# Ensenada



## Aa111111

i like mexico but my Spanish is terrible

are there many ex-pat living there? If so, what section of Ensenada do they live in.

How does the cost of living compare to the states ? Are you really able to make your dollar stretch and MOST of all
are you happy you moved there?

thankx all you expat guys


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## bajaarmored

Ensenada is a really nice city with plenty of english speakers and not too much violence. The cost of living is MUCH better than California. I live in Rosarito(60 miles north of Ensenada) . We would move to Ensenada or Puerto Selina if we didn't have to go to San Diego so often. Most people that live there love it, however you may fall into the "baja trap". This happens when you get so used to Baja prices that you can't help but to complain EVERYWHERE else you travel to about pirces. "$1.75 FOR A 20 ONCE! AT HOME I CAN BUY A THREE LITER FOR A DOLLAR!" - You yell enraged at a gas station attendant in San Diego. Then you start to figure that you can never afford to leave with the way things cost other places...

Rent before you buy, for at least a month. If you want to live around Americans check out the gated communities. Check out Baja123 for real estate listings.


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## ElPaso2012

bajaarmored said:


> Ensenada is a really nice city with plenty of english speakers and not too much violence. The cost of living is MUCH better than California. I live in Rosarito(60 miles north of Ensenada) . We would move to Ensenada or Puerto Selina if we didn't have to go to San Diego so often. Most people that live there love it, however you may fall into the "baja trap". This happens when you get so used to Baja prices that you can't help but to complain EVERYWHERE else you travel to about pirces. "$1.75 FOR A 20 ONCE! AT HOME I CAN BUY A THREE LITER FOR A DOLLAR!" - You yell enraged at a gas station attendant in San Diego. Then you start to figure that you can never afford to leave with the way things cost other places...
> 
> Rent before you buy, for at least a month. If you want to live around Americans check out the gated communities. Check out Baja123 for real estate listings.


Ditto on the cost of living, especially health care. Even El Paso, TX is getting more expensive. Thanks for the Baja123 tip. Real info about life around Ensenada --from people who actually live there, that is-- is pretty hard to find on the web. 

Can you give me some idea of what good internet service costs in your area, the available choices, etc.


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## mes1952

That Baja123 website lists more expensive prices than Mexican websites so those prices are no bargain. Also most are unaware that Baja is the most expensive state to live in Mexico; just ask any Mexican from another part of the country who is living there. Prices are less than the U.S. but prices in Mexico are rising due to the improved economy. If you listen to Mexican TV news you notice that prices of commodities such as gasoline, tortillas, natural gas, etc. are increasing on a regular basis. And anywhere in Mexico where you have a large congregation of Americans (such as in Baja) expect higher prices. If you live in Mexican neighborhoods prices are lower; if you live in American gated communities, prices are substantially more for everything. American stores are more expensive than Mexican stores. Walmart and Costco are the most expensive stores in Mexico. The majority of Americans living in Baja are unaware of these price differences as they tend to sequester themselves due to the language barrier. Rosarito prices are more than Tijuana as it is full of retired Americans; younger Americans live in Tijuana where there is a younger population of Americans..and much more to do. Rosarito is a good place for someone who is a hermit or not an active person.


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## ElPaso2012

mes1952 said:


> That Baja123 website lists more expensive prices than Mexican websites so those prices are no bargain. Also most are unaware that Baja is the most expensive state to live in Mexico; just ask any Mexican from another part of the country who is living there. Prices are less than the U.S. but prices in Mexico are rising due to the improved economy. If you listen to Mexican TV news you notice that prices of commodities such as gasoline, tortillas, natural gas, etc. are increasing on a regular basis. And anywhere in Mexico where you have a large congregation of Americans (such as in Baja) expect higher prices. If you live in Mexican neighborhoods prices are lower; if you live in American gated communities, prices are substantially more for everything. American stores are more expensive than Mexican stores. Walmart and Costco are the most expensive stores in Mexico. The majority of Americans living in Baja are unaware of these price differences as they tend to sequester themselves due to the language barrier. Rosarito prices are more than Tijuana as it is full of retired Americans; younger Americans live in Tijuana where there is a younger population of Americans..and much more to do. Rosarito is a good place for someone who is a hermit or not an active person.


Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply. Fear not, I have little fear of diving into the local culture or living among the Mexican people, having done so for five years in Ciudad Juarez. What you say about the rental information and living in gated communities is 100% right on. They have them in Juarez also for maquiladora managers. You can pay $650 a month (or more) there, or you can look around, rent a fix-me-up apartment for $150 a month in a safe neighborhood. Your choice.

After scouring the internet for info on Ensenada I have had an epiphany. You have to be there to learn anything significant. I could not learn anything significant about Juarez without going. I don't think I can get a feel for Ensenada without actually going and spending at least a couple of weeks just hanging out, checking out the classifieds, and finding a taxista I can trust to steer me in the right direction. Like Yogi Berra said, "It's deja vu all over again." 

So that's what I am going to do, a tour of possible destinations in Mexico: Juarez to Ciudad Chihuahua, Chihuaha to Hermosillo, Hermosillo to Baja, and wherever else my instincts lead me. It's time to quit reading and start doing...

Thanks again for your information.


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## Isla Verde

mes1952 said:


> . . . American stores are more expensive than Mexican stores. Walmart and Costco are the most expensive stores in Mexico.


This may be true in Baja, but not in and around Mexico City.


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