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I live in Guadalajara. More info on Insurance: My car insurance is 11,000 MXN yearly for full coverage. Regarding medical insurance, what most people have in Mexico is called "seguro de gastos mayores" which roughly translates to insurance for major medical expenses such as ER visits, treatments for certain diseases, and surgeries. This does not include medication, tests/x-rays etc, or doctor's visits. My yearly premium for 1 person is about 33,000 MXN. This does not include dental or vision either. EDIT: This insurance also covers me whenever I'm in the USA for ER visits and any treatment as a result up to 100K USD. You pay up front in the US and then get reimbursed.
Marc, at your previous place, whoever stayed there before you must have run up the power bill quite high. Because this is usually the reason they bump you up into the much higher price rate for power. In MX, they penalize you for higher use of electricity by raising thel rates for the property that uses more power. And you would have to *consistently* use much, much less power for at least half a year for the power company to finally put you back into the lower price bracket. So, you have to always ask to see the most recent power bill before renting any place to avoid surprises. This is exactly what happened to me as well last Oct-Nov in PV, my bill was well over MXN 2.1K for just *one* person. (Not that I could have avoided it since this was a special circumstance)
To keep your electricity bills low, make sure no to use more than 4800 kwh over the 12 previous rolling months. If you exceed 4800 kwh you'll loose all subsidies.
100% it's called DAC. it gets tabulated every six billing periods or 12 months. once you meet the magic threshold of being below 4800 for 12 months or 6 billing periods in a row you're out of DAC. extremely important info!
Thank you! We barely even bought things we thought we needed in the first year - it really put things into perspective for us on what is actually necessary and what we can live without!
I was there for 5 months last year I went to La comer a lot Walmart too. It was a learning experience Ubers were super cheap . I went to barber n booze for my haircuts Great content
Appreciate the vid. Seeing what you folks are spending per month for a family of 4, I think I would be ok as a single with a budget of, at least, $4500 usd. Your breakdown helped considerably. Thanks.
Why the potable water? Everything i read is PV water is fine. Are you finding that's not the case? Also, why the meat at costco? Is it just cheaper or you think the quality is better? * that's great for Montessori. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I would not drink the tap water - I would only drink the water if there is a separate filtration system attached to the sink (which we don’t have). Lots of issues with rusted pipes especially in older buildings. We eat a lot of a few kinds of meats so it just makes sense for us to buy it in bulk and freeze them in dinner sized portions. A lot of locals have told me the best meat prices are at Carne Selecta Nayarit but we haven’t gone yet (even though it’s right beside Costco lol)
Very informative. I'm moving permanently in September and will be remote working and so the main selling point of the house I'm renting in Versailles is that it has solar panels so that will help with the A/C because I am liberal with using the A/C and don't want to get into the commercial rate. I will be brining my car as well but don't anticipate too much driving which is why I picked the neighborhood I did, which is around the corner from La Comer and other walkable shops, cafe's pharmacies, and restaurants. Costs are rising in PV and some ppl are saying they had to find a cheaper place to live or move altogether, but it is still very affordable. My big expense will be rent which is 38000 MX/month but I have no kids and so its still more affordable than where I am now.
I own a condo in PV. I keep track of my expenses every month. I’ve been averaging about $7000 CDN per month. A year ago was about $5000. Granted I go out a lot to restaurants and bars- basically every day. Take Uber’s and taxis. It’s not cheap, but I don’t scrimp on nothing. Used to be half price of Canada- but getting closer to par now. PV is expensive.
Thanks for sharing! It can definitely get expensive frequenting sit down restaurants - but they're so hard to resist lol I'm curious what going back to Toronto will be like now - prices for takeout were already getting very high before we left.
Your videos are always well done and informative. Honest cost of living videos are great to see. Keep up the great work! It would be fun to run into y'all once we get settled into Aguascalientes, and visit PV from time to time🙂
Your total is quite low compared to ours. Our monthly rental for a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment is $2,400. We are just 5 miles from Laguna Beach in SoCal. Approx $1,000 on groceries/restaurants, $340 gasoline. Just for April, and just 2 adults.
It honestly depends what you’re looking for and where you’re looking. So many factors to consider. In all cases I would recommend renting in the area you’re considering buying to make sure you like it
Here is a quick explanation for your curiiosity- The Comision Federal de Electricidad or CFE is the state owned electic utility that has tiers or brackets for the amount they charge you. If you don't use a lot of electricity you are in a lower fee rate tier. If you are a consistently high user you will be put into the higher fee rate tier. Once you get into that higher rate tier it's really hard to get it back down into the lower rate tier. This is why you should always ask for the last CFE bill when renting. If the tenant before you used a lot of electricity you will be the one that pays for it. Buena suerte!
Damn I was born and raised in PV, Im 23 and ive seen this small place grow. If you are working remote please drop some sauce on how you can land a job that allows you to live here
Awesome! Where are you living now? We work as virtual assistants/ real estate at the moment amongst a few other things but once we land something secure we'll definitely let you know :)
Marc, hi. I thought you all did pretty good with your expenses, in spite of the inflation and guest visit. While it appears to be high, I was looking at the context of how this would be in Canada or US, with a family of 4. It would be way higher, easily at least $1000 more. Travelling around to any north american city would increase the gas more, and the added parking cost. The benefits of living in a warm climate also plays a factor, less energy spent on gas. I also like the fact that food, fruit in particular is much more fresh. So, despite some costs in PV, there is a level of quality that is better. There is much to be said about budgeting. The expenses you outlined seem to make sense. You made improvements, and were able to make changes.That is great. I appreciate the amount of work that went into this. Thank you.
Thank you 😊 average rent for a 2 bed downtown Toronto is $3500 cad. And that’s just the expenses for the first category 😱 we never tracked our expenses in Toronto but I’m in sure it was about 3x higher than this (quality of life not factored in)
Thanks for sharing! I it can be affordable depending on where you live and shop! We're looking forward to travelling around Mexico and seeing what things cost in other areas although from what we hear PV is definetly up there in high cost of living in MX.
@@Morelifediaries I live here and have to disagree on this one. Sure you can it, but the real statement here is should you? The reason I say NGMI is most Americans can't even be here 2 years before complaining and leaving. Seen it over and over again. Mexico is a place you come if you have a great deal of money. If you are just a take social security early at 62 or trying to live off 3k USD a month, my experience is most are NGMI.
I agree! A lot of people don’t make it because they don’t adjust their living standards to their budget, they overspend as if they were living here on vacation. That being said - not every move needs to be permanent! If someone comes here for 2 years and leaves the important part is that they enjoyed themselves, gained perspective and new experiences along the way! Also, Rip Kabosu
My wife and i budget $10k USD per month for travel. We have not yet spent anywhere near that in Mexico. We splurge on our rentals by ataying on or very near the beach, and we do some touristy things that get expenaive. We never eat in "fancy" restaurants, but either cook at home or eat in the local spots, so our food doesn't cost too much. We also include airfare in our monthly budget, so $2k gors just to travel. We aren't really looking to relocate outside the US, but we are trying to spend a month at a time in various places to really get a feel for what life is like. Mexico is definitely our favorite country to visit because of the climate and the people. We much prefer it over Europe and Asia. Language isn't much of a barrier in most of Mexico, and my wife really speaks minimal Spanish. Don't try that in Bulgaria or Thailand.
Hello friends !! Is not to bad what you guys paid per month in Washington I use to pay for 1 bedroom apartments 1.900 dollars per month plus utilities ...saludos!!
Claro que sí, es mucho, pero debe saber que, como somos inmigrantes, tenemos que pagar renta y esa es bastante aquí en PV - Locales generalmente son dueños de sus propiedades. Estamos muy agradecidos de vivir en este hermoso lugar con increíbles locales.
Puerto Vallarta is as expensive as Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. My rent in Portland, OR is close to a $500.00 for 1 bedroom US. For Retirees Individuals. Merida or Oaxaca are way cheaper.😢😢😢😢
No wonder so many Canadians and Americans go to PV as snowbirds, or move there full time after retiring. I'm 61, and living in Toronto; I could easily retire right now if I sold our house and moved to PV! But I don't plan to do that, since we have 3 kids and 2 grandkids here in Toronto. However, I will be done there for 1 month this coming winter, and maybe in a few years we will start spending the whole winter, when I enter 'semi-retirement' mode. In terms of your expenses, you only used gasoline as your car expense. I gather you own your car, but what about insurance and maintenance/repairs on the car?
1 month is a great start! You'll see if you'd want to be there longer in the future. We mentionned in the video the car insurance - it's a one time payment per year that's usually a couple hundred usd depending which company you choose. We own our car outright and thankfully we didn't have any maintenance or repairs for that specific month but those have ranged from a couple hundred pesos to $10K+ depending on what it was. Typically regular maintenance is comparable to what we pay in Toronto.
Impressed or Depressed??? Let us know how we did with our spending!!!
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I live in Guadalajara. More info on Insurance: My car insurance is 11,000 MXN yearly for full coverage. Regarding medical insurance, what most people have in Mexico is called "seguro de gastos mayores" which roughly translates to insurance for major medical expenses such as ER visits, treatments for certain diseases, and surgeries. This does not include medication, tests/x-rays etc, or doctor's visits. My yearly premium for 1 person is about 33,000 MXN. This does not include dental or vision either. EDIT: This insurance also covers me whenever I'm in the USA for ER visits and any treatment as a result up to 100K USD. You pay up front in the US and then get reimbursed.
Thanks for sharing :)
Not too bad considering you had a visitor for two weeks! Really enjoy watching your cost of living videos.
Thanks for watching :)
Marc, at your previous place, whoever stayed there before you must have run up the power bill quite high. Because this is usually the reason they bump you up into the much higher price rate for power. In MX, they penalize you for higher use of electricity by raising thel rates for the property that uses more power. And you would have to *consistently* use much, much less power for at least half a year for the power company to finally put you back into the lower price bracket. So, you have to always ask to see the most recent power bill before renting any place to avoid surprises. This is exactly what happened to me as well last Oct-Nov in PV, my bill was well over MXN 2.1K for just *one* person. (Not that I could have avoided it since this was a special circumstance)
Yes that’s top of our list for things to check when renting in PV - episode dropping soon 🙌🏼
That's fascinating!
I have lived here almost 6 years now . I think your tips are spot on !
Thanks 😊
To keep your electricity bills low, make sure no to use more than 4800 kwh over the 12 previous rolling months. If you exceed 4800 kwh you'll loose all subsidies.
Thank you! We’re keeping it nice a low at our new place. Unfortunately we had no chance at the other since it was already crazy high
100% it's called DAC. it gets tabulated every six billing periods or 12 months. once you meet the magic threshold of being below 4800 for 12 months or 6 billing periods in a row you're out of DAC. extremely important info!
You are a good influence! Stopping the impulse buying is a big thing, I think, or buying things we don't need.
Thank you! We barely even bought things we thought we needed in the first year - it really put things into perspective for us on what is actually necessary and what we can live without!
@@Morelifediaries I need that self control!
I was there for 5 months last year
I went to La comer a lot
Walmart too. It was a learning experience
Ubers were super cheap .
I went to barber n booze for my haircuts
Great content
La Comer is great but its on the more expensive side! Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed your stay!
Appreciate the vid. Seeing what you folks are spending per month for a family of 4, I think I would be ok as a single with a budget of, at least, $4500 usd. Your breakdown helped considerably. Thanks.
It definitely can be done, hope you find somewhere you love!
Why the potable water? Everything i read is PV water is fine. Are you finding that's not the case?
Also, why the meat at costco? Is it just cheaper or you think the quality is better?
* that's great for Montessori.
Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I would not drink the tap water - I would only drink the water if there is a separate filtration system attached to the sink (which we don’t have). Lots of issues with rusted pipes especially in older buildings.
We eat a lot of a few kinds of meats so it just makes sense for us to buy it in bulk and freeze them in dinner sized portions. A lot of locals have told me the best meat prices are at Carne Selecta Nayarit but we haven’t gone yet (even though it’s right beside Costco lol)
Very informative. I'm moving permanently in September and will be remote working and so the main selling point of the house I'm renting in Versailles is that it has solar panels so that will help with the A/C because I am liberal with using the A/C and don't want to get into the commercial rate. I will be brining my car as well but don't anticipate too much driving which is why I picked the neighborhood I did, which is around the corner from La Comer and other walkable shops, cafe's pharmacies, and restaurants. Costs are rising in PV and some ppl are saying they had to find a cheaper place to live or move altogether, but it is still very affordable. My big expense will be rent which is 38000 MX/month but I have no kids and so its still more affordable than where I am now.
That's awesome! PV is significantly cheaper than Toronto for most things as well!
Don't bring a foreign plated car if you're applying for permanent residency.
Well rent here on Vancouver Island is $1700 + for a 1 bed apt.
Seems cheap compared to Toronto!
I own a condo in PV. I keep track of my expenses every month. I’ve been averaging about $7000 CDN per month. A year ago was about $5000. Granted I go out a lot to restaurants and bars- basically every day. Take Uber’s and taxis. It’s not cheap, but I don’t scrimp on nothing. Used to be half price of Canada- but getting closer to par now. PV is expensive.
Thanks for sharing! It can definitely get expensive frequenting sit down restaurants - but they're so hard to resist lol I'm curious what going back to Toronto will be like now - prices for takeout were already getting very high before we left.
I could rent out my condo in california, quit my job and still afford to live jobless in PV. This has got me thinking.
Your videos are always well done and informative. Honest cost of living videos are great to see. Keep up the great work!
It would be fun to run into y'all once we get settled into Aguascalientes, and visit PV from time to time🙂
Thank you so much! They’re videos we wish we had before we moved here so glad they’re helpful 😊 and yes don’t hesitate to reach out…we’re around lol
Your total is quite low compared to ours. Our monthly rental for a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment is $2,400. We are just 5 miles from Laguna Beach in SoCal. Approx $1,000 on groceries/restaurants, $340 gasoline. Just for April, and just 2 adults.
Ours was quite a bit higher in Toronto as well! Our housing expenses were around $4000k cad alone!
But Vallarta is in cartel territory. Can’t compare to laguna beach or Toronto
Not to mention people there make 400 pesos per day
@@Gudgurl28In the states we are in cash grabbing territory. The difference is one place is a little safer.
So. For future retirees. What would you recommend, renting or purchasing a condo/townhouse? Are they affordable?
It honestly depends what you’re looking for and where you’re looking. So many factors to consider. In all cases I would recommend renting in the area you’re considering buying to make sure you like it
Hello from Ottawa. Great channel. Thanks for sharing your experience
Thanks for watching!
Was in PV last month. Ran into Kathleen. She was so pleasant. Your videos were a huge help before I went there, so thank you!
That’s awesome! Thanks for saying hi and glad the videos were helpful 😊
Great Video Mark thanks for sharing your cost of living with us. Good luck on your new real estate Job I hope does great things for your Family.🙂
Thank you so much 😊
How did your electricity get cheaper?
We moved!
@@Morelifediaries just a smaller place? less air?
We had only 1 a/c in the previous unit and had used it once on a $4000 mxn bill - there was something sketchy going on lol
Here is a quick explanation for your curiiosity- The Comision Federal de Electricidad or CFE is the state owned electic utility that has tiers or brackets for the amount they charge you. If you don't use a lot of electricity you are in a lower fee rate tier. If you are a consistently high user you will be put into the higher fee rate tier. Once you get into that higher rate tier it's really hard to get it back down into the lower rate tier. This is why you should always ask for the last CFE bill when renting. If the tenant before you used a lot of electricity you will be the one that pays for it. Buena suerte!
Thank you for the great content. What is the size of the apartment you are in now? We are a family of 4 as well & this gives us a good idea of cost.
Thanks for watching...approx 900sqft maybe a little bigger !?!?
@@Morelifediaries Yikes, that would be tight for us, 2 growing teens with huge appetites that are getting taller 😂
Yea definitely lol There are houses around that are pretty affordable as well. $25k mxn for a long term rental should get you something nice !
@@Morelifediaries Thank you, that is good to know😀
You mentioned you drive but I don't believe you mentioned how much you pay for car insurance??
I believe I mentioned or wrote it at some point but it’s one payment per year which works out to being a few hundred dollars USD
@@Morelifediaries thank you!
Damn I was born and raised in PV, Im 23 and ive seen this small place grow. If you are working remote please drop some sauce on how you can land a job that allows you to live here
Awesome! Where are you living now? We work as virtual assistants/ real estate at the moment amongst a few other things but once we land something secure we'll definitely let you know :)
Thank you, great info!
Thank you 😊
Marc, hi. I thought you all did pretty good with your expenses, in spite of the inflation and guest visit. While it appears to be high, I was looking at the context of how this would be in Canada or US, with a family of 4. It would be way higher, easily at least $1000 more. Travelling around to any north american city would increase the gas more, and the added parking cost. The benefits of living in a warm climate also plays a factor, less energy spent on gas. I also like the fact that food, fruit in particular is much more fresh. So, despite some costs in PV, there is a level of quality that is better. There is much to be said about budgeting. The expenses you outlined seem to make sense. You made improvements, and were able to make changes.That is great. I appreciate the amount of work that went into this. Thank you.
Thank you 😊 average rent for a 2 bed downtown Toronto is $3500 cad. And that’s just the expenses for the first category 😱 we never tracked our expenses in Toronto but I’m in sure it was about 3x higher than this (quality of life not factored in)
What is thecosco membershin Pv
We use our Canadian one!
Si
Si si
I found PV very expensive when I lived there. I’m enjoying about half living expenses over in Merida, Yucatan ☀️🏖️
Thanks for sharing! I it can be affordable depending on where you live and shop! We're looking forward to travelling around Mexico and seeing what things cost in other areas although from what we hear PV is definetly up there in high cost of living in MX.
Was that $42,629 pesos including your rent? If so, that’s good for a family of 4 plus a guest for 2 weeks!
That’s including rent - not bad at all 🤙🏼
How big is your apartment?
Probably around 800 sqft
Hi Marc, how can I find a remote job that is for real? Please kindly share❤😊
Remotejobs, indeed, LinkedIn, Upwork! Unfortunately there’s a lot of bs on there!
Good video, not expensive at all for the month, for me and my wife I’m looking to spend 3-4K USD when we move there..thanks
Thanks 😊
Good luck lol. Stay in the US. NGMI.
@@dogegamer3288yea they definitely can with that budget - most of it goes to rental so if they can find an affordable rental they’re good!!!!
@@Morelifediaries I live here and have to disagree on this one. Sure you can it, but the real statement here is should you? The reason I say NGMI is most Americans can't even be here 2 years before complaining and leaving. Seen it over and over again. Mexico is a place you come if you have a great deal of money. If you are just a take social security early at 62 or trying to live off 3k USD a month, my experience is most are NGMI.
I agree! A lot of people don’t make it because they don’t adjust their living standards to their budget, they overspend as if they were living here on vacation. That being said - not every move needs to be permanent! If someone comes here for 2 years and leaves the important part is that they enjoyed themselves, gained perspective and new experiences along the way! Also, Rip Kabosu
Nice video man, I also live in Vallarta, maybe it's the area but you have a good deal on your rent ! 😂. We find it to be rather inflated here.
It is inflated but changes drastically based on neighborhood
Why is it double.when i do it.
Could very easily be double!
Can you go to a bank and use your debit card to get pecos? I dont like to have a lot of cash on me st one time.
My wife and i budget $10k USD per month for travel. We have not yet spent anywhere near that in Mexico. We splurge on our rentals by ataying on or very near the beach, and we do some touristy things that get expenaive. We never eat in "fancy" restaurants, but either cook at home or eat in the local spots, so our food doesn't cost too much.
We also include airfare in our monthly budget, so $2k gors just to travel.
We aren't really looking to relocate outside the US, but we are trying to spend a month at a time in various places to really get a feel for what life is like. Mexico is definitely our favorite country to visit because of the climate and the people. We much prefer it over Europe and Asia. Language isn't much of a barrier in most of Mexico, and my wife really speaks minimal Spanish. Don't try that in Bulgaria or Thailand.
That's awesome! Love that you guys love travelling! We're hoping to get to see more of the world one day soon!
Hello friends !!
Is not to bad what you guys paid per month in Washington I use to pay for 1 bedroom apartments 1.900 dollars per month plus utilities ...saludos!!
Average rent in Toronto for a 2 bedroom is around $3500 😱
Cuando le digo a la gente que el sueldo mínimo para que alguien viva bien es de 50K pesos, se rien, dicen que los ricos ganan eso.
Claro que sí, es mucho, pero debe saber que, como somos inmigrantes, tenemos que pagar renta y esa es bastante aquí en PV - Locales generalmente son dueños de sus propiedades. Estamos muy agradecidos de vivir en este hermoso lugar con increíbles locales.
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms?
2 bed 1 bath mas o menos 900 sqft
Where are you working in puerto V ? is to expense . Thanks .....
Real Estate
Hola de mexico norte barrie ontario
Hola :)
Hola, i have 4 children in PV. Would love to connect!
Awesome! Please reach out via Facebook, Instagram or email 😊
Wow a lot more than I thought. The United States don't look to bad now.
I wouldn’t generalize the USA when talking about Cost of living - some cities/states are 💰💰💰 same as in Canada
NEW SUBB❤❤❤ THANK YOU FIR INFO.. MOVING TO NATARIT 2025❤❤❤❤What DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING??
Thank you so much :) Kata is Virtual assistant and Marc does real estate. We also property manage Airbnbs.
Rent in Portland, OR for any regular person is $1200. US. Depressing Puerto Vallarta
It’s all relative - Toronto is double that amount!!!
still expensive , before covid this could be like 30000mxn
Yes but you have to consider pre Covid was 2018…we’re in 2024!!! Prices usually go up 📈
Sorry, I don't trust that numbers of groceries. We live there for more than 2 years and have never spent less than 15k every month.
Highly depends where you shop for your groceries
Puerto Vallarta is as expensive as Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. My rent in Portland, OR is close to a $500.00 for 1 bedroom US. For Retirees Individuals. Merida or Oaxaca are way cheaper.😢😢😢😢
PV is definitely one of the most expensive places!
No wonder so many Canadians and Americans go to PV as snowbirds, or move there full time after retiring. I'm 61, and living in Toronto; I could easily retire right now if I sold our house and moved to PV! But I don't plan to do that, since we have 3 kids and 2 grandkids here in Toronto. However, I will be done there for 1 month this coming winter, and maybe in a few years we will start spending the whole winter, when I enter 'semi-retirement' mode.
In terms of your expenses, you only used gasoline as your car expense. I gather you own your car, but what about insurance and maintenance/repairs on the car?
1 month is a great start! You'll see if you'd want to be there longer in the future. We mentionned in the video the car insurance - it's a one time payment per year that's usually a couple hundred usd depending which company you choose. We own our car outright and thankfully we didn't have any maintenance or repairs for that specific month but those have ranged from a couple hundred pesos to $10K+ depending on what it was. Typically regular maintenance is comparable to what we pay in Toronto.
I want to retire there in 10 years but get started now, at age 41.
These prices are unreal, considering I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Best time to get started 😊 a lot less than Toronto too!