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Masterjazz
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 50
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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 Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 4:49 pm Post subject: Mexican cost of living? |
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Hi there
Any links to learn about the general cost of living in Mexico?
Im heading out in June, ill be travelling around for about 2months i think, meeting a few mexican friends theer. But i want to ahve a rough idea how long ld last and what kind of budget id need,
Are there hostels and cheapy cheap hotels around mexico?
Thanks |
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ls650
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: Mexican cost of living? |
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| Masterjazz wrote: |
| Any links to learn about the general cost of living in Mexico? Are there hostels and cheapy cheap hotels around mexico? |
A lot depends on the area: Mexico is a mighty large country! Generally if you're staying in cheap places, eating cheaply, and travelling around on bus, I'd expect to budget a few hundred pesos a day. Let's say 500 pesos a day: that's quite a bit I think but you should be pretty comfortable on that. Say 30 days per month; you're talking about 15000 pesos or $1500 US per month.
If you pinch your pennies you can spend quite a bit less than that - and of course you can spend a heck of a lot more!
Last edited by ls650 on Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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lozwich
Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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If you want to know for travelling purposes, try the Lonely Planet website, and also the Lonely Planet Thorntree, which is a traveller's forum.
I agree with ls650's estimates.
Happy travels!
Lozwich. |
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sickbag
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 155
Location: Blighty
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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| If you bring a tent - comfortably on 200 pesos a day. |
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ls650
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 3484
Location: British Columbia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| sickbag wrote: |
| If you bring a tent - comfortably on 200 pesos a day. |
For two months..? |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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I definately recommend you pick up a guide book like Lonely Planet or Moon. That's got the low down on cheap places to stay. I think both 500 and 200 a day are doable as AVERAGES. Some days spending more some days spending less. If you camp, some days you'll spend less than 200 depending on what you're eating and where (in a camp ground or not) you're camping. Sometimes you should eat out in a nice restaurant and splurge. You should also splurge on things like tickets to the Ballet Folkorico.
Are hostals costing around 150 a night these days? Its been a while since I stayed in one. Set lunches in my part of Mexico are $18-50 pesos with 25 being typical. If you want to make the money stretch you can have tamales and fresh fruit for breakfast, and even for dinner, tamales cost 3 pesos each. Muesum and archelogical zone entrance fees seem to be getting pretty expensive, that's where those of us teaching here get the advantage! |
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lozwich
Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| MELEE wrote: |
| Are hostals costing around 150 a night these days? Its been a while since I stayed in one. Set lunches in my part of Mexico are $18-50 pesos with 25 being typical. If you want to make the money stretch you can have tamales and fresh fruit for breakfast, and even for dinner, tamales cost 3 pesos each. Muesum and archelogical zone entrance fees seem to be getting pretty expensive, that's where those of us teaching here get the advantage! |
The price of the hostel depends on where it is and the time of year. Yes, lots cost about $150 (pesos), but you can also find a decent place sometimes for $100. I stayed in Oaxaca City over New Years and paid something like $105 a night, with a huge breakfast included. The Lonely Planet is invaluable for finding these places, and then once you've found one, there are usually flyers for other good (cheap) hostels at reception. The only downside of this is that you end up following the backpacker trail.
When I'm travelling I eat an enormous breakfast, and then nothing until another huge meal at about 4. Maybe the odd piece of bread or snack, but generally I eat 2 huge meals a day and that's it. Those meals average out at about 20 - 30 pesos. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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It can take some hunting to find those cheap places to eat. For lunch, you can seek out a hole in the wall place known as a comida corrida where the menu is limited but the portions large. Salad, soup, main course, dessert, drink, for between 20 and 40 pesos. Might be hard to find if you don't speak Spanish or stick to the touristy spots.
I find hostels or hotels to be cheapest in the central parts of a city...round the city zocalo, though that might not be true everywhere.
Traveling from city to city may be where you spend the most. The country is indeed vast. |
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lozwich
Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| Traveling from city to city may be where you spend the most. The country is indeed vast. |
Oh, that's another thing (giving away all my secrets today!  ) travelling overnight gets you from A to B and saves you a night's accommodation! I'm slightly vertically challenged, but those taller than me, might like to do it with the help of sleeping tablets. Only problem is you miss out on all the fantastic scenery. |
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cwc
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 372
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:49 am Post subject: WHAT??????????? |
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| If you take sleeping pills, kiss your stuff goodbye before knocking out. What a silly suggestion. One has to sleep sometime. If you don�t sleep well, your day won�t be worth shot. I have never seen much scenery at night. Poorly thought out suggestion. If you come to the Yucatan, I can show you houses in small towns that rent for 40 USD monthly and food will run 5 USD daily. There are thousands of acres to explore and hundreds of cenotes. The people are extremely friendly. They are used to having people come with my goodwill. I lived for years on 200 USD monthly with a wife. That�s right, lots of fruit, beans and tortillas. The towns have all the modern amenities and are a short bus ride from Merida. |
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bryan_s
Joined: 31 Jan 2006
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 3:31 am Post subject: |
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| On the TESL certification class in Guadalajara (don't have the link handy), it said they could provide a family with which the student could live. Does anyone know if this situation is practical once you have a job? I was hoping to find work in Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacan, or Sinaloa. If so, how does one go about adopting a whole family? |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:24 am Post subject: |
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deleted...
info out of date
Last edited by Dragonlady on Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: WHAT??????????? |
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| Dragonlady wrote: |
| Of course the others around you would never question someone helping themselves to the contents of a bag while the owner lay close to death . |
I wasn't lying close to death, but I did have someone open the zipper on one of the pockets of my small backback while I had it on my back. I felt it before the "intruder" managed to take anything, but I caught him with his hand in my backpack. When I turned around, several people had obviously been watching the guy attempting to rob me and didn't say or do anything.
An exchange teacher had her wallet stolen out of her backback while she was sitting on a city bus. A friend of mine had a bag stolen from her bicycle basket while she was standing near it talking to some people she knew. My plumber had his bicycle stolen while he was standing about 5 feet from it, also talking to some people he knew. One of my housemates had his watch stolen while he was waiting to cross a street downtown. It took a few minutes for the thief to wrestle the watch from his wrist. In all these cases, there were people watching who saw the thefts in progress, and they didn't say or do anything to help.
I'm not saying this is the norm, but it does happen. |
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lozwich
Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Disclaimer: Once you get close to the Yucatan, especially on the Palenque - Merida road, you should avoid travelling by bus at night. Everywhere else I've been I've had no problems, including the Oaxaca - San Cristobal run, where the bloke sitting next to me had a case of something clinking on his lap and he reeked of booze!
If you're not sure, wear a money belt with all your valuables in it, get a window seat and wodge your daypack in between you and the side of the bus. If you're walking wear your daypack on the front, and use those carabina clippy things to keep all the zips shut so its more difficult to open them.
Dragonlady, are you still in Colombia? Ever travelled Mexican-style down here? 
cwc, I've never taken sleeping pills. I'm one of those lucky people who can sleep whenever, wherever and in all kinds of weather. However, I know someone who travels regularly on night buses in Mexico and takes some light sedative every time. No need to get hostile.
Lozwich. |
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Masterjazz
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 50
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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Wow!!!
Thanks so much everyone!!! very unexpected..
Looks like a wealth of info. there, I cant wait to read every bit of it!!
Keep it coming!
Thanks again |
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