Drinking water in Mexico

The easiest thing to do is to watch what the Mexicans do and follow their lead because they have no desire to get sick either.  Basically, don’t drink the tap water in Mexico. 

Some of the major cities may say that they have clean, safe water but most people are still choosing not to drink it. In reality, even when the water might be treated and clean, the pipes through which its distributed may not be entirely sanitary. Better safe than sorry. 

Cities such as Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Aguascalientes, & Monterrey are said to have some of the cleanest water in Mexico but infections can still occur so I still don’t recommend you drink the tap water (in this situation, even if you see locals drinking it).

In somewhere like Mérida, a glass of tap water most likely won’t hurt you (because the water, while essentially clean is heavy in minerals that can cause health problems) but in somewhere like San Cristobál de las Casas, it probably will make you sick because the water is famously not clean.

Despite this, all these locations and others too, are still great options for a vacation, you just need to know what you can drink there.

So what to do we drink?

🚱 I repeat: pretty much no one is drinking tap water in Mexico and you shouldn’t either.

Your options are:

😉 Don’t drink water at all – use the full MexcioCassie guide to Mexican drinks to figure out what to drink instead – as you can see from the photo above, I’ve tested a fair few of the drinks for you, in fact, sometimes all at once (but never, ever alone).

or, be smart, read on, and drink water safely.

How to find clean water 

Mexico is one of the countries with the highest consumption of bottled water in the world. While this is obviously an environmental issue that needs attention, it means that you, the visitor, will never struggle to find clean water.

Bottled water

As you travel you can buy bottles of water from the convenience stores and supermarkets.

All the brands are very similar in price and quality, and all the big names, it appears, are internationally owned. 82% of all bottled water consumed in Mexico is owned by overseas companies.

Bonafonte is owned by Danone (French) and all the other brands such as Dasani, Ciel, Cristal, Topo Chico and even Peñafiel are owned by US companies. Epura is owned by Mexican, Venezuelan and US companies (40/40/20).

🇲🇽 Try looking for smaller brands if you’re actively trying to ensure your money supports Mexican companies while you’re in Mexico. Agual Pascual is one such option.

♻️ Buying water in plastic bottles every day obviously uses a lot of plastic bottles, which in turn generates a lot of plastic waste, which I’m definitely not a fan of. 

Consider buying the biggest bottle you can to generate as little waste as possible: 10l bottles are easily available everywhere, as are the 20l garafones (approx 5 gallons).

⭐️ The good thing about the garafones is that they are recycled and reused many times. You may be asked to give a small deposit when you buy one, which will then be returned when you take the bottle back to the store. 

Most Mexican homes use these and if your hotel offers water in a communal area it’ll be filtered, garafon water. You can absolutely fill up your water bottle here.

♻️ I always carry my own water bottle. I buy either a 10l or 20l bottle of water to keep in my hotel room and fill up my water bottle before heading out for the day. If you stop for a coffee or meal somewhere you can always ask if they’ll fill up your water bottle for you.

There are also some drinking fountains available in places such as Bosque de Chapultepec in Mexico City. I have used these and not been sick from them.

What about in the hotels and resorts?

Unless a hotel or resort explicitly tells you the tap water is potable (drinkable), I don’t recommend drinking it.

Generally hotels will provide a bottle of water per day per guest. Smaller hotels may provide large jugs of purified water or garafones where you can fill up your own water bottle. 

If you’re staying in a resort that inexplicably doesn’t offer free drinking water in some form or other (that’s shitty of them), I recommend a) complaining, and b) buying a giant bottle from somewhere not on resort so you don’t pay their high rates.

All inclusive resorts will, of course, be offering water as part of their all-inclusive deal. Don’t forget to hydrate!! 😉

What about in restaurants? 

🚱 Drinking water

I assure you that no restaurant has any desire to make you, or any of their other clients sick. If you’re given a glass of water, it’ll be filtered, clean water.

I always ask for a glass of water because I don’t want to pay for bottled water or create more plastic waste than I have to. It’s rare to be refused. 

→ Use the full MexicoCassie guide to Mexican drinks to figure out what your drink choices are

🧊 Ice

Similarly, the ice cubes in your drink will be fine. People will either make them from garafon water or they’ll buy bags of ice from the store (these are generally large cylinders with a hole through the middle). Ice is not made with tap water.

🍉 Fresh fruits and salads

🥗 Salads are washed as they’re prepared. I’ve always eaten salad in Mexico and never once been sick.

Limonada and naranjada (lemon and orange) will also be available with sparkling water, which is a fabulous option.

Eating and drinking from street food stands 

If you’re worried about street food, you can choose only eat where you see lots of people eating and drinking. I’ve never once worried about the water being used at these stands. It’s a risk not worth taking for the stall owners given that no one drinks the tap water in Mexico.

→ Use the full MexicoCassie guide to street foods to learn more

🪥 Brushing your teeth

Whether you brush your teeth with tap water or not is up to you. I always do (except in San Cristobal de las Casas). Just don’t swallow.

🚿 And yes, you can shower in the water, but do remind the kids not to drink the shower water so they don’t get sick.

👩🏽‍🍳 Cooking

My personal rule is to use garafon water for cooking and washing foods. I don’t go so far as to wash with an antiseptic wash (some do) but I do choose to only wash food and cook with water I’d willingly drink. Same goes for boiling water for coffee and tea – I use filtered water. 

👩🏽‍⚕️ If you do get sick