Dollars and pesos
| Pesos | In dollars | Dollars | In pesos |
|---|
Mexico writes pesos with the same $ sign Americans use for dollars, so a menu price of "$250" almost always means 250 pesos, about $14. Where a business quotes in US dollars, it usually writes USD or US$. A quick rule: divide a peso price by 20, then add about 10 percent. See money, cards and tipping for when paying in dollars costs you more.
Temperature
| °C | °F | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 5°C | 41°F | A cold highland night in Mexico City, San Cristóbal or the Copper Canyon in winter. |
| 15°C | 59°F | Sweater weather. Winter mornings in Mexico City, Oaxaca and San Miguel. |
| 22°C | 72°F | A typical Mexico City afternoon most of the year. |
| 27°C | 81°F | Winter at the Caribbean beaches; Caribbean sea temperature most of the year. |
| 32°C | 90°F | A summer day in Cancún, Puerto Vallarta or Mérida, with high humidity. |
| 38°C | 100.4°F | Mérida in April and May, or a fever if a pharmacist asks. |
| 180°C | 356°F | A moderate oven, if you're cooking in a rental. |
Distance, speed and weight
| Speed sign | In mph |
|---|---|
| 110 km/h | 68 mph |
| 90 km/h | 56 mph |
| 80 km/h | 50 mph |
| 60 km/h | 37 mph |
| 40 km/h | 25 mph |
| 20 km/h | 12 mph |
Signs are in kilometers per hour, and limits change often, sometimes with little warning before a town or a speed bump (tope). Road rules, tolls and insurance are in driving in Mexico.
Gas prices
Uses the pesos-per-dollar rate from the currency converter above. A US gallon is 3.785 liters.
Every station is full service: an attendant pumps the gas, and a tip of a few pesos is customary (more if they clean the windshield or check the tires). Regular unleaded is usually sold as Magna or Regular (green handle), premium as Premium (red handle), and diesel as Diésel (black handle). Check that the pump starts at zero before the attendant begins.
Clothing and shoe sizes
Mexican stores often use letter sizes in Spanish: CH (chico, small), M (mediano), G (grande, large) and EG or XG (extra grande). US brands sold in Mexico usually show US sizes too. Shoes are sized by foot length in centimeters, so the numbers look very different from home.
| Women's shoes US | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Men's shoes US | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Sizes vary by brand, so try things on. A half size is written with a .5 (26.5).
Time zones and calling home
Watch out
Most of Mexico stopped changing its clocks in 2022, but the US still does. Mexico City stays on the same time all year, so it matches Chicago in winter and Denver in summer. Cancún and the rest of Quintana Roo are one hour ahead of Mexico City all year. Los Cabos, Mazatlán and Nayarit's inland towns are one hour behind it, while Puerto Vallarta and the Nuevo Vallarta side of the bay keep Mexico City time. Tijuana and a few other border cities still change their clocks with the US. Check your tour pickup time against the right zone. The clocks above account for all of this.
Dates, numbers and floors
| You'll see | It means |
|---|---|
| 07/04/2027 | April 7, 2027. Mexicans write day, then month. |
| 20:30 or 8:30 p.m. | 8:30 pm. Bus and flight schedules use the 24-hour clock; people often say "de la noche" (at night). |
| $1,250.00 | 1,250 pesos. Mexico uses a period for decimals and a comma for thousands, as in the US. |
| PB | Planta baja, the ground floor, which Americans call the first floor. |
| 1er piso | The floor above the ground floor: the American second floor. |
| Un litro | About a quart. Water is sold in liters; a big garrafón jug is 20 liters (about 5 gallons). |
| Un kilo, medio kilo | About 2.2 lb, about 1.1 lb. Markets and taco stands sell meat, tortillas and fruit by the kilo. |