Tijuana - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Single people are in condos. Families often get nice houses with small yards. All housing requires a relatively unpleasant commute to the Consulate of between 20-60 minutes. The housing is of good quality but is in short supply so many people must live in a hotel until housing is available and that can take up to 2-3 months. The hotels are closer to the Consulate and in a nice neighborhood. We are discouraged from making friends with neighbors since it's my understanding so many are involved with illicit trade. - Oct 2024
The housing was pretty decent. Singles and couples without children live in pretty nice apartment buildings in nice neighborhoods with lots of restaurants and coffee shops. People with families live in gated compounds in the hills. For those who work at the US Consulate General in Otay, commute in the morning is generally 15-30 minutes (depending on what time you leave), and 25-60 minutes on the way home. The consulate is not that far from the housing as the crow flies, but there are not that many ways to get back across the city so all the main traffic arteries become pretty clogged during normal commute times. We had a nice apartment overlooking the city’s only major green space, which is a private country club (that we are not allowed to access). There are a few other consulate-leased buildings in the same area, and one of the buildings has had frequent maintenance issues. I had heard the consulate was phasing that building out, however at the time of this posting at least one new officer was moved into that building for the duration of their assignment. I noticed some other post reports are from people complaining about maintenance issues with their housing, but from my experience the issues are not worse than any other “developing” country to which I have been assigned. A lot of the US direct hire staff are on their first overseas assignments and do not realize how decent the housing is, hence the complaints about maintenance; construction quality is no worse than any other post I have served at outside of industrialized Europe or Asia, and I found our landlord to be generally responsive when there was as an issue. Admittedly, some landlords were much better than others. - Apr 2023
Houses are generally small with very limited outdoor space. Many families consider them small, especially compared to housing at other posts. Houses are generally spread out in the wealthier areas of TJ, and within 5-10 minutes drive of grocery stores and some restaurants, but not usually within walking distance considering the lack of decent sidewalks and very hilly neighborhoods. Commute time to the consulate is 20-25 minutes.
Apartments are generally nicely sized for an apartment and tend to house singles and couples. Most are on a lively street with tons of restaurants, cafes, shops, and entertainment. Most apartments face a country club with green space, but this is off limits as you must be a member of the club to enter. Noise on the street can be a nuisance at times, but most in apartments tend to like the location. Commute time to the consulate is 20-25 minutes. - Nov 2017
Most consulate housing is about 20 minutes from the new consulate. Most families are in houses, most with very small to nonexistent yards. Others in high rise apartments on a golf course or nearby. The houses can't really walk to much, but the apartments are on a new trendy strip of restaurants and bars that are walkable. - May 2015
Mixture of high rise apartments and singe family homes. Typical commute time is 15-20 minutes. Housing is great. - Mar 2015
Houses are nice, yards are small. Neighborhood parties are NOISY. Apartments are also nice but friends have complained of shoddy construction work - bad plumbing, ceilings falling in. Apartments are pretty spacious compared to U.S. big city standards. It seems like it takes 15 minutes to get anywhere - obviously longer if there is traffic or an accident. Roads tend to be indirect to your destination. - Apr 2014
Large, concrete block style houses - no insulation makes for a miserable winter. My commute is 15 minutes - due to the changes in the oneway streets along the river and varying traffic patterns, you should expect to get anywhere in TJ in 35 minutes or less. - Feb 2014
Centrally located apartments for most single officers, with a 10-20 minute commute (depending on if you're at the annex or the consulate). Commute times slightly higher for families who live in gated communities. - Apr 2011
The consulate provides stunning luxury apartments to singles and nice, large homes to families. We have very good housing. For non consulate people, the housing is not expensive and a lot of it is at U.S. standards. - Mar 2011
A range of houses and apartments. Singles are placed in very nice (mostly luxury) apartments in one of the city's most upscale neighborhoods. Family housing are generally very large houses, some with small yards. There is not a lot of green space in Tijuana, so don't expect a lot when it comes to green space. - Dec 2010
Every house in Tijuana is unique and full of charicter. Those assigned to the US Consulate have nice houses or apartments within 15 minute drive of the two offices at some point a new consulate will open and the commute will be 20-30 minutes. - Aug 2010
Consulate housing includes apartments and single-family homes with yards. These are all within a few miles of the Consulate and the Consular Annex. However, the new Consulate is supposed to be on the other side of town. I hear they're also going to build consular housing near it, but obviously I don't know what it will be like. Single family homes tend to be cold in the winter since they're often built with marble floors, no insulation (i.e., concrete), and no central heating. Fortunately, heating and air conditioning units in bedrooms can make up for it. - Mar 2008
