# Cost of living in Guadalajara, Jalisco?



## Deepti_ (Nov 14, 2021)

Hi Everyone, I would be moving to Jalisco Guadalajara for work minimum for an year.
So i need your help to understand the below points :-
1- What is the cost of living in Gadalajara, Jalisco for a woman?
2- Which place is safest to rent a room near office? Please suggest.
3- What are the points I need to consider before leaving from India.
4- Do I need to bring raw food items , vegetarian foods are available?
5- how's the social life?


Please dnt mind my questions as I am moving for the first time in life so a little ( very 😅) nervous.

Your honest reviews would be appreciated!


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I think you need to do more general web research.

You don't say where your office will be, so how could anyone possibly help you with #2? Cost of living in Jalisco Guadalajara is probably a little higher than average for Mexico, since it's a big city. We have no idea how that compares to India, of course.

On #3, you need to consider the rules for what you can bring in (customs rules). That will answer #4 - you can't bring in raw food items.

My perception, as a non-vegitarian, is that Mexico is in general nearly completely unsympathetic to vegetarians. Even in tourist areas I notice very few restaurants advertising vegetarian food, and they make no distinctions about which sub-set of vegetarian food if they do mention it at all. And I suspect they're going to cook with whatever oil or fat they usually cook with anyway, and in the same pans. On the plus side, supermarkets typically have an entire aisle with nothing but beans of various kinds. But basically, vegetarianism isn't a part of Mexican culture, and they expect you to adapt to their culture if you're living here, not the other way around.


----------



## AnneLM (Aug 16, 2016)

My husband and I cook vegetarian meals at home 90 percent of the time, and we have no trouble finding ingredients. Beans, lentils, brown rice, eggs, and cheese are everywhere, and high quality produce fills the markets. Most supermarkets of any size carry tofu. Vegan would be more difficult. There are vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Guadalajara. Just do a Google search. It can be more difficult in other restaurants and in private homes as even if you are assured there is no meat in a dish, it may have been prepared with lard or chicken broth. Some Mexicans do not consider poultry and fish to be in the meat category and will insist that a dish is vegetarian when it is not.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

eastwind said:


> My perception, as a non-vegitarian, is that Mexico is in general nearly completely unsympathetic to vegetarians.


Not sure where you are located, but I haven't found that to be true. Where I live in Sayulita there are tons of restaurants that cater to non-meat eaters and many menu choices available. Same in Puerto Vallarta, in fact there has been a vegetarian buffet place there for many years, Planet Vegetariana, that has won internatiinal awards.

I am not familiar with the restaurants in Guadalajara, but as a large cosmopolitan city, I would imagine there are lots of choices.

And large supermarkets and Costco have vegetarian frozen burgers, tofu, and many other protein choices for vegetarians. And if course fish and seafood is plentiful, which many vegetarians do eat, and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

And plenty of traditional Mexican dishes are vegetarian, like chile rellenos, which are traditionally stuffed with cheese, quesadillas, ceviche (if fish is eaten), beans and rice, and others.

A vegetarian in Guadalajara is unlikely to encounter difficulty with either eating out or buying the ingredients to cook at home. There are even Indian restaurants there. I also would venture a guess that there is a specialty store for the OP to buy the spices and condiments that she is accustomed to using in India.

It's true that in the old days it was hard to survive in Mexico as a vegetariann, as the choices were limited and got boring really fast. I'm not vegetarian myself, but I was when I came to Mexico on holiday in my 20's back in the early 70's. I actually started eating meat again then, as I was going to starve unless I wanted to live on beans and rice and eggs. But things have changed a lot since then.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

If you wish to do your own cooking, you will have no worries, as Guadalajara markets have all the vegetables you might expect, with the possible exception of something unique to India. Mexicans are friendly and helpful, especially if you can speak a bit of Spanish. Enjoy your move; Guadalajara is a fine city.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Deepti_ said:


> Hi Everyone, I would be moving to Jalisco Guadalajara for work minimum for an year.
> So i need your help to understand the below points :-
> 1- What is the cost of living in Gadalajara, Jalisco for a woman?
> 2- Which place is safest to rent a room near office? Please suggest.
> ...


My fellow moderator on this forum lives in Guadalajara and is a vegetarian. I'm sure he will soon respond to your post with lots of useful information.


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

surabi said:


> Not sure where you are located, but I haven't found that to be true.


Ok, it was just my perception, and I haven't been particularly looking out for vegetarian menus.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Deepti_ said:


> Hi Everyone, I would be moving to Jalisco Guadalajara for work minimum for an year.
> So i need your help to understand the below points :-
> 1- What is the cost of living in Guadalajara, Jalisco for a woman?
> 2- Which place is safest to rent a room near office? Please suggest.
> ...


Hi,
As Isla noted, I am vegetarian, vegan actually, and have lived in Guadalajara for 15 years more or less.
1. Cost of living is very dependent on the neighborhood and style of life. There are places in the outskirts of Guadalajara that look like the favelas in the Rio de Janeiro (see the movie, CIty of God). The houses are put together from scrap material. And there are neighborhoods that look like Atherton, California where NFL quarterbacks and venture capitalist CEOs live.
2. The whole city is quite safe. Many middle class Mexican friends are afraid of some of the poor neighborhoods but I think that is more that they are not familiar with them. I get around to more parts of the city because I like to walk. There is always a remote chance you can find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time but that almost never happens. There is some street crime, but I suspect it is less than the average US city. I don't know how it compares to India. In general the west side of Gdl is wealthier and maybe safer than the east side, but the devil is in the details.
3. I'm not sure what you are asking about here.
4. As mentioned, you cannot bring food products into Mexico. There is no shortage of fresh food of all kinds here. There are a lot of vegan restaurants. I rarely eat out so haven't tried many of them. In ordinary restaurants it is unusual for them to have vegetarian options. So the choices are pretty limited.
5. Most Mexican social life revolves around family. It might take a while to meet people who have time or interest in doing things out side of family. Of course, I am not 20 years old and don't know much about that scene. I don't know what you are thinking about.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

There are several indian restaurants in the city so you can always speak with the managers and owners and see where they get what they need from. as well.


----------



## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

One good way to meet people in a new place is to do volunteer work. Depending on what your interests are, you could volunteer to help out at an animal rescue facility, an orphanage, etc. Also signing up for some kind of classes- yoga, dance, cooking, Spanish classes.

As the OP is from India, if she goes to some Indian restaurants, she may meet the owners who might be able to introduce her to others from India who are living in Guadalajara. Although just because people are from your culture, doesn't mean you'll like them, or have much in common aside from your nationality.


----------



## Deepti_ (Nov 14, 2021)

Deepti_ said:


> Hi Everyone, I would be moving to Jalisco Guadalajara for work minimum for an year.
> So i need your help to understand the below points :-
> 1- What is the cost of living in Gadalajara, Jalisco for a woman?
> 2- Which place is safest to rent a room near office? Please suggest.
> ...





Deepti_ said:


> Hi Everyone, I would be moving to Jalisco Guadalajara for work minimum for an year.
> So i need your help to understand the below points :-
> 1- What is the cost of living in Gadalajara, Jalisco for a woman?
> 2- Which place is safest to rent a room near office? Please suggest.
> ...





eastwind said:


> I think you need to do more general web research.
> 
> You don't say where your office will be, so how could anyone possibly help you with #2? Cost of living in Jalisco Guadalajara is probably a little higher than average for Mexico, since it's a big city. We have no idea how that compares to India, of course.
> 
> ...





surabi said:


> Not sure where you are located, but I haven't found that to be true. Where I live in Sayulita there are tons of restaurants that cater to non-meat eaters and many menu choices available. Same in Puerto Vallarta, in fact there has been a vegetarian buffet place there for many years, Planet Vegetariana, that has won internatiinal awards.
> 
> I am not familiar with the restaurants in Guadalajara, but as a large cosmopolitan city, I would imagine there are lots of choices.
> 
> ...



#2 So which place would be safer and less costly to live near This place :- Colinas de San Javier, 44660 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico ? 
#3 Living alone would be best?


----------



## LiamHidalgo (Oct 21, 2016)

The cost of living comparisons on Numbeo seemed pretty accurate when I was comparing cost of living in Guadalajara to the US (a bit less than 1/2.) It looks like they do comparisons with cities in India too.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Deepti_ said:


> #2 So which place would be safer and less costly to live near This place :- Colinas de San Javier, 44660 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico ?
> #3 Living alone would be best?


That is an expensive neighborhood. I doubt there are many rentals available. Just across the park in Colomos Providencia there are some apartment buildings and more modest houses. To the north across Patria is probably more reasonable as well. Google's street view can give you a rough idea of the neighborhood. If the houses are all far apart and behind high fences with no graffiti, you can tell you are not in the low rent district.


----------

