Living in Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez sits at the geographic center of Mexico City, a flat, walkable borough built around Avenida Insurgentes and its Metrobús line. The middle of the map belongs to Del Valle and Narvarte, side-by-side neighborhoods of tree-lined streets that mix rental houses and apartments and offer the most balanced rents for tenants who want a central address. West of that core, near the World Trade Center, Nápoles fills with apartment buildings close to corporate offices, while newer towers keep rising in Xoco, on the southern edge along the Coyoacán border, near the Mítikah complex. South and east, Portales keeps things more accessible in a low-rise, Art Deco setting near its own Metro station.

What to consider before renting

Anyone drawn to the restaurant and nightlife scene of the Roma and the Condesa, in Cuauhtémoc just north of the border, will pay a premium for that address; Benito Juárez offers a quieter, more residential alternative along the same Insurgentes corridor. Within the borough, apartments near Nápoles and Xoco run newer and pricier than the walk-ups of Narvarte and Portales, while Del Valle sits in between on both style and rent. Commuters tied to Metro Line 12 or the Eje Central should map their route before committing, since Avenida Universidad and Río Churubusco both back up at rush hour.