MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: Single? Living on your own is still the exception

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RickS

Aug 24, 2012, 7:34 PM

Post #26 of 33 (957 views)

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Re: [Lilmsmaggie] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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$1200 US/mo including utilities.....

I don't pretend to know what that $1200 would get you in all the places you could go in Mexico, but I do know this:

- If it were in a non-tourist/non-gringo location (which some people would prefer), you would be living like a king or queen!
- If it were in a beach community, one frequented by tourists/gringos, you could find a fairly nice place but it would not be 'on' the beach.
- If it were in a larger city like Guadalajara or Mexico City or Guanajuato or Morelia or... you'd also be able to find something real nice..... not just a condo but a house.
- If it were in a place like Lake Chapala, one of Mazbook1's popular gringo retirement destinations, you would be able to find a REAL nice 2 or 3 bedroom house, furnished and with a maid and gardener and still be able to eat out a bunch for that kind of dough! Water cost is negligible and is often covered by the owner; High-speed Internet is around $50; Mexican Cable TV with some English is fairly cheap; NOB satellite TV is available in some rentals for maybe $40/mo. for basic programming;Propane for cooking and hot water runs around $50/mo.; Electricity is expensive in Mexico but 'only' is you are running a pool pump, have 3 big TVs going all the time, are running a electric space heater too much in the winter, etc. etc. Air conditioning is not only not required but is non-existent in that climate.

(This post was edited by RickS on Aug 24, 2012, 7:49 PM)

Lilmsmaggie

Aug 24, 2012, 7:50 PM

Post #27 of 33 (949 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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In Reply To

joanquinx, I certainly DO know the difference between U.S. dollars and Mexican pesos. I don't think it would be possible to rent even a studio apt. in NYC with all bills and extras paid for $1200 dollars a month. Actually, probably not in any major metro area in the U.S.

True. $1200 wouldn't get you much here in the states and California is no exception. Housing costs tend to increase the closer you get to the coast and major cities. I lived in the San Francisco bay area for about 10 years. In the East Bay to be exact. At the time (1983-1986), I occupied a garage converted into a 1-bdr studio for about $800/mo. It was cozy about 800 sq. ft., and it was cheaper than the going rate for 1 bedroom apartments in complexes in the area. Now, you probably couldn't get that same place for under $1400.

I think it would be safe to say that an unfurnished 1-bdr apartment in the Sacramento area will range from $875-1200+ depending on the area. Contrast that with the cost a friend who recently moved to Florida, paid for his 1-bdr rental in Menlo Park ($2500/mo.) for the same amount of space I was paying to rent the converted garage. But he could afford it. On the other hand; he couldn't afford to buy a house. But he wasn't alone. There are professional athletes and well-paid health professionals (read doctors) that can't afford to buy a home in the San Jose, San Mateo, San Francisco, Oakland area; and you can forget about Marin.

We're not talking new properties - but properties that are 15-20 yrs. and older. Many people who now live in the Central Valley found themselves priced out of the Bay Area housing market. Its not uncommon for someone to live in Stockton or Sacramento and commute to San Jose - San Francisco to work. That's 4 hrs, round-trip in non-commute traffic!
Dwain (aka Lilmsmaggie)

GringoCArlos

Aug 24, 2012, 8:46 PM

Post #28 of 33 (934 views)

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Re: [Lilmsmaggie] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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Single? Living on your own is still the exception.

I saw the above reference to renting/living in Mexico as a single person in a post on this forum.

I'm in my mid '60's and I'm not sure what to make of that statement since I'm single and considering living in Mexico.

So what's the scoop? Do single men/women living in Mexico have some unusual barriers, issues or difficulties to overcome that married or couples living in Mexico don't?

Sorry I'm late to the discussion, but can throw in my two pesos.

According to INEGI data, in 2000 (their latest year for the data), there were 6.3% of MX households occupied by one person.

According to US Census data from 2009, 27% of US households were one occupant.

morgaine7

Aug 24, 2012, 10:25 PM

Post #29 of 33 (918 views)

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Re: [GringoCArlos] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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Great idea to look that up, thanks! Mexico figures are also available for 2010, but the only way I could get to them was with the (very cool, BTW) interactive app on the INEGI website. Start here:
http://www.inegi.org.mx/...p;c=27769&s=est#
Then click on hogares censales and when the form comes up, enter your variables. I used Entidad y municipio and Tamaño de hogar censal.

It gives raw numbers, but percentages are easy enough to calculate. About 8.7% of 2010 households (2,474,981 of 28,159,373) are inhabited by one person, so there has been a bit of a change since 2000. But still, it works out to just 2.2% of the total population living alone. So I guess we'll have to live with being considered the "exception".

Kate

Anonimo

Aug 25, 2012, 3:00 AM

Post #30 of 33 (916 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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Quote

A wise person once wrote:
Why do I like living in Mexico?
If I choose to keep a horse in my yard, I can. . .
. . . but I must then accept that my neighbor may want a pig.

That sums it up so well. Thanks!

Saludos,
Anonimo

Sunnyvmx

Aug 25, 2012, 5:09 AM

Post #31 of 33 (908 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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A wise person once wrote:
Why do I like living in Mexico?
If I choose to keep a horse in my yard, I can. . .
. . . but I must then accept that my neighbor may want a pig.

I must say I was startled to see that someone remembered my writing and to be called a wise person also....such flattery. Another one that I favor is: "If I hit my head on a store front awning, the owner may rush out to inquire, Didn't you see the awning, it was low enough." This is Mexico, gotta love it.

On a side note... I found my cockatiel, a male that seemed unhappy and I felt he longed for a bird friend. So I made a second trip to Veracruz and brought back another. I thought the second bird was also a male, but two weeks later I caught them "Doin the dirty!" A friend threatened to report the wild sex that was going on at Tepetapan. Frantic, I raced to my vet for formula for chicks and in my best spanish (which isn't much) I blurted out, "Mucho amor, mucho amor!" Shouts from her office came back, "Bueno, muy bueno!" even from the bar next door.

http://dementias-daughter.com. Now over 25,000 hits.

robt65

Aug 25, 2012, 5:14 AM

Post #32 of 33 (907 views)

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Re: [Lilmsmaggie] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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Good Morning Lilmsmaggie,

Thanks for entering this post.

I have my quiet time in the mornings (most mornings) and it gives me time to digest some of the posts entered. I have certainly found this post provocative and very informative. I guess I have become somewhat of a "lurker" in my later years. Again thanks for this post as (to me) it opens up different perspectives I have not (in some respects) previously thought about. We certainly all have different views and applications of those views. For me personally, I enjoy reading others perspectives. This is a good and healthy exchange of opinions, thanks to all the responders.

Regards,

Robert

tashby

Aug 25, 2012, 8:18 AM

Post #33 of 33 (883 views)

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Re: [robt65] Single? Living on your own is still the exception - is this true?

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Quote

Why do I like living in Mexico?
If I choose to keep a horse in my yard, I can. . .
. . . but I must then accept that my neighbor may want a pig.

I also love and remember this quote.

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