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Carron

Sep 28, 2003, 11:25 AM

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Cost of Living in Mexico

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One of the main reasons my husband and I moved to Mexico was because of the lower cost of living. While that cost is certainly not as fairy tale low as it was perhaps a couple of decades ago, the upside is that the economy is more stable and the prices are still (usually) more than reasonable as compared to similar prices in the US.

While I will admit right up front that I don't always get this kind of amazing bargain, I want to share with you this morning's cost of shopping at Sorianna, the largest supermercado in Cuidad de Acuña.

1 Family-size package of steaks para asar
1 Roasting hen, large, with giblets and feet
6 Pork chops, boneless, smoked, large, lean
6 Tomatoes, small and perfectly ripe
18 Brown eggs, large
2 Six packs beer, imported from Canada!
1.1 L Brandy including "tax" of 1 peso for local
firefighters

Thanks in part to a very favorable exchange rate, I actually got change back from my $20 US bill.

johanson

Sep 28, 2003, 12:31 PM

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

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That's great. I wonder how much that would cost if one went to one of the grocery stores frequented by us Expats in the greater lake Chapala area. I will take a wild guess here and suggest 20% more. I hope I am very wrong.

I would love to hear comments from folks who are more informed on the subject than I.

Pete

Esteban

Sep 28, 2003, 1:49 PM

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

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I've been noticing that the price of chicken has risen over the last 4 years if not 10 years but we started buy either boneless skinless chicken thighs for 36 pesos a kilo or when a little lazier, we buy the pre roasted chicken from a special place near my home. Those are running 50 pesos during the week for the whole chicken or 40 pesos on the weekend. They come with tortillas and salsa and at some places nearby either beans or rice. My mom, in California says that she buys chicken at almost the same price.

I've quit buying beef because it's so tough. Even if I buy it from Sam's club 50% of the time it's dung. However, when I do buy beef, the only thing I buy, and I buy it from a butcher in the central market, is Filete at 80 pesos a kilo. He takes the time to carve off all the gristle and clean it up VERY well. I buy it "entero" because I like THICK medalions of these tasty morsels. I can barbeque it, medium rare, and it will cut with a fork. It's a REAL bargain anywhere in the world.

Mostly, I pay a peso an egg. I don't know how that compares to the US.

Big ripe beefsteak tomatoes were 14 pesos a kilo at Walmart...not the cheapest place to shop for veggies but I was tired of shopping.

Leys supermarket ( a Safeway subsidiary) had a sale on Gin a few weeks ago at 25 pesos a liter. Bought a few of those. Already killed off the Bottle of Damiana and I'm burned out with it at 100 pesos.

If you shop Sam's club meat sales, you can get some good deals or shop their loss leaders. I saw thick lean pork chops on sale at 46 pesos a kilo. A bit high but probably worth it. Big filets of Salmon were on sale at Gigantes for 79 pesos a kilo which is cheaper that I used to pay in the Pacific Northwest.

The bottom line is, I do shop sales but food is something that I buy what I want. If I'm going to cut back on something it ain't goin to be grub. If I want a Hass avacado at 16 pesos a kilo, I buy it. But I have to agree with Carron, if you are into fresh fruits and veggies and like the local flora, it's definitely cheaper. Fish, when bought in season is much cheaper and you can't touch my filetes for less than about 8 US dollars a pound (if you compare quality to quality) up north.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention the 500 grams of Blason Expresso coffee, in the green bags for 29 pesos. Being a real coffee snob of the nth degree, this stuff is the best I've tasted in all of Mexico.

jennifer rose

Sep 28, 2003, 3:34 PM

Post #4 of 35 (2261 views)

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Re: [johanson] Cost of Living in Mexico

I shop at the tianguis once or twice a week, and I hit Walmart and Costco about as often. When I find a bargain, I tend to stock up, and that means that my freezer harbors stuff older than Benito Juarez. Often where or even what I buy boils down to a matter of timing and convenience.

Boston lettuce, hydroponic, absolutely waste-free (except for the roots), 2 heads for $29 at Costco. Sure, the other is cheaper, but lettuce is something I splurge upon.

Whole trout, $59/kilo at Costco. Salmon filet has ranged in price from $70 to $99/kilo.

My freezer’s still filled with whole chickens from Costco’s buy-one-get-one-free sale in July. $17.60/kilo back then. Whole roasted chickens are $42 at Costco. On the street, roasted chickens with salsa go for $35, but they’re smaller than Costco’s.

But what really irks me is how the price of Diet Coke in cans has risen. $115 for 24 cans. Be Lite is $56 for 12 bottles. I just can’t stand those giant bottles of soft drinks. The single cans of Coke Lite were $5.70 at Walmart, and regular was going for $4.50. Sometimes we buy it off the truck, but the savings is insignificant.

Ten chipotle-flavored flour tortillas are $4.50 at Walmart. A kilo of tortillas hecho a mano go for $6 at my favorite tortilleria in the ‘hood.

I economize by cooking the dogs’ food – a tiny amount of chicken (menudencias), arroz quebrada ($2.5/kilo at the wholesaler), carrots, Swiss chard and whatever other vegetable looks good. They still get Kirkland dry food, which is around $179 for 18 kilos. Cooking for the dogs became a necessity when one of them required a special diet, which was, like John Rice explained, more expensive than filet.

Back in the old days, before Walmart and imported beef, most folks who wanted steak or roast beef bought only filet. And it’s still the best bargain around.

At the dulceria, giant bags of corn churros, chicharrones de maiz, habas, and potato chips can be had for $9.

The more Mexico becomes one’s home, and one’s only home, the less one is apt to make comparisons with what prices might be abroad. Something’s either a good deal, it’s a needed extravagance, a necessity, or just too expensive.

Profeco maintains price comparison charts for various cities in Mexico at http://www.profeco.gob.mx/...ios/quienesquien.htm.

Bubba

Sep 28, 2003, 6:28 PM

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Re: [johanson] Cost of Living in Mexico

Pete:

Regarding the notion that you may save up to 20% by going to the Guadalajara box stores over shopping at Lakeside, I think and, of course, you know, that it is not that simple. Jennifer lives in Morelia, I presume, so she may not need to factor this in, but by the time you have driven to the big city and wasted the better part of a day inducing a deep depression and exhausting yourself strolling around these mammoth emporiums, your savings is really minimal. This is especially true after you drink a generous serving of tequila upon your return home in order to restore your sanity after such a trip.

We rarely go to these places anymore and, when we do we combine the trip with another reason to make it worthwhile such as taking in a movie or eating out. Then we go to buy bulk necessities such as paper products or specialty items such as pine nuts where, at Costco, for instance, one can save a bundle on certain items but not others.

We have found that most items we need can be found in places such as the Joco Thursday market or in stores in downtown Chapala at prices that often put the box stores to shame. When we need specialty items we go to Super Lake ot Torito but that's OK since, if one wants Roquefort Cheese or Best Foods Mayonnaise, those are the stores where one finds these things locally.

If you go all the way to Costco to buy the extra large jar of Best Foods Mayonaisse (for example) you will save about $1.00USD over what you would pay at Lakeside. Net, after gasoline and other transportation costs, who knows where the savings is. The paradox is that, in order to make the trip worthwhile one must spread the costs over a number of items so one ends up splurging by buying things one otherwise would not buy. I don't think I will ever free up the space in my freezer where that huge sack of Pine nuts is stored.

But they sure were cheap.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Sep 28, 2003, 6:35 PM)

jrice

Sep 30, 2003, 7:39 PM

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

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Sometimes I think I've lost my sense of market values.

My son likes bubble baths, and you don't find that much here. So I found myself walking out of Perisur the other day wondering WHAT on earth I had paid for a bottle of bubble bath at, may the Good Lord help us, Body Shop.

I won't even say what it cost. Smells nice, though.

Five or 10 minutes on one of those bungee jumpers is about 40 pesos sometimes. Wonderful fun for a kid -- almost as much as those concrete-base jungle gyms that vanished a few dozen liability suits ago in the United States.

On the other hand, some of the better food in the Zona Rosa comes from the guys selling tamales for a few pesos from steaming steel vats, or the tacos de canasta at Varsovia for about 6 pesos a shot -- just around the block from Casa Bell, where the street is clogged with guaruras and armored Mercedes.

Property can be cheap, though -- and if you are reading this far here's an interesting tidbit: Bank of America, per Dow Jones news service, is considrering offering US mortgages in Mexico, mainly aimed at Hispanic customers with a B of A account in the US. Would be worked through Serfin. That could tend to press prices up somewhat.

One of the great bargains in Mexico, in any case, is shopping in a decent mercado, street or otherwise. What a wonderful thing.

Good thread: Best mercados in Mexico?

elcomputo

Oct 3, 2003, 10:57 PM

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Re: [jrice] Cost of Living in Mexico

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I guess it's just human nature, when we talk about cost of living, to concentrate on the cost of food. Unless you have a big family, food is a rather insignificant portion of the budget. Chances are, if you drive a car in Mexico, that is going to be one of your greatest costs-- amortization of the car, insurance, maintenance, and very high priced gasoline. (On a recent trip down from the border, I paid 600 pesos for one of the three fill-ups I needed. The cost of that one tankful is what it would have cost for a one-way bus ticket to my destination.

Rent tends to be cheaper down here, even in the most expensive areas, than equivalent values in the more desirable areas in the States. In terms of buying, I just read in an article at Mexico Connect that it is currently a buyer's market for houses. Utilities seem to be cheaper here than most parts of the USA, except for telephone service, which is about the same and is nowhere near as good as in the USA.

Most products cost more, it appears, though prices are somewhat deceiving because sales taxes are added to prices in the US and folded into quoted prices down here.

Overall, I think it's a bit cheaper down here. It's much cheaper when you're dealing with labor expenses, since Mexicans are used to earning next to nothing -- one of the prices paid for consistently overpopulating the labor market. But then, of course, you can't really put a price on the wonders, marvels, and beauties of Mexico, can you?

All I know is I am barely managing to get by here on the paltry amount I get from Social Security. In the U.S., unless I were living in a lean-to in some swamp in Georgia and dining on possum, I would be out on the street pushing a shopping cart with all my worldly goods.

Martin

juan david

Oct 4, 2003, 7:49 AM

Post #8 of 35 (2008 views)

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

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Let me try to take a different stab at this for Canadians thinking about retiring to Mexico. We have spent the first four months of this year in Ajijic and the last four months in Ottawa which is cheaper than Toronto by a good 20%, but more expensive than, say Winnipeg. Also with the rise in the Hudson Bay Peso, we beaver busters just got a 15% raise in Mexico. Everyone has to do some kind of a budget based on their living habits and we did that. I also have to say that neither my wife nor I are very good detail people, so we just look at groups of things a do estimates based on recent experiences. So, here goes a shot at it!

CAR

Insurance-about 25% less. Gas about 20% more, but we drive and pay/park less. Repairs-lower labor, maybe higher parts, call it a wash. Depreciation-non event if you are FM3. Oil change-50% more. Car wash-60% less....but we get it done more often. Overall, slightly lower than Canada.

Food

Meat-30-35% less. Fruit/veggies-40% less. Mexican brand packaged goods-same. American branded goods double or triple vs Canada. Soda pop-20% more. Overall 20% less, but depends on your shopping habits.

Bad Habits

Table wines-about the same. Hard booze-75% less if not imported. If you have an expensive scotch habit, it's going to cost you a lot more. Beer-20% less. Tequila-like scotch, whatever you want. Tobacco products-75% less.

Good Habits

Golf-for the serious, about 20% more, but you play at least twice as much. Health club-same. Tennis-same.

Pets

Food-20% more. Vets-50% less. Medecines-same

Dining out

cheap and cheerful-25% less. Mid range-30-40% less. Expensive-we don't do that any more in either place. Caution: lifestyle change means we dine out more and probably spend more in the end.

Services

Maid and gardener part time-C$ 100/mth. Inexpensive for what you get, but still a net increase for us. Last I heard, cleaning person was about 75 bucks a day in Ottawa. Snow clearing service-nil hahaha

Housing

Rent or buy-40% less. Taxes/ colonia fees-80% less. Insurance/heat/electricity in total-25% less. This category is the big bargain!

Medical

For Canadians this is the biggie.All of it is added cost, but you might save more in income taxes than the cost of an insurance policy. There is much better info available in Mexconnect than I can provide other than an overall comment to Canadians: cost-balance off against tax savings. Availability-outstanding. Quality-we don't think there's a difference when all is considered. This is too big a topic for this post.

Overall

Housing for us is 40% less. All the rest when added together is about 20% less, but can easily vary with lifestyle. And speaking of lifestyle, isn't that the biggest reason for choosing Mexico in the first place! For Canadians willing to move away from their current address, you gotta put Mexico on the list of options. Oh, before I forget, the climate and the social ambience are free!
" let sleeping dogs lie"

sandykayak

Oct 6, 2003, 8:52 AM

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Re: [ian] Cost of Living in Mexico

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great breakdown, Ian. Would you agree that it ends up being lower living costs but increased quality of life - less stress, good weather - issues?

have you considered the hidden costs of having household/yard help viz the additional pay benefits at christmas (called the aguinaldo in venezuela) and upon leaving your employ, as well as the cash outlay for clothing for their children, paying for their rites of passage "quince" parties (Sweet Fifteen)

my friend living on US social security in Ajijic says that she lives at a higher standard than if she had stayed in the PNW
Sandy Kramer
Miami, Fla & El Parque

jennifer rose

Oct 6, 2003, 10:18 AM

Post #10 of 35 (1907 views)

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Social Obligations

Foreigners tend to discount and even ignore the hidden costs of hiring help – the aguinaldo, vacations, severance and other statutory benefits. And yet so many of them hand over money for children’s clothing, personal loans and celebrations without batting an eyelash or having even established more than a month-long relationship with their household employees. I’m always shocked at those who fork over for the extras so early in the relationship, just because they were asked. It’s as if the foreigner is just too darn excited over the prospect of being adopted into the network of “instant friends and family.”

Let that relationship develop and season over time before accepting that invitation to be a padrino or madrina. Consider whether a Mexican, similarly situated, would do the same, and act accordingly.

Distinguish between giving to an individual and donations made to the community. The obligation to donate to the local fiesta, the posada, and the new town [fill in the blank] starts as soon as you move into the community.

Even though I’ve lived here longer than many, I can’t count the number of invitations I receive to weddings, baby showers, first communions, and other life events – from people I only met 15 minutes ago. Hardly a week passes without some invitation from someone I hardly know. Now obviously the more invested one becomes in a community over time, the more those networks solidify, which means that there are those invitations which can’t be turned down. And that spells social obligations which have to be met, meaning that one might as well establish a line item in the living expense budget just for gifts.

On the flip side, this is Birthday Month for me. Even though my birthday isn’t until the end of the month, invitations for birthday breakfasts, brunches, luncheons and dinners started rolling in last weekend.

juan david

Oct 6, 2003, 4:06 PM

Post #11 of 35 (1865 views)

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Re: [sandykayak] Cost of Living in Mexico

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Honestly Sandy, we sorta look at these things as lurking costs....like major dental, the kid who blows out his credit card, or just something stupid that we do to ourselves(and we have!) So we make it a practice to plan to spend 15-20% less than we could, 'cause there's always a snake out there thats gonna bite you.
" let sleeping dogs lie"

Carron

Oct 7, 2003, 10:55 AM

Post #12 of 35 (1795 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Social Obligations

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You are so right about this. It can turn from a molehill into a whopper before the average gringo is even aware of what's happening. One of the first things one needs to learn in Mexico is to "just say no". No, gracias. And let that be the end of it.

When we first moved to Chiapas, we hired a muchacha, or local housekeeper, for 200 pesos (less than $20) per week. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry by hand--we thought we had a real bargain--and gradually moved her entire family in with us. The first thing to go was our brand new sofa. She brought her 12-month old daughter to work with her everyday and set her on the sofa. The child sat there patiently all day. No children in the village wore diapers, so you can guess what happened to my new sofa. When I finally got my son-in-law to speak with her about the problem, she then bought one (yes, you can buy singles of just about everything in Mexico) disposable diaper and each time it got wet her mother simply took it off, hung it in a window to dry, then put it back on! One diaper must have lasted a week or more, but it never seemed to be in place when the little girl pottied.

Her little son, about four years old, was more potty-trained. He knew that men should go outside to pee, which he always did. But when he found a ballpoint pen he was fascinated and wrote in large, deep scribbles all over the top of my soft-finished handmade wood dining room table.

She was supposed to work from nine each morning until three in the afternoon, at which time she would go home and my family could enjoy traditional comida in private. Not! She kept coming later and later and staying later and later until I realized that she stayed until her husband came in from work, then served him and her children our food, at our dining table (the one whose top I had to have refinished), while we waited on the patio impatiently hoping they would hurry up and leave!

Beware of hidden costs.

Marlene

Oct 7, 2003, 11:26 AM

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Learning Lessons

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Carron, would this one of the things we look back on and laugh about? Or is the one where we kick ourselves and remember the lesson for years to come? Thanks for sharing that with us. I have heard similar stories here too. It's a tough situation to get out of once you are involved too.

I know of one family that comes to Mexico every winter and lives rent free in an apt. on a local family property. They have quickly discovered the price of free rent is far from free, as it seems to be expected they will donate money for nearly any expense the family presents them with. What a tough situation they got themselves into. While they really like the family, they are considering living elsewhere and giving up the "free" rent. They can't afford it.

alex .

Oct 7, 2003, 12:57 PM

Post #14 of 35 (1770 views)

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Re: [Carron] "niños son así"

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Thats the "apology" that we get when something like that happens.
Alex

Marlene

Oct 7, 2003, 7:41 PM

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Re: [alex .] "niños son así"

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You just dusted off the cobwebs of another memory for me. I have a British friend who married a Dominican and lives in the Dominican Republic. When I visited the DR (a beautiful country also), she was attempting to explain to us why whenever she returned home (an adventure in itself) there were about 30 neighborhood children in her house watching her TV, and why her house was always full of newly acquired fruits, vegetables and misc. foodstuffs. Turns out she married one of the most popular men around the area. Not only did he have a TV, but his "job" while considered quite daring and prestigious, was pirating electricity for the folks that couldn't pay. In the DR it is common practice to pirate electricity from the "system". Of course the needy folks can't pay money, so he accepts vegetables and fruit, etc in payment. The trade off for being married to such a good guy was that she inherited the entire colonia's children on a daily basis to watch her TV. Their mother's usually reciprocated by making a hot meal for her. Teamwork. I really wouldn't trade my life in Mexico for her life, but she is happy after traveling the world and also finding a warm culture to settle in. Seems that foreigners have things to learn no matter where their new country is. Viva Mexico.

Moisheh

Oct 7, 2003, 8:29 PM

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Re: [Carron] Social Obligations

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Carron : Interesting post except for the part about paying 200 pesos a week. Even in Chiapis this must be below the min. wage. Even if it was the min. wage I am shocked. I am also shocked that not one other poster picked up on this. However before I rant and rave I will wait for a response.

Rolly

Oct 7, 2003, 8:47 PM

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Re: [Moisheh] Social Obligations

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Today in 2003 min in Chiapis is $40.30 pesos per day. Assuming a 5 day week that would be $201.50

In 2002 it was $38.40 per day x 5 days = $192

The year before that is was still lower, etc

Carron does say when this wage was paid, but it looks like it was actually above the minimum if the 5-day week assumption is correct.

Minimum wage information in English can be found at http://www.mexicanlaws.com/Minwages2003.htm

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

(This post was edited by Rolly on Oct 7, 2003, 8:49 PM)

Moisheh

Oct 8, 2003, 6:19 AM

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Re: [Rolly] Social Obligations

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Min. wage in Mexico is just that a minimum. I do not know a single person in Sonora who would work for the min. wage. And what about seguro? aginaldo (spelling?), etc.

alex .

Oct 8, 2003, 7:36 AM

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Re: [Moisheh] unspoken "bennies"

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Depending on the individual circumstance, there is more than meets the eye. First of all, when one comes from a job of making tortillas 10 hours per day, 7 days per week for 170 pesos per week, 200 pesos for some light housekeeping/babysitting looks pretty good. Add in room and board, medical, school suplies & uniforms for their kids, "loans" for frequent various and sundry emergencies, trips to and from town,accomodating their relatives when they visit from afar, you are now looking at a "position" that has value much greater than 200 pesos weekly. Ya had to have been there.
Alex

Carron

Oct 8, 2003, 8:01 AM

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Re: [Rolly] Social Obligations

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That was in 1999-2001. Considering at the time I was teaching English to graduate level students at the university for about $300 US per month, my housekeeper was getting a good chunk of my salary for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week! Chiapas does tend to have lower wages than other parts of the country, but the overall cost of living there is also lower. We complained when the cost of a roasted chicken with spaghetti, tortillas, and salsa rose from 18 pesos to 22! Now we live in northern Mexico and are lucky to get a cooked chicken for 60 pesos.

PATTI H

Oct 8, 2003, 6:15 PM

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Re: [Carron] Social Obligations

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Hi My name is Patti. My husband and I are so intrigued by all of you and what you have to say about Lake Chapala and Ajijic that we're planning to spend Thanksgiving in your towns to investigate our retirement there. I laughed at Carrons lesson. We have had similar experiences here in Michigan with some of the people who have worked for us. Eventhough our Mexican gardener charges us eight dollars per hour my husband always pays him ten. He works hard and my husband believes he's worth extra. One day he brought one of his children and made it plain that he expected us to pay the boy also. My husband thought the gardener was teaching his boy good work ethics and paid the boy ten also. The next week he brought two more boys! How did you solve your problem, does the woman still work for you?

I've enjoyed all of your conversations and after reading all of the back pages of the forum I feel as if I already know some of you. Here's to spending Thanksgiving in Lake Chapala Patti

elcomputo

Oct 8, 2003, 7:25 PM

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Re: [ian] Cost of Living in Mexico

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Beaver buster??!!! Does that have the same connotations in Canada as it has in the USA? Eh?

But seriously, folks, it should be added that costs do vary some from place-to-place in Mexico. The trouble is, I don't know by how much. I'm sure you can pay much less rent in a town that is less frequented by gringos than SMA or Ajijic. But I'm in SMA, and I have managed to find a pretty nice casita that rents for well under the going rate. You can find these places if you look around.

Likewise purchases. I get my fruits and vegetables down the street from a local verdadura place. Most of them are pretty scuzzy looking, but then so are the ones at the big supermarket on the other side of town, and the local guy's stuff is cheaper. You just have to pick through it to find the least scuzzy stuff. Plus, if I spend over 600 pesos, he gives me a couple of bunches of bananas for free. The Gigante market doesn't do that.

Now, there are at least a couple of places in town that sell organic produce. It looks very, very good and fresh. But I couldn't afford organic in the States, and it's at least the same price here.

Also, there are some excellent restaurants in this town. But patronizing them (as so many of the "monied" gringos here do) runs up your cost-of-living here appreciably.

All I know is that I am getting by here on my paltry Social Security pension. I could do that in the States, too, but I would probably be living in a shack in Mississippi. And who wants to do that?

Martin

Mikey01

Oct 9, 2003, 5:51 AM

Post #23 of 35 (1523 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of Living in Mexico

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Hello Martin,

I am thinking of retiring to Mexico someday and am in the process of learning. Your mention of getting along on your SS sounds about like me. What do you think about having a car there?

Mike Mitchell

Mikey01

Carron

Oct 9, 2003, 11:08 AM

Post #24 of 35 (1481 views)

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

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I am going to update my own post.

We live in a border town across the Rio Bravo from Texas. The only people who speak English here are the tourists who come across on the weekends to buy perscription drugs, visit Boy's Town, bargain in the souvenir shops (which are so over-priced there are no bargains!), the shopkeepers on the tourist strip, the underaged kids who can drink, dance, buy cocaine, etc. without showing ID, those who want to eat Tex-Mex food cheaper than in Texas, and the taxi drivers. Gringos spend a few exciting hours here on such a blow-out and think they have been to the "real" Mexico!

We live within 5 blocks of this "screw the Americans madness" and we are simply in another world. Our neighborhood is typically mixed residential/small commercial and very quiet. We pay rent of $150 US for a nice 2 bedroom, 1 bath, house on 1/2 acre of fenced property. None of our neighbors speak English, but our basic Spanish is sufficient.

Yesterday the house across the street from us went up for sale. It is a huge two story place with a pitched roof. It is of cement block construction with plaster finish and has just been painted a bright Pepto Bismal pink. It has many large windows and a wide balcony around most of the upstairs. It has 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. The price is $40,000 US, cash. Wish I could afford it!

mexconn

Nov 3, 2003, 8:06 PM

Post #25 of 35 (1288 views)

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Re: [Carron] Cost of Living in Mexico

what is the name of the town?

My wife and I have been reading these posts and have found them to be very informative, helpful, and most of all hilarious!!!

We still don't have a good grasp for the cost of living....cost of car? Car insurance? cost of housing? I realize that it varies from place to place and that is precisely why it is hard to get a good idea of the cost....We would love to know what cities you all live. Also...jobs (part time) for Americans with college degrees ( you still have to do something in retirement!).

Thanks for sharing your experiences!!!

Julio and Marta.

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