Living in Guadalajara

Apartments are how most people live in central Guadalajara, and the choice splits by how much street life you want. Americana and Moderna put you among restored mansions, cafés and the Av. Chapultepec bars, with Parque Revolución, laid out by the Barragán brothers, in the middle of it. Ladrón de Guevara is the quieter version of the same thing, wide streets and older buildings a block off the noise, and Country Club to the north-west is where the newer towers and the higher rents are.

What to consider before renting

Short-stay rentals have taken a real share of the apartments in Americana and the colonias around it, which has pushed rents up and made the good long-term listings move faster than they used to. Check what a building is actually like at night: Chapultepec and its side streets are lively until late, while a block or two east is quiet. If you want to be able to reach work by train rather than car, look along Calzada Federalismo, where Line 1 runs, or at Guadalajara Centro, the best-connected and cheapest part of the municipality. If you would rather have a newer building with parking and a lift than a converted mansion, Zapopan next door leans that way.