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Cost of living


Harry Bruce

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1500 to 2400?  Yes. Depends. I'm assuming you mean one person.  "Living gringo" covers too much territory, IMO.  There's renting a modest dwellng at around $500 US in one of the less expensive towns; limiting one's entertainment budget to affordable dining and such while using public transportation: that's one way some "gringos" live.  Quite a few, in fact.  That would work with the $1500 figure.  $2400 would work for a better rental and amenities.  Some residents here have very large homes, maids and gardeners and drive upscale vehicles.  Can't do that on $2400.  I hope that gives you a general notion of what you can get for what you got.

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We rent in a safe and comfortable mixed neighborhood for $800 USD.  Two of us live quite nicely with no car using bus and feet and have a quiet lifestyle on $2500 a month which  includes health insurance, utilities, food (eating out several times a week) and everything else we need/want.  I know of some who live much cheaper and are very happy with their arrangements and many who live way more expensively.  As has been said above, it all depends on you.  If one keeps the expectations low and the acceptance high, it works out!

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Living Gringo - here's a couple of examples, I was shopping in TX and bought a grinder at Home Depot for around $60, I was in Home Depot in Guadalahara a week later and the exact grinder was $75. I needed a new wireless router, the manufacturer suggested retail was around $40, in MX it was $54, I bought it off Amazon for $35 NOB. You want a nice TV with satellite, maybe XM radio? - that's gringo. Electricity is expensive even when subsidized at the lower levels and if you use more you elevate into the DAC rates which are roughly 4 times what I currently pay in TX. Gas is more and going up apparently. Budget for your annual visa and depending on whether you go Temporal or Permanent you may need to nationalize your car. I used to buy a case of Diet Coke for the equivalent of about $24 at Costco, yesterday I bought 2 cases of HEB brand for $9. Canned cat food is twice as expensive in MX. These are all things "Gringo" and the average Mexican don't need these things. But, if you like tequila, MX is the place to be, WalMart sells Distalladors for about $11 a bottle, less now with devaluation, in TX, $38 for the exact same bottle. An unspoken joke is there are two prices for everything, Mexican and Gringo.

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4 hours ago, gringal said:

1500 to 2400?  Yes. Depends. I'm assuming you mean one person.  "Living gringo" covers too much territory, IMO.  There's renting a modest dwellng at around $500 US in one of the less expensive towns; limiting one's entertainment budget to affordable dining and such while using public transportation: that's one way some "gringos" live.  Quite a few, in fact.  That would work with the $1500 figure.  $2400 would work for a better rental and amenities.  Some residents here have very large homes, maids and gardeners and drive upscale vehicles.  Can't do that on $2400.  I hope that gives you a general notion of what you can get for what you got.

I live on about usd $2200/mo....own my house and pay an average of $3000p monthly for electric, gas, drinking water, Telmex and infinitum, city water, taxes, and my cell.  I am putting someone through technical school.  I have had the same maid four days a week for two hours, sometimes three, for over thirteen years.  She gets a raise every year.  In addition I have health insurance.  I fill my car gas tank about once a month.  While I have someone who cooks mostly main dishes weekly, I supplement from abarrotes, Superlake and (tho I hate to go there) Walmart   Because I use the ATMs, and the current exchange rate is so good, my costs have gone way down.  I go out to great restaurants at least once a week.  Sometimes more.  I hate alcohol, so rarely drink and that keeps dinners and lunches down.  Fortunately, when I need to travel (4-5 times a year) my air tickets, living expenses in the states and elsewhere, and Medicare supplemental insurance are covered by a trust.  All in all, my fur baby and I live very well.

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3 hours ago, sparks said:

I rented a beautiful 2 story 3bdrm/2bath with large garden and 3 car garage in Jocotepec. Had to buy my own fridge 

And, your monthly living cost, broken down?

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Electricity around 150 pesos more or less every 2 months, propane purchase only once a year, telephone 389 pesos monthly, water bill 40 to 80 pesos monthly, gas for car one fill up per month 400 or so pesos, eating breakfast out 3 times per week maybe 300 ish pesos weekly, dinner or lunch out 3 times per week 600 ish pesos weekly.  Sky hd tv around 800pesos monthly.  This is for 2 people.  Lots of other things to do with the rest.

yes we own our home and have solar.  Easy to live on one ss and save other for traveling.  Some month we only spend 1000 usd that is including shopping for clothes etc.

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23 minutes ago, traderspoc said:

 to live comfortably, and take vacations you need about 30,000 us

What one person considers necessary to "live comfortably" can be vastly different from what others consider necessary. I live comfortably and take a vacation once a year and do it on half that.

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My monthly cost to maintain myself quite happily is $600 including rent.  I live in Chapala in almost utter quietude (and full hearing capability).  My rent for a 2 bedroom house with large garden space and large covered patio is 5000 pesos, $250.  I grow some of my food (as I always have and enjoy doing), eat incredibly well, have all of the friends and entertainment I can handle, own no car, have no pets, eat out very little.  And, importantly (just financially speaking), I have no medical bills because I have managed my own health for 40 years by eating mostly kale and walking several kilometers a day.

My electricity bill is 30 pesos/month (all lights compact flourescents).

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Well, two things, last time I checked, CFE was about $0.17 per KWH at the lowest (my casita) and that ain't cheap, you practically have to live in a cave to achieve that. And dear Xena, no, I did not move back NOB except to clear up some storage and family matters and had every intention of being back there by now, ask La Floresta storage where I left an area with a reasonable amount of stuff I intended to return to use. But, things in life change - well, for most of us, some live their lives in denial of the obvious but then, maybe that's also part of why I didn't return, I had grown tolerant of the usual pushback on anyone who might point out the truth and I decided, why bother?

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YES Giltner68 was planning to come back and I still hope that he does. Oh and because the value of the dollar has gone crazy in a good way,  the lowest rate for electricity for the first 75 KWH per month this Dec is 92 centavos (including 16% sales tax} or at 20 pesos per dollar 4.6 US cents per KWH,, the next 65 KWH are at 5.6 cents per KWH.

Why the big difference? The exchange rate has gone crazy. I wasn't too long ago that it was 8 to 1 then 10 to 1, and now 20.6 to 1

SHOULD you use an average of more than 3000 KWH during the previous year your rates per KWH increase immensely.  

The December  DAC rate for each and every KWH equates to 4.70 pesos per KWH or at 20 to 1, almost 24 cents per KWH  plus a monthly fee of $109 pesos or $5.46 per month.

I use photovoltaic solar panels and was charged for 50 KWH during the last 2 months which equated at the lowest rate to $46 pesos or at 20 to 1, $2.30 US for the last two months

To check out the actual rates go to http://app.cfe.gob.mx/Aplicaciones/CCFE/Tarifas/Tarifas/tarifas_casa.asp

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2 hours ago, giltner68 said:

Well, two things, last time I checked, CFE was about $0.17 per KWH at the lowest (my casita) and that ain't cheap, you practically have to live in a cave to achieve that. And dear Xena, no, I did not move back NOB except to clear up some storage and family matters and had every intention of being back there by now, ask La Floresta storage where I left an area with a reasonable amount of stuff I intended to return to use. But, things in life change - well, for most of us, some live their lives in denial of the obvious but then, maybe that's also part of why I didn't return, I had grown tolerant of the usual pushback on anyone who might point out the truth and I decided, why bother?

As I said, my electric bills for 2 months average at less than 250 pesos. I don't live in a cave. Nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath house, fans in every room, water pump, lights, fridge, blender, toaster, washing machine, laptop, and a sewing space with 2 industrial machines and I have to use the iron for some sewing projects. All this seems incredible cheap to run here at the equivalent of about $6.25 US/month.

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I live on about $1400US a month.  Have a good apartment (furnished) with a big patio, have a car.  Eat breakfast out every day, eat dinner out at least once a week (pay for 2 people).

The trick here is buying.  If you shop Mexican, you can save 30-50% off of "gringo" stores and get the same thing or better.  I buy a few American products but you can find most things have a Mexican equivalent that's as good or better.

 

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Don't forget medical expenses. We have a good policy, $5,000 deductible each. It costs $22,000 USD a year now that we are both well into our seventies. We also pay out of pocket for our prescriptions and office visits. We've lived here for 15 years. We have Medicare. We did not have any large medical expenses for the first eleven years.

I know many posters are going to argue that this is outrageously high. Several of our friends have come begging for money when they learned that IMSS and Seguro Popular would not cover their medical needs. Other friends have been stuck when their health insurance dropped them. Still others have blatantly relied on the kindness of their families and friends to bail them out. A few friends have paid out of pocket for more than $100,000 USD in hospitalization.

Our insurance has paid for more than $200,000 USD in medical expenses in the last few years. 

 

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