# Curious about living quality vs. income in Mexico City



## patrick32378 (Sep 29, 2009)

I am considering looking into a job in Mexico city with the Mexico City Philharmonic. The salary for this job is 24,000 pesos per month after taxes.

Where does this salary fall in terms of average and what kind of living quality might one expect from such a salary?


Thank you


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

That amounts to some $1850 USD and you should do just fine. As a retired couple, we spend less than that each month; well, most months, but we own our home. So, you'll have to go easy on rent and luxuries, but you will be OK.


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## AdePuebla (Jun 4, 2009)

considering people with decent jobs (for mexico) like working at the grocery store and such only make about 4-5k a month i'd say that's pretty good! when i worked i only made 4k.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

AdePuebla said:


> considering people with decent jobs (for mexico) like working at the grocery store and such only make about 4-5k a month i'd say that's pretty good! when i worked i only made 4k.


Those are not decent jobs, neither in Mexico, or elsewhere, and 5k is a paltry salary.

My sister, who teaches violin and has a small music academy, makes around 10k, my mum, a pensioner, makes 8k, my brother in law, a partner in a well known firm, makes in excess of 100k, my aunt, a veteran teacher, makes 24k


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

patrick32378 said:


> I am considering looking into a job in Mexico city with the Mexico City Philharmonic. The salary for this job is 24,000 pesos per month after taxes.
> 
> Where does this salary fall in terms of average and what kind of living quality might one expect from such a salary?
> 
> ...


Patrick:

There are a whole lot of people living in Mexico City that live on less than that but I can´t imagine choosing to live in Mexico City on that salary unless you view this as an opportunity to enhance your career and/or are willing to accept a low base pay originally for financial rewards later. Mexico City, like any enormous international metropolis and world capital, is many things to many people but if you want to partake of the great cultural advantages of living in one of the most congested and edgy places on the planet, you´ll need more money than that in my opinion. If, on the other hand, you are thrifty and a homebody dedicating your time to career fulfillment, have at it.

Since you may need to live far from work on that salary and have to ride the Mexico City Metro during rush hour(s), clarify with philharmonic management issues regarding housing and commute times because as great as the metro is there, riding that thing during rush hour day after day will age you before your time.

As an aside, I´m no expert on this as I´ve never worked here but am a retiree from the U.S. It is my understanding from talking to Mexican friends that many starting salaries are often deliberatley understated in this country where an enormous amount of energy is expended in achieving tax avoidance. The present Calderon government is trying to institute reforms to mitigate this problem but my point is perhaps you will be doing better fonancially over time than seems to be the case at first appearance.


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## Rodrigo84 (Mar 5, 2008)

patrick32378 said:


> I am considering looking into a job in Mexico city with the Mexico City Philharmonic. The salary for this job is 24,000 pesos per month after taxes.
> 
> Where does this salary fall in terms of average and what kind of living quality might one expect from such a salary?
> 
> ...


That's not bad at all. My cousin lived well in Interlomas and initially started at what he thought was a lowly 30,000 pesos per month for the first few months, but it went a lot further than expected. His other biggest expense was food.

Your rent will usually be the biggest expense, and you can find decent stuff starting under 10,000 pesos. I used to see some halfway decent apartments going for under 8000 pesos per month, and I am sure it is lower now with the economy. If you keep the rent under control and choose wisely from the beginning, you can do quite well here.

Factor in also, gas (bigger expense, can usually run 300 to 400 per month), water (can be 200 pesos every 2 months), electricity (cheap, 200 pesos or less every two months).


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