a good option for when you first get to the city. Use this code for money off your first booking. That being said, you’ll get more bang for your buck by renting out a long term apartment. It seems a bit daunting when you first reach the city, but there are plenty of apartments out there. Craigslist is the most popular website with proven success, and there are also various Facebook groups where you can find apartments. However, all that being said, I found my apartment through good ol’ word of mouth. As you start to meet people (Convivio, the aforementioned coworking space, is a great start), you’ll start hearing of more and more openings. If you’re too broke to afford an Airbnb when you get to Oaxaca (like me…) then a hostel might be a better accommodation option. I stayed at Casa Angel for my first 2 weeks and really recommend it – it’s a great spot to meet people and it has some really fun activities to help explore the city.17. Pick your neighbourhood wisely
More Mexico Posts
Things to do in Oaxaca
Mexico City 3 Day Itinerary
Mexico Packing List
Vegan Food Tour in Mexico City
How to Plan a Backpacking Trip to Mexico
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post about living in Oaxaca – which is one of my favourite cities in the world. For more awful jokes, super detailed guides and sustainable travel tips, follow me over on Instagram and Facebook!
Hi Claire,
I’m looking to live in Oaxaca from August to December, but I can’t seem to find places that will allow me to stay for that long. Any tips?
Thanks,
Liz
Hey Elizabeth, you just need to go there and ask around once you’re there – there are lots of places that aren’t advertised on airbnb etc. Do you speak Spanish? I can direct you to a couple of groups but they’re Spanish-only. I also might be able to connect you with some friends there – do you have Instagram? Easier to chat on there – @clairesfootsteps 🙂
Hello Claire. Thank you for a fantastic postings.
I was hoping to find a road trip plan for January starting in Oaxaca as starting point and loop around for about 12 days endingback there. Looking for “must see” as well as some days in beach towns , remote villages and natural
Park.
Thank you
Joe
Hola Claire and thanks for this piece on Oaxaca. I’m a 70 yo gray haired young at heart woman and I’m looking for a good language school in either Mexico, Costa Rica or Columbia. Safety is important to me as I want to be relaxed and enjoy myself. Did you sense that older women would be more or less targeted by “traditional” male behavior? Also, any tip re language school would be appreciated. Happy travels!
Hi Annie! Thanks for your comment. I’m not 100% but I think that it probably is the case that older women are targeted less. I studied at Spanish Magic which was a great school, and Flor the owner really looks out for her students and offers very reasonable rates 🙂
Thanks for the article Annie…I’m looking for small apt in a good neighborhood so the two places you mention help…….I think 4000 pesos will be well enough for a place. Alan
Hi Claire! I’m curious, are you sure that fruit and veg in the mercados are organic? My experience in Guatemala is that big distributors bring in the vast majority of the food and individuals buy it to sell at the mercados, the food is grown with lots of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I’ll be visiting Oaxaca in December and I’m looking for organic food. Thanks for a great article – I appreciate your tips!
Hi Claire,
I’m graduating from college in May and am interested in taking a post-grad sabbatical type vacation. I was wondering if you had any reservations about traveling to Oaxaca by myself, a 22 year old woman for an extended period of time?
Best,
Daynah
Hi..Did you get to Zipolite and if you did your thoughts
I would like to find someone to travel with, any suggestions on where to find someone?
Thanks Jay
TRIGGER WARNING – RAPE
Thank you for this very relatable article! looking to stay in Oaxaca in future after 3 mos.in various parts of Quintana Roo, Covid hit during my visit, I was reluctant to go to Merida.as planned as they wanted to keep travelers out.
Anyway this is about the machismo and how much danger it poses. Thank you for including this, it’s always valuable to hear a female experience without the boyfriend/family buffer as in many blogs. In small towns I had little harassment Didnt love the male attitudes always in discussions, but an opinion is different from a catcall, which is would def bug me. These have almost disappeared with age in the US though I am considered attractive at 60. am a darkish white person. Anyway, did you happen to hear of instances of rape? I know a lot of crime is economically motivated and Oaxaca is not a center, but rape is mostly against females. It happens anywhere, but in SE asia for example I only felt scared twice in 2 months. Thanks.
Hi Oona, thanks for your reply and I’m glad the post was useful. As I mentioned, there is a lot of harassment – both verbal and occasionally physical – but I didn’t hear of any instances of rape. I’m not sure how many there are, as they may just not be talked about. It’s difficult to say, and I shouldn’t have to say this, but I kept myself safe by avoiding quiet streets at night and getting out of risky-feeling situations. It might be worth chatting about this topic to some Mexican friends if you can! The harassment is such a shame, as it is a difficult part of living in Oaxaca!
Hi Claire and thanks for the awesome article.
I`m considering Puerto Angel, Oaxaca as one option. Small beach town close to Huatulco (45 min as far as I know) the closest international airport.
Haven`t find too much info about it, any idea?
I work from home so basically looking for a reliable internet provider in town, any recommendations maybe?
Thank you so much!
Hello, I went through Puerto Angel on one of my trips to Mazunte. It’s a very small town, if you speak Spanish you should be fine getting around although I’m not sure how many apartments there will be for rent etc. But Mazunte and other towns are very close too. I’m not too sure about internet providers as my housemates/ landlord have always sorted that out!