Is it safe to drink the water in San Miguel de Allende?

It is not safe to drink the water from the tap anywhere in Mexico. Every home here either has water delivery or a water purification system installed in their home.  The water delivery trucks come every day, ring a bell out in the street, and people come out to buy purified water from them.  One 20 liter bottle (about 5 gallons) costs about US $2. 

 

When we buy produce from the markets, we disinfect it when we get home. I do the same when I...

It is not safe to drink the water from the tap anywhere in Mexico. Every home here either has water delivery or a water purification system installed in their home.  The water delivery trucks come every day, ring a bell out in the street, and people come out to buy purified water from them.  One 20 liter bottle (about 5 gallons) costs about US $2. 

 

When we buy produce from the markets, we disinfect it when we get home. I do the same when I go to the US now, too. People use microdyn drops that you can buy at all the stores here. Other people use bleach or vinegar as a disinfecting agent. Myself and all of the foreigners I know use bottled water to brush their teeth, because most of us have had bouts of amoebas and parasites. We use the purified water as a preventative measure. 

 

The concern with the safety of restaurant food here is not so much about the water, but about the heat and the lack of food safety and sanitation.  For instance, food is not always refrigerated soon enough during the summer months.  People here suffer gastro intestinal issues at all kinds of restaurants, not just as a result from food sold on the street.  It doesn´t matter how high quality the restaurant is. Gastro intestinal ailments where people get sick after eating at restaurants happen more during the summer because of the heat, so you have to be careful of what you eat regardless of where you eat. I taste the food before I begin diving in. By the way, all restaurants here use purified water, so it is safe to drink the water and eat the ice. 

 

Mexico is the largest consumer of bottled water on the planet.  All Mexicans drink bottled water and do their cooking and washing of fruits and vegetables with tap water. Overall, taking precautions when drinking water is not a big problem here; it’s just a part of life.  

 

(Sri Lankan food in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

I am from Mexico and we grew up not drinking the water from the tap. I am not certain if it is safe to drink the water from the tap in San Miguel de Allende today but I wouldn’t do it because I didn’t grow up drinking tap water.

 

Normally, we have garafones (water jugs) that are refilled with purified water. Some people even buy a water filter for their entire house. But as Mexicans are not used to drinking from the tap, Mexican families...

I am from Mexico and we grew up not drinking the water from the tap. I am not certain if it is safe to drink the water from the tap in San Miguel de Allende today but I wouldn’t do it because I didn’t grow up drinking tap water.

 

Normally, we have garafones (water jugs) that are refilled with purified water. Some people even buy a water filter for their entire house. But as Mexicans are not used to drinking from the tap, Mexican families don’t usually use water.

 

Americans usually buy a water filtration system and have it installed in their houses as they are used to in the States. Natural water in Mexico comes from a well so it tastes a little salty. We always recommend to have a water filtration installed or to buy purified water.  

 

(Garafones being refilled, Mexico, pictured.)

In San Miguel de Allende, I drink tap water both out at restaurants and in my house. When you first move here, within three to five days you are going to get stomach disorders, which would last a couple of days, and after that you’re fine, because by then, you’ve built up your immune system. I get the same thing when I go back to the States or I go to Europe. The water is just different than what you're used to. Once you're used to it, there's no problem.

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In San Miguel de Allende, I drink tap water both out at restaurants and in my house. When you first move here, within three to five days you are going to get stomach disorders, which would last a couple of days, and after that you’re fine, because by then, you’ve built up your immune system. I get the same thing when I go back to the States or I go to Europe. The water is just different than what you're used to. Once you're used to it, there's no problem.

 

I don’t need to use any disinfectants when I wash vegetables using the tap water. They have very good systems here, particularly in the development where we live. We have a house that was built within the last ten years, so all of our tubaria (water pipes and tubes) are PVC.  The very historic part of town has several hundred-year-old iron pipes, so the people who live there don’t drink the water from the tap. But for the majority, drinking water from the tap is fine.

 

(Rancho Los Labradores, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

If you are staying in a house in San Miguel de Allende that has filtered water, then it is safe to drink the water of the tap but if you are not accustomed to drinking the water here in San Miguel de Allende, you would drink bottled water. There are too many bacteria and other things in the water here in San Miguel that would affect our systems. Every single restaurant that I have ever been in San Miguel serves bottled water and the ice that they use on drinks were also made from...

If you are staying in a house in San Miguel de Allende that has filtered water, then it is safe to drink the water of the tap but if you are not accustomed to drinking the water here in San Miguel de Allende, you would drink bottled water. There are too many bacteria and other things in the water here in San Miguel that would affect our systems. Every single restaurant that I have ever been in San Miguel serves bottled water and the ice that they use on drinks were also made from bottled water. Even the smaller or the cheaper restaurants serve bottled water, too. We are a resort town so the restaurant owners know that most people who come here are not accustomed to drinking water right of the taps here in San Miguel.

 

Every time we buy fruits and vegetables, we bring it home, throw it in the sink or in a bowl with Microdyn, which is a disinfectant, for 5 to 10 minutes, and you’re done. The vegetables are clean. But in general we never eat anything just off the shelf, which is something I wouldn’t do even if I was in San Jose, California. They use a lot more chemicals in the States while here in Mexico, they use less. The vegetables here are not all organic but they still use some chemicals so you have to take those extra measures.  

 

(Custom kitchen, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)

Ha, okay Readers, that's a cute question!  Every tourist restaurant (we have at least 80 great ones out of the 320 or more that we have here in San Miguel) will always serve you purified water.  And most homes here have a water filtration and purification system, allowing you to drink from any water faucet, like in the U.S. If you're uncertain, stick with the bottled water.

Ha, okay Readers, that's a cute question!  Every tourist restaurant (we have at least 80 great ones out of the 320 or more that we have here in San Miguel) will always serve you purified water.  And most homes here have a water filtration and purification system, allowing you to drink from any water faucet, like in the U.S. If you're uncertain, stick with the bottled water.