# Furnished or Unfurnished



## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

I am moving to Mexico City for 2 yrs for work (probably Polanco) and considered whether I should move our belongings from the states. The other side of me thinks to skip that and rent a furnished apartment and store my belongings in the states. Any thoughts as to whether it is more economical to move everything or rent furnished or other option would be buy furniture in Mex. I noticed if looking at unfurnished I get more options of apartments, but the idea of buying or renting furniture I am not sure is cost effective - what would I do with it after 2yrs?


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

I'm back in States but returning to Mexico. A while ago, my employer did pay to move all of my household furnishings to Mexico. I forgot the cost but it was frighteningly expensive. Do you have children, a partner, or just yourself? I'd suggest you store your stuff Stateside for just two years. I have been looking and see a wide range of furnished places in Mexico. But if you take just short term housing and seek an unfurnished place, for two years, you don't have to buy expensive furniture. Mexico has a range of low cost stuff. Of course, if your job involves entertaining professional Mexicans, that's another story.


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## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> I'm back in States but returning to Mexico. A while ago, my employer did pay to move all of my household furnishings to Mexico. I forgot the cost but it was frighteningly expensive. Do you have children, a partner, or just yourself? I'd suggest you store your stuff Stateside for just two years. I have been looking and see a wide range of furnished places in Mexico. But if you take just short term housing and seek an unfurnished place, for two years, you don't have to buy expensive furniture. Mexico has a range of low cost stuff. Of course, if your job involves entertaining professional Mexicans, that's another story.


I have a husband and toddler. I know we will probbaly get some money to move the items but I almost would rather save the money. So I take it that furniture is not too bad to buy in Mexico?


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

My initial thoughts regarding the questions:

All of this depends on your budget and/or what you or your employer is willing to pay 1) as salary and a living allowance, and 2) to relocate you. Apartment rental costs continue to rise, from what I observe - but if you're moving from NYC it'll seem inexpensive. Obviously, furnished apartments are going to be more expensive and you'll have to do with the furniture others have purchased and used/lived with - which some people find unacceptable. It's commonplace in Mexico City/the D.F. for landlords to rent an apartment on a yearly basis with a written lease ... and to require a guarantor (fiador); someone to co-sign your lease. And when someone speaks about an "unfurnished" apartment in Mexico City, it usually means truly unfurnished .... oftentimes with no stove or fridge, no light fixtures other than a bulb hanging from a wire in each room, no curtains or other window coverings, etc. There are exceptions to this which probably depend upon how much you pay for that unfurnished apartment. You're looking at the liklihood of having to purchase an entire apartment of furniture/appliances/light fixtures. But I'm thinking the cost of furnishing an "unfurnished" apartment yourself is not going to be greater than 1) the cost differential/savings comparing the monthly rental difference between a furnished/unfurnished apartment or 2) the cost of moving existing furnishings from NYC to Mexico and then possibly from Mexico to someplace else at the end of 2-years.


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## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

My husband's company pays his US salary but no rental costs (I should have been more specific it is his job we are moving for). So we are on our own for housing expenses. We will get them to be the fiador, so I am not too worried about that. Yes, I know there are lower rental prices in comparison to NYC but that does not really affect us since we will lose a salary by moving. Plus we still have expenses to maintain in the US. So while I would love to drop $3000USD a month on rent and call it a deal...that is not an option. I expect we would like to stay around the 25000-26000pesos for a 3 bedroom. But yes, I do notice as you stated for furnished we run the risk of accepting someone else's furniture and style which could seem odd. I do notice I can get an apartment unfurnished in Polanco for much lower but renting furniture is approx. $700USD (9000pesos) to $900USD (11000pesos) a month. So that is insane! The cost of a furnished apartment I noticed is average 30000-40000 pesos mthly. So I am just wondering if the cost of buying furniture is cheaper than the extra a month in the apartment. I expect over a 2 yr. span the extra cost of a furnished apartment could be as much as 5000-10,000 pesos a month extra (so at least 120,000 pesos total over a 2 yr. span so about $9000USD min total). You make an excellent point that it depends on how much I pay to furnish it. Which is what I was trying to gather from here - what would furniture for a 3 br apartment run me? And if anyone has moved furniture how much is that? Then I can get a better idea of which is a better choice.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

nflores07030 said:


> My husband's company pays his US salary but no rental costs (I should have been more specific it is his job we are moving for). So we are on our own for housing expenses. We will get them to be the fiador, so I am not too worried about that. Yes, I know there are lower rental prices in comparison to NYC but that does not really affect us since we will lose a salary by moving. Plus we still have expenses to maintain in the US. So while I would love to drop $3000USD a month on rent and call it a deal...that is not an option. I expect we would like to stay around the 25000-26000pesos for a 3 bedroom. But yes, I do notice as you stated for furnished we run the risk of accepting someone else's furniture and style which could seem odd. I do notice I can get an apartment unfurnished in Polanco for much lower but renting furniture is approx. $700USD (9000pesos) to $900USD (11000pesos) a month. So that is insane! The cost of a furnished apartment I noticed is average 30000-40000 pesos mthly. So I am just wondering if the cost of buying furniture is cheaper than the extra a month in the apartment. I expect over a 2 yr. span the extra cost of a furnished apartment could be as much as 5000-10,000 pesos a month extra (so at least 120,000 pesos total over a 2 yr. span so about $9000USD min total). You make an excellent point that it depends on how much I pay to furnish it. Which is what I was trying to gather from here - what would furniture for a 3 br apartment run me? And if anyone has moved furniture how much is that? Then I can get a better idea of which is a better choice.


I can give you an idea about what some of the furnishing costs are. Prices in pesos. I am doing this from memory and it has been awhile so I might be off on some of them.
Bed bases $300 - 1000
Mattresses $1000 - 3000
Dining table, large, rustic $1500
Dining chairs $600 each
Plastic patio table $500
Plastic patio chairs $200 each
Stove $4000
Refri $4000
Clothes washer $4000 (dryer not needed, there is lots of sun)
Armario $1500
Complete set of pots and pans $1500
Ping pong table $5000


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

Nflores, TundraGreen gives some great information on Mexican prices for furnishings that would definitely suggest that you should store your NY furnishings. But also, I assume you're not renting an apartment for your two year stay from your NYC vantage point, but just examining the market? That your family, or one of you, will rent something short-term while you look for your apartment? If so, I think once on scene you'll find that, perhaps with assistance of Mexicans working at your husband's firm, that you can find three-bedroom apartments, unfurnished, for a good deal less than 25,000 pesos in most neighborhoods. That should make buying the furniture you need (not what is the best) a lot easier. Let's us know how it goes.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Remember that unfurnished which is more common ..... may include 

No stove. no fridge, no hot water heater, no light fixtures or bulbs ..... and certainly no other appliances.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Semi-furnished usually means that kitchen appliances, stove and refrigerator, and a hot water heater are included, as may be ceiling light fixtures.


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## JoanneR2 (Apr 18, 2012)

nflores07030 said:


> My husband's company pays his US salary but no rental costs (I should have been more specific it is his job we are moving for). So we are on our own for housing expenses. We will get them to be the fiador, so I am not too worried about that. Yes, I know there are lower rental prices in comparison to NYC but that does not really affect us since we will lose a salary by moving. Plus we still have expenses to maintain in the US. So while I would love to drop $3000USD a month on rent and call it a deal...that is not an option. I expect we would like to stay around the 25000-26000pesos for a 3 bedroom. But yes, I do notice as you stated for furnished we run the risk of accepting someone else's furniture and style which could seem odd. I do notice I can get an apartment unfurnished in Polanco for much lower but renting furniture is approx. $700USD (9000pesos) to $900USD (11000pesos) a month. So that is insane! The cost of a furnished apartment I noticed is average 30000-40000 pesos mthly. So I am just wondering if the cost of buying furniture is cheaper than the extra a month in the apartment. I expect over a 2 yr. span the extra cost of a furnished apartment could be as much as 5000-10,000 pesos a month extra (so at least 120,000 pesos total over a 2 yr. span so about $9000USD min total). You make an excellent point that it depends on how much I pay to furnish it. Which is what I was trying to gather from here - what would furniture for a 3 br apartment run me? And if anyone has moved furniture how much is that? Then I can get a better idea of which is a better choice.


Hi, we moved over two years ago from the UK and didn't move our furniture but left it I storage and rented furnished here's you're right, renting furniture is criminally expensive and apartments rented fully furnished are more expensive and there are fewer of them around. However, if you could face living in somewhere a bit cheaper than Polanco then you could probably find what you are looking for within your price range. There are some very good areas around such as Roma where the rents are lower and, in my opinion, more interesting places to be. But then I don't like Polanco much so am a bit biased. Good luck


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## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> Nflores, TundraGreen gives some great information on Mexican prices for furnishings that would definitely suggest that you should store your NY furnishings. But also, I assume you're not renting an apartment for your two year stay from your NYC vantage point, but just examining the market? That your family, or one of you, will rent something short-term while you look for your apartment? If so, I think once on scene you'll find that, perhaps with assistance of Mexicans working at your husband's firm, that you can find three-bedroom apartments, unfurnished, for a good deal less than 25,000 pesos in most neighborhoods. That should make buying the furniture you need (not what is the best) a lot easier. Let's us know how it goes.


Actually I will be most likely visiting twice to go apartment hunting so yes I may have to make a decision from abroad but of course once I have seen it in person. I do not believe I want to move twice so no I most likely will not do short term. But I agree it seems financially purchasing seems less expensive than moving everything. So I may be better off putting in storage.


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## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

JoanneR2 said:


> Hi, we moved over two years ago from the UK and didn't move our furniture but left it I storage and rented furnished here's you're right, renting furniture is criminally expensive and apartments rented fully furnished are more expensive and there are fewer of them around. However, if you could face living in somewhere a bit cheaper than Polanco then you could probably find what you are looking for within your price range. There are some very good areas around such as Roma where the rents are lower and, in my opinion, more interesting places to be. But then I don't like Polanco much so am a bit biased. Good luck


Is there a reason you do not like Polanco? We need to be near Fuente de La Diana Cazadoramore on Paseo de la Reforma. I have heard the stories of DF traffic so I prefer not to live far away. Is Roma nice for families?


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Polanco is a traditionally upper middle class colonia. Historically, a wealthy part of town and in some respects it still is. Many of the stately homes have been converted to business offices and the colonia has become very commercial, in parts. Apartment rents tend to be high. Renting a home there would be very expensive. Restaurants and specialty stores tend to be expensive as well, in comparison with what's seen in most of the other colonias in the D.F. It's conveniently located though, and very close to many open, green spaces such as Abraham Lincoln Park and Chapultepec Park. There are excellent shopping centers either within the colonia or immediately adjacent. Public transportation to/from and through the colonia is excellent. I think many people would like to live in Polanco, given the choice/money ... and they tend to be a bit jealous of those who do live there.


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## nflores07030 (Jun 5, 2014)

*Update*

I wanted to give everyone an update. First thank you all for your advice as many of you were spot on. Yes the "unfurnished" apartments are often bare bones but so much nicer than the furnished ones. No refirdgerator, dishwasher, etc...The furnished ones were often old and often not maintained well and the furniture not so nice. And if you do want something modern and nice furnished you will spend a fortune (way more than I am sure it would cost to furnish it yourself). I was only able to see a few areas, Polanco, Santa Fe, Interlomas, coyoacan, and Las Lomas and Bosque de Las Lomas (and a smidget of Anzures but the place got rented). I did not get to see Condesa or Roma which I know were also recommended. But as you know a week in Mexico City is not much time especially when squeezing in work and finding apts. I mainly focused on Polanco due to a lot of reasons, safety, amenities (restaurants, shopping, walking distance), distance to work. Yes it is super expensive I realize in comparison but it seems most places near the center of the city are. The end result is we narrowed it down to an unfurnished apartment in Polanco. We debated with an unfurnished house for awhile until many of our Mexican friends advised us against it - alarm or no alarm meant nothing they told us. You need a guard 24 hrs (which would raise the costs and we wanted peace of mind). So we stayed with an unfurnished apartment as the ultimate one. We are paying more than we wanted but distance again is a big factor to work and we will only have one car so this is key. The prices on furniture were very spot on and we found a website to get some ideas for anyone else interested: Muebles on line | Inlab muebles | Muebleria on line | and Salas - Por Categoria - MUEBLES
Obviously there a lot more options once we get down there but this is good if I wanted to have it set up before I arrive. Thank you again! And just another reminder - NEGOTIATE! No price is set in stone and no lease is set in stone everything is negotiable. Luckily I am used to this from South America. But worth noting for other expats. And brokers do not charge fees to renters - so do not worry about that. You will need fiador (which we knew and had ready) and you will need 1 month deposit as security - Basic stuff.


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