Ciudad Juarez - Post Report Question and Answers
What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
It has easy access to the United States and great food. - Jul 2024
Not much. - Feb 2023
Being closer to your family in America, being near American health care, good childcare. - Mar 2022
Proximity to the US, interesting front-row view on the border situation, immigration and US/Mexican relations, interesting work, good work/life balance, cost of living, food, culture, travel within Mexico. Small-town feel. - Jun 2019
El Paso and proximity to the US more generally. - Feb 2019
You have easy access to the US, but you will still feel like you're living in Mexico. Traffic isn't great, but getting stuck in traffic for hours isn't a thing here. It's not hard to get home to visit family and friends in the US by driving or flying. - Jan 2019
The greatest special advantage is being right on the border with the United States. It has been very convenient to drive across the border for my son's speech therapy. Also, if I ever get a hankering for my favorite cereal, it is just a bridge crossing away.
Juarez is also an excellent place to live if you want to travel in the southwestern United States. Many great places are a short road trip away. Juarez itself has Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, and Home Depot, as well as Denny's, Little Caesars, and a plethora of other American chains. It is also very nice to have the option to fly throughout Mexico from the Juarez airport or throughout the U..S from the El Paso airport. - Jun 2016
Great food. Very friendly people. Proximity to U.S. (El Paso) makes life easy. - Apr 2016
The people of Juarez! They are so kind, generous, friendly and inspiring. Mexico itself is spectacular and there are many opportunities to do TDYs throughout the Mission because of the size of the ELO community. Travel is the US Southwest is also a wonderful benefit: it has so much to offer and long weekends/leave is ridiculously easy to come by. Living on the boarder is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many and being so close to El Paso makes everything EASY. - Apr 2016
The proximity to the U.S. makes this an unusual foreign service experience. Any U.S. products you might want are available in El Paso, and it's very easy to get there and back. Almost everything is also available in Juarez, too. Produce and food in general tends to be considerably cheaper in Juarez, and in my opinion the quality is not notably different. For high-end, specialty foods there is a Costco in Juarez with prices roughly comparable to prices in the U.S. Household goods and electronics tend to be cheaper and higher quality in the U.S. in my experience. Cost of living is lower enough in Juarez that it's possible to enjoy life at this post and still save money. My kids are able to participate in sports and activities here we couldn't have afforded in the U.S. as easily. Eating out tends to be inexpensive by U.S. standards and the food is delicious. Basic groceries are about 2/3 the cost of comparable groceries in the U.S. Weather is lovely, as far as I'm concerned, but I grew up just an hour or so away in southern New Mexico, so I'm not bothered by the summer heat (which is fairly intense) or the dry air. I love the sunshine and the gorgeous, clear blue skies of the desert. Although as a border town Juarez may not seem as culturally rich as other Mexican posts, there are still many engaging cultural experiences to be found. These experiences tend to be more of the personal variety - the people here are very friendly and welcoming. Through personal contacts and our kids' schools we have been invited to share in cultural events and family celebrations that have given us the chance to experience Mexican - or at least border - culture. Medical and dental care here tends to be of good quality and relatively inexpensive. My son got braces here and his treatment will cost, in total, less than it would have even with insurance in the U.S. - Dec 2015
The ease of the border and El Paso nearby. The housing is amazing and the communities, plus proximity to work. - Aug 2015
I LOVED my time in Juarez. The work was interesting (NIV, IV, ACS, FPU) and given the location to the border and the largest IV processing post in the world, there were a number of opportunities to get involved in organizing visits. There are a number of TDY opportunities within Mexico as well and while at post, I took advantage of working for 1 month in three different cities in Mexico. The LES at post are knowledgeable and awesome to work with-- a true feeling of family. Access to most parts of Juarez and anywhere to the south of Juarez in driving distance is off limits (don't even think about Copper Canyon). Despite this restriction, given the location to the border (El Paso could be reached 10-15 minutes with SENTRI card), there are a number of opportunities to experience the southwest of the US. Juarez is a great post for anyone that has a family member that would like to still be able to access the US (work purposes, doctor visits, kids in school, etc). - Jun 2015
Easy access to El Paso so it's "FS light." Some access to Mexico but by plane only from this post. Great weather, sunny every day. Nice housing and great LES. - Jun 2014
Proximity to the U.S., relatively affordable, lots of shopping opportunities, beautiful weather (sunny 360 days of the year). - Aug 2013
Proximity to the U.S. is an advantage. The general cost of living is an advantage. I like the dry heat as well, but most folks do not. - Aug 2013
You essentially have all of the comforts of the US, as El Paso, Texas, is just minutes away -- an easy commute over the border. Because of the immediate proximity to the US, it is a potentially good post for spouse careers and employment opportunities, or schooling opportunities for families of school-aged children -- if you are willing to live apart during the week. The culture of the "Borderland" is a unique blend of American Southwest and Mexican. - Jun 2013
The weather is good. It is the easiest place I have lived with the Foreign Service. It is a foreign country with plenty of differences, but I can easily live like an American. - Feb 2012
It’s nice to be able to get home easily and have access to US shopping. - Jul 2011
Post has a great sense of community and the US is readily accessible. The work, at least in the consular section, is also very interesting and you will learn a lot. - Jun 2011
