# Moving to Tijuana



## NCas (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm planning to move to Tijuana sometime in the near future and I was hopping to get some tips from people who've made the move. I've searched other post, but they've seem to be old and I was hoping get more updated info.

I'm already living in Queretaro Mexico, but I have not live in any other part. I'm curious to find out the cost of living there. I would like to find a two bedroom house nothing fancy I'm currently paying $3,300 and I'm wondering if I would be able to find the same.

I'm also wondering if there is an easier way to look for a place or if like here in Queretaro I have to walk around or by word of mouth. Also, has anyone had to rent a truck for moving like a uHaul but in Mexico. I don't have a lot to move, but it's more than my car can carry. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

:confused2:


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

> I'm currently paying $3,300


A monthly rent that's really cheap in pesos, or very high in dollars. Which is it?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

NCas said:


> I'm planning to move to Tijuana sometime in the near future and I was hopping to get some tips from people who've made the move. I've searched other post, but they've seem to be old and I was hoping get more updated info.
> 
> I'm already living in Queretaro Mexico, but I have not live in any other part. I'm curious to find out the cost of living there. I would like to find a two bedroom house nothing fancy I'm currently paying $3,300 and I'm wondering if I would be able to find the same.
> 
> ...


I rented a 12 or 15 passenger van a few years ago in Guadalajara. I took out the seats and left them at the rental company, so it was just a van. It was a little hard to find. Lots of rental companies advertised vans, but many of them were on long term rentals to companies. I end up with a van from Budget or Thrifty.

$3300 mxn for a two bedroom is a good deal here. I know someone who pays $3200 mxn/month for a two bedroom house, but that is the low end of any I have heard of, $4000-$4500 mxn is more typical.


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## NCas (Sep 9, 2013)

perropedorro said:


> A monthly rent that's really cheap in pesos, or very high in dollars. Which is it?


Sorry $3,300 in Mexican peso. Though web sites that I've stumble upon seem to advertise mostly in dollars. Is it common to pay rent in TJ in dollars?


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

NCas said:


> Sorry $3,300 in Mexican peso. Though web sites that I've stumble upon seem to advertise mostly in dollars. Is it common to pay rent in TJ in dollars?


Probably, if the rent is advertised in dollars, pretty common for many big ticket items in Tijuana. Another fella on the board was looking for a place in Playas TJ, where the rent starts at 750 bucks for a 2/2 near the beach. In less fashionable hoods it'll undoubtedly be cheaper, but don't expect anything nice at the bargain rent you paid in Querétaro. TJ is high for Mexico, but dirt cheap compared to its twin, SD, something more U.S.folks are figuring out...which will push up housing costs even more.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

NCas said:


> Sorry $3,300 in Mexican peso. Though web sites that I've stumble upon seem to advertise mostly in dollars. Is it common to pay rent in TJ in dollars?


I don't know about Tijuana specifically, but property advertised on web sites are aimed at North of the border types. And that may be why they are mostly in dollars. They will probably be more expensive than rentals that are only advertised locally. However, Tijuana's proximity to the border means that it is more common for things to be priced in dollars.


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## wkelley (Mar 13, 2016)

I'm looking to move to QRO next year. Do you mind me asking why you are looking to relocated to Tijuana?


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## NCas (Sep 9, 2013)

wkelley said:


> I'm looking to move to QRO next year. Do you mind me asking why you are looking to relocated to Tijuana?


No not at all. I may have a better job offer up there, plus I do kind of miss living next to the ocean. Queretaro is a great place to live don't get me wrong. Its growing a lot and there are a lot of expats here. Let me know if I can help you answer some questions about Queretaro. Sorry for the late reply, job has been keeping me really busy lately.


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## wkelley (Mar 13, 2016)

Thanks. We were in QRO last month looking around at schools and neighborhoods. We really liked what we saw. We discovered that there is a German Community there in Juriquilla when we stumbled upon a group speaking German in the Italian Cafe...just outside the Juriqilla community gates. While I've heard of a Newcomers Club in QRO... I haven't been able to find any information. Do you know of any expat groups that meet regularly?


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## NCas (Sep 9, 2013)

wkelley said:


> Thanks. We were in QRO last month looking around at schools and neighborhoods. We really liked what we saw. We discovered that there is a German Community there in Juriquilla when we stumbled upon a group speaking German in the Italian Cafe...just outside the Juriqilla community gates. While I've heard of a Newcomers Club in QRO... I haven't been able to find any information. Do you know of any expat groups that meet regularly?


Sorry I don't know of any expat groups that meet regularly. There are more American expats in San Miguel de Allende (not too far from QRO). However, I have seen post on Meetup.com for expats who get together to practice their Spanish. I think you'll have better luck looking there or maybe someone in this site might be able to direct better. Any other questions please feel free to ask.


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## TextoMex (Jul 27, 2016)

Just a couple options are rent or buy a trailer, or maybe rent a truck and tow your car. I'm not there (Mexico) yet, but does Mexico have a U Haul equivalent ? A rent here and drop off somewhere else.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Taking a rental into Mexico is prohibited; as in UHaul, etc. You may take your private vehicle, if you are a tourist or hold a Residente Temporal Visa, but it may not be a large, commercial sized vehicle. See the Banjercito website for details regarding an Importada Tamporal. It is not required for just the free zones of Mexico, but to live and travel to most of Mexico, you need that vehicle permit and a visa.
Mexico is not known for its abundance of trailer parks or RV resorts.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

TextoMex said:


> Just a couple options are rent or buy a trailer, or maybe rent a truck and tow your car. I'm not there (Mexico) yet, but does Mexico have a U Haul equivalent ? A rent here and drop off somewhere else.


You can rent in Mexico and drive to the US and back. You cannot rent in the US and cross the border into Mexico with a rental vehicle as RV pointed out.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

RVGRINGO said:


> Mexico is not known for its abundance of trailer parks or RV resorts.



I am not a mind reader so I don't know what you mean by "abundance"... I have a friend who wrote " on the road in Mexico" see link below and he lists RV parks and camping spots throughout Mexico and there are close to 300...Just in the Tijuana to San Tomas area there about 20 parks...seems pretty abundant to me........

Mexico’s Baja RV Parks | On The Road In Mexico


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Many RV parks have closed in recent years, though a lot of the websites still exist. Try to find the most current edition of such publications, then call any park that is of interest.


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## NCas (Sep 9, 2013)

perropedorro said:


> Probably, if the rent is advertised in dollars, pretty common for many big ticket items in Tijuana. Another fella on the board was looking for a place in Playas TJ, where the rent starts at 750 bucks for a 2/2 near the beach. In less fashionable hoods it'll undoubtedly be cheaper, but don't expect anything nice at the bargain rent you paid in Querétaro. TJ is high for Mexico, but dirt cheap compared to its twin, SD, something more U.S.folks are figuring out...which will push up housing costs even more.


Good to know. Do you happen to know how the locals up there find housing? I've tried a few web sites that I used to find a place in Queretaro, however, I'm not able to find nearly as many post. Can you also recommend some colonias to live in? Nothing fancy maybe around the $4,000 - $5,000 peso range you had mentioned.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

NCas said:


> Good to know. Do you happen to know how the locals up there find housing? I've tried a few web sites that I used to find a place in Queretaro, however, I'm not able to find nearly as many post. Can you also recommend some colonias to live in? Nothing fancy maybe around the $4,000 - $5,000 peso range you had mentioned.


Most locals find housing by word of mouth or a sign on the building. Pick a neighborhood that interests you and spend some time walking around looking for Se Renta signs. Ask at the corner Abarrotes if they know of any place available.


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## TextoMex (Jul 27, 2016)

As the OP asked:
"Also, has anyone had to rent a truck for moving like a uHaul but in Mexico. I don't have a lot to move, but it's more than my car can carry"

I've looked online and don't see that there is a national chain that you can lease a truck, van, or trailer for local or national one-way rental like U Haul, and Hertz. Is this a possible business idea?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

TextoMex said:


> As the OP asked:
> "Also, has anyone had to rent a truck for moving like a uHaul but in Mexico. I don't have a lot to move, but it's more than my car can carry"
> 
> I've looked online and don't see that there is a national chain that you can lease a truck, van, or trailer for local or national one-way rental like U Haul, and Hertz. Is this a possible business idea?


Only if you can accept the loss of most of the vehicles. In Mexico, it is easy to hire a mover, mudanzas, with whatever level of service you need. There are also laws governing interstate hauling of goods, which would make anything larger than a private vehicle a target for hungry transitos.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

RVGRINGO said:


> Only if you can accept the loss of most of the vehicles. In Mexico, it is easy to hire a mover, mudanzas, with whatever level of service you need. There are also laws governing interstate hauling of goods, which would make anything larger than a private vehicle a target for hungry transitos.


Labor is cheap in Mexico, so it is more attractive to hire a vehicle with a driver who also loads and unloads.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

TextoMex said:


> As the OP asked:
> "Also, has anyone had to rent a truck for moving like a uHaul but in Mexico. I don't have a lot to move, but it's more than my car can carry"
> 
> I've looked online and don't see that there is a national chain that you can lease a truck, van, or trailer for local or national one-way rental like U Haul, and Hertz. Is this a possible business idea?


In thinking about business opportunities, you should also take into consideration that Mexicans do not move nearly as much as people north of the border. When they do move, they may have a relative with a truck. So there is probably much less demand for a U-Haul type service here than in the US.


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## TJnow (Mar 15, 2017)

If you simply look at the craigsilst SD or Tijuana site and type in Moving in the search field you'll see several people who seem to specialize in taking things to and from the border with their own trucks etc.


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## TJnow (Mar 15, 2017)

NCas said:


> Sorry I don't know of any expat groups that meet regularly. There are more American expats in San Miguel de Allende (not too far from QRO). However, I have seen post on Meetup.com for expats who get together to practice their Spanish. I think you'll have better luck looking there or maybe someone in this site might be able to direct better. Any other questions please feel free to ask.



You may want to try the site meetup.com since I'm pretty sure there's a group of americans that meet up in rosarito if that helps.


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## TJnow (Mar 15, 2017)

NCas said:


> Good to know. Do you happen to know how the locals up there find housing? I've tried a few web sites that I used to find a place in Queretaro, however, I'm not able to find nearly as many post. Can you also recommend some colonias to live in? Nothing fancy maybe around the $4,000 - $5,000 peso range you had mentioned.


 You could scan the craigslist ads in both the SD and TJ sites, and look for an apartment there. That's what I've been doing as well as going around TJ with an English speaking uber driver (you can pick uber english) who also translates with the landlord as well as makes the calls for me for a nice tip of course. Couldn't think of an easier way since I don't speak spanish.


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## TJnow (Mar 15, 2017)

TundraGreen said:


> Labor is cheap in Mexico, so it is more attractive to hire a vehicle with a driver who also loads and unloads.


 Just so you know, you could easily hire day laborers IN mexico (I've seen them hanging out at the Tijuana Home Depots just like in the US) and I'd imagine their day rate would be a lot lower than even in the US if you need a few people to help you move stuff once you're already in TJ.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

TJnow, you are answering a post from August 2016..........


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## TJnow (Mar 15, 2017)

Oh wups, I'm trying to get my post count to 5 so I can ask my own ? haha. Well anyhow sorry about that I didn't realize it was from so long ago, I simply typed Tijuana in the search field and this was the one that popped up. Hopefully it will help someone else in the same boat and or I'll post a moving to TJ guide for others next.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Ask away, you reached your goal.......


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

TJnow said:


> Oh wups, I'm trying to get my post count to 5 so I can ask my own ? haha. Well anyhow sorry about that I didn't realize it was from so long ago, I simply typed Tijuana in the search field and this was the one that popped up. Hopefully it will help someone else in the same boat and or I'll post a moving to TJ guide for others next.


Don't feel badly. People often answer posts that are a lot older without noticing the date of the most recent post.


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