# Cost of living



## janinemc (Mar 2, 2014)

As an ex-pat hopeful, I would like to know what the cost of living for two is in Baja. How much for utilities? Food? Pets? Insurance? I am trying to do some serious calculating to see if we can retire there in the coming year. All responses greatly appreciated.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Again depends on location, air conditioning, pool pump and some other factors.....


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## janinemc (Mar 2, 2014)

Same ares: Rosarito Beach, Ensenada or Cabo San Lucas. Thanks!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

janinemc said:


> Same ares: Rosarito Beach, Ensenada or Cabo San Lucas. Thanks!


Like everywhere else, it depends on life style. Some get by on $10,000 pesos/month (about $800). Some spend $10,000 dollars a month. Electricity is expensive if you use much. The rate is progressive, so it is cheap if you don't use much but if you run air conditioning or other high usage devices it can get expensive.


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## janinemc (Mar 2, 2014)

We are not extravagant so we would be at the lower end of the spectrum! The $800 is a nice reference and very helpful. Thanks!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

janinemc said:


> We are not extravagant so we would be at the lower end of the spectrum! The $800 is a nice reference and very helpful. Thanks!


That is the very low end. It is about what I spend, but I don't have expensive tastes in food, rarely eat or drink out, use public transit exclusively, no car, gas or insurance expenses, and live in a house/climate that requires neither heating nor cooling. And it is for one person. Most people probably spend more.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> That is the very low end. It is about what I spend, but I don't have expensive tastes in food, rarely eat or drink out, use public transit exclusively, no car, gas or insurance expenses, and live in a house/climate that requires neither heating nor cooling. And it is for one person. Most people probably spend more.


That's about what I spend a month for most of my expenses. While I do eat out quite a bit, it's mostly at inexpensive eateries in my barrio. I walk a lot, take public transportation to get around the city and occasionally a taxi. In very hot weather, I use a little electric fan to keep cool and when winter hits, I have what I call my R2D2 space heater to warm up my very small apartment. I live alone and have no pets.


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## terrybahena (Oct 3, 2011)

I live about 15 miles south of Ensenada. Looked first in Ensenada to rent; shoe boxes without stoves, fridge, or water heater were $500 a month. But a friend just found a place for $500 that has 4 bedrooms...not sure if any appliances. Very common for no appliances. Also Ensendad is very crowded so yards for our dogs was also a problem. You could find something, but it's tough. Ok- so where we live....started off in a HUGE house with a big yard all fenced, even a guest house for $500 a month, and furnished. Now we are in a mobile home, right next to the beach, water and garbage paid..and appliances, for $250 a month. You can spend a lot and get a lot, you can spend a lot and not get much, but down here in the Cantu, Punta Banda area you can get furnished, with a yard, etc. 

I don't know anything about Cabo, I'm sure it's expensive because it's a tourist town...but if you decide to come down here and look, send me a pm, maybe I can suggest a realtor (cause wow they run the gambit here). 

There are lots of restaurants in Ensenada, but we eat at home or at the stands. 
Good luck


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

After being in Cabo San Lucas for a year, our monthly expenditure for two people in $US has been:


Rent: $450 month for large, furnished two story house with big yard. (In the cheap part of town, ie a bit over a mile from the tourist zone)
Gas: 2 x 30 litre tanks for hot water and stove. Refill $35, lasts eight months so $9 month
Electricity: Average 3.3kWh per day, $12.50 month (Ceiling fans, don't use a/c)
Water: Pricing formula changed Jan 1. Our use of between 5 to 7 M3 per month saw us drop from the $9 tier to the $7 tier
Drinking water: 5 gallons (19 litres) a week = $8 month
Food: $300

Total $786.50. Add on other ‘stuph’ and around *$900* month total.


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## janinemc (Mar 2, 2014)

Thanks for the numbers! I was hoping we could come in around $1000 a month or less. Sounds like that is doable!


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## Willz (Jan 3, 2014)

I agree. $700/800 to live. $1000 or more to be comfortable.

My wife and I live in Leon and together we live comfortable for about $1300 a month.

Rent: $375/mo (3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, yard, gated community with guard, etc..)
Electricity: $10-15/mo
Water: $7-10/mo
Internet/phone: $30/mo
We like to eat and go out and travel so we spend more on that...

Living isn't too expensive. It's the visas and paperwork that is


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## janinemc (Mar 2, 2014)

Well, if it's the paperwork, at least that is all done and out of the way in the beginning!  Thanks for sharing your costs!


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Willz said:


> My wife and I live in Leon and together we live comfortable for about $1300 a month.


I've enjoyed my visits to Leon. It's a place I can visualize myself living, happily. International airport. Big city with all the good things that brings with it (and some negatives, of course). Rich cultural history and traditions. Thanks for providing the expense information; such detail is always helpful.


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## terrybahena (Oct 3, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> After being in Cabo San Lucas for a year, our monthly expenditure for two people in $US has been:
> 
> 
> Rent: $450 month for large, furnished two story house with big yard. (In the cheap part of town, ie a bit over a mile from the tourist zone)
> ...


How in the world does the gas last you that long? We fill our tank for 500 pesos...I think the tank is 40 litres and it lasts less than 2 months. That's for stove and hot water- we don't take unusually long showers but we do cook every day...


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

terrybahena said:


> How in the world does the gas last you that long? We fill our tank for 500 pesos...I think the tank is 40 litres and it lasts less than 2 months. That's for stove and hot water- we don't take unusually long showers but we do cook every day...


My gas comes in 35 kg (= 70 liters) cylinders. A cylinder lasts 5 months for me and costs currently close to $400 mxn. I have a solar hot water system now, so don't use gas for hot water. Before I put in the solar water system, the tanks would last 4 months so I wasn't using much gas to heat water. I cook every day and bake at least once a week.

One question is how you use your water heater. If you leave it on all the time it uses a lot more gas than if you just turn it on to take a shower and leave it off the rest of the time. That is a very common pattern in Mexico.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

terrybahena said:


> How in the world does the gas last you that long? We fill our tank for 500 pesos...I think the tank is 40 litres and it lasts less than 2 months. That's for stove and hot water- we don't take unusually long showers but we do cook every day...


Hi. Yeah, for simplicity in the post I was averaging it out - the stove gas tank lasts close to 8 mths and the water one for about 4 mths. It’s one of those demand-style water heaters but I’ve never managed to get the flow rate right, so if you stay in the shower longer than about four minutes it’ll be running cold. That’s probably why it lasts so long!

No bath, and washing is done with cold water. :emptybath: :washing:

I just call it a treinta tank, and thought it was 30 litres, but reading what TundraGreen says it's probably 30kg, so that might have been misleading! It costs 449 pesos, but if the original poster ends up in Cabo San Lucas she could get it cheaper than that if she wanted to. I buy from the guys who cruise around town all day - you flag down and they come in and connect it up. I know if I took the tank to one of those swap places it is a fair bit cheaper.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

I use gas for cooking and heating water for washing dishes and taking showers. I buy a "tanque chico" (have no idea how much gas it holds) for around $270 (yikes - the price keeps going up and up) and it lasts me about 5 weeks. I do turn the boiler off at night and when I'm going to be out of the house for awhile.


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## terrybahena (Oct 3, 2011)

buzzbar said:


> Hi. Yeah, for simplicity in the post I was averaging it out - the stove gas tank lasts close to 8 mths and the water one for about 4 mths. It’s one of those demand-style water heaters but I’ve never managed to get the flow rate right, so if you stay in the shower longer than about four minutes it’ll be running cold. That’s probably why it lasts so long!
> 
> No bath, and washing is done with cold water. :emptybath: :washing:
> 
> I just call it a treinta tank, and thought it was 30 litres, but reading what TundraGreen says it's probably 30kg, so that might have been misleading! It costs 449 pesos, but if the original poster ends up in Cabo San Lucas she could get it cheaper than that if she wanted to. I buy from the guys who cruise around town all day - you flag down and they come in and connect it up. I know if I took the tank to one of those swap places it is a fair bit cheaper.


By washing did you mean dishes or clothes? Now we have a washing machine and of course use cold. But now that we have hot water (unlike when we were down in Guerrero) I wash the dishes in hot, and take waaay longer than 4 minute showers- hubby, too. I did read above about turning off the hot water heater between showers and dishes....


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## mattoleriver (Oct 21, 2011)

I haven't noticed any mention of private health insurance. How does that affect one's monthly budget? Do all of you, so far, use one of the public health systems?

George


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

mattoleriver said:


> I haven't noticed any mention of private health insurance. How does that affect one's monthly budget? Do all of you, so far, use one of the public health systems?
> 
> George


Private health insurance here costs according to your age. If you are 65 or over it is almost immposible to get. If you have private heath insurance and signed up at about 55 years old it is affordable and coverage varies depending on the policy you buy. In some policies you get major health issues covered but not minor issues. This is common for some people here who have extra money to spend who use the public health insurance or pay out of pocket etc. for minor heath issues. 

You have to submit your request to them and they decide what you have to do, if it is covered and what DR. you see and what hospital you go to and is affordable.

Public insurance has 2 systems the IMSS and Seguro Popular.

Gov´t. employess and thier spouses and younger dependants and disabled dependants, state and federal, have their own called ISSSTE.

Pemex, some unions, some municipal pólice and firefightesr have their own also etc. Depends on where you live and what your job is to get coverage in these systems, except Pemex is national.

My wife and I have ISSSTE and I find it excellent so far. 

She also has private major issue health insurance that she has had for decades and costs about $2400 US payable yearly [$200 US per month]. This insurance has no copayments for service or medicines.


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