The dollar has lost a tenth of its value against the Mexican peso since January, meaning that beach trips to Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and other sunny points south of the border are quickly becoming more expensive.

On Monday, after months of steady decline, the dollar hit a six-year low of 9.67 pesos.

Experts say the dollar's continuing weakness could have an effect on tourism, migrants and the $347 billion in trade between the two countries.

An American retiree renting a house in Mexico for 10,000 pesos a month is paying $98 more a month than in January.

A 1,000-peso-a-night hotel room that would have cost a tourist $91.45 then now costs $101.21. And that's not counting Mexico's inflation rate of nearly 5 percent, which also has helped raise prices.

Partly because of the exchange rate, Mexico City is now nearly as expensive for foreigners as Washington, D.C., according to a study released by Mercer LLC, a U.S. consulting firm.

American shoppers also could eventually feel the sting of the higher peso, said Ral Feliz, a professor at Mexico City's Center for Economic Research and Education.

The United States imports $210 billion in goods annually from Mexico, from lettuce to mobile phones. A stronger peso makes those goods more expensive.

The rising peso also could threaten assembly plants that export to the United States, said Jorge Pedroza Serrano, president of the Maquiladora Association in the border state of Chihuahua.

The dollar's slump also means migrants in the United States can send less money home to their families. The average wire transfer of $350 yielded 369 pesos less than it would have in January, enough to buy 9 gallons of milk or 30 pounds of chicken.

Overall, remittances from Mexican migrants totaled $11.6 billion through June, down 2 percent from last year, the Bank of Mexico said.

The weakening dollar does have an upside for American exporters because it makes U.S. goods cheaper for Mexicans. It also means Mexicans' pesos go further in American shopping malls along the border.

However, stores in Nogales, El Paso and other border communities said they aren't benefiting because stepped-up border security has made it inconvenient for shoppers to come to the U.S.

(AP)