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elucida
Joined: 12 May 2006
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 6:02 am Post subject: Cost of living in Oaxaca City + other questions |
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I'm making plans for next year. After spending three months in Cuernavaca on a scholarship (thanks, Rotary!) I'm considering a three month internship with a health promotion NGO based in Oaxaca City.
I've got a few questions:
- What's the CoL like in Oaxaca City? I will be working full time (won't be going out every night!), prefer to cook for myself a lot of the time, don't drink much if at all, but don't want to live anywhere grotty and when I do eat out it's likely to be at nicer places. I'll need an apartment that's already set up with cooking gear, as I don't want to spend a month getting myself sorted out and then leave eight weeks later. I have been going off a wild guess of $7-8000 pesos a month. Does that sound all right?
- Is Cuernavaca going to be completely overrun with gueros in July, August and September? I know that it would be less gringified if I went after US vacation season was over, but that clashes with the timing of this internship. I have strong Spanish skills already, and I would prefer to avoid other English speakers as much as possible.
- The scholarship covers my tuition and homestayincl all meals in CV but provides only US$600 for incidental expenses. How far is that likely to get me in CV? I'm budgeting another US$600 to cover myself for the whole three months. I know that some homestays aren't quite as forthcoming with the food as they could be.
Thanks for reading, and for any replies. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know anything about Cuernavaca for the second two questions. But as for Oaxaca, your budget seems like its in the right ball park. There is a big range in prices in Oaxaca City, the sky is the limit. Last week there were loads of Se Renta signs around, I think the landlords might be in a possition where they need to negociate. Good for the Rotary for informing you of your scholarship 12 months in advance!!! Things like prices etc. will be totally different by then, check back in next spring!
You can see classified ads online at the Oaxaca Times. www.oaxacatimes.com Apartments on there will be at the upper end of the scale.
Good luck, sounds like a great experience for you. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Cuernavaca is probably the most popular spot for foreigners to study Spanish. There are many North Americans (as well as other foreigners) who go there to study Spanish for the summer. |
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elucida
Joined: 12 May 2006
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for your replies. I know that CV is full of norteamericanos and would prefer to study elsewhere, but the scholarship is for one institute. I have to wait 'til July 1 to go, but I can go any time in the 12 months after that.
I'm trying to make an informed decision about whether to miss out on the internship in order to have a less gringo-filled three months in CV or just suck it up so that I can get to Oaxaca in time. Of course, no-one can make the choice for me, I just want to get an idea of just how many foreigners are there and how easily I'll be able to avoid them. I already speak quite fluently (2 semesters in Chile and months and months of travel afterwards in SA and Mexico and Spain without needed to speak English at all) so the idea is to not speak a word of English from the minute I set foot on tierra mexicana an see if I can become entirely fluent by the time the three months is up.
Once again, thank you for your replies. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| elucida wrote: |
Of course, no-one can make the choice for me, I just want to get an idea of just how many foreigners are there and how easily I'll be able to avoid them. I already speak quite fluently (2 semesters in Chile and months and months of travel afterwards in SA and Mexico and Spain without needed to speak English at all) so the idea is to not speak a word of English from the minute I set foot on tierra mexicana an see if I can become entirely fluent by the time the three months is up.
Once again, thank you for your replies. |
That may not be as easy as you think and probably will have little to do with the number of foreigners around. There are quiet a few Mexicans who will either 1)see you as an oportunity to practice their English or 2)just assume you'd rather speak English. Of course you can set them straight on this issue. Have you been to Cuernavaca before? I know that the guide books make it out to be a quaint little colonial town, but the reality is that it's a full blown city. Even if there are say 5,000 or more foreigners in town when you are there, it would be easy to not associate with them (except while at the language institute!) if you don't want to. And also, as you probably learned in your study abroad expiences, there's a really good chance that the other foreigners who you might meet will be like minded people, people you might really like and just might make lasting friendships with.
I think you should go with the opportunity to do the intership, I doubt you'd regret that in the future.
What a great opportunity you have in front of you!  |
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leslie
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Posts: 235
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| Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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Bye
Last edited by leslie on Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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hlamb
Joined: 09 Dec 2003
Posts: 431
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| I'm curious about what Cuernavaca is actually like. Obviously, as MELEE said, it's bigger than the guide books say. Bu how does it compare to other Mexican cities in terms of rent, atmosphere and traffic? I guess I'm wondering what it's like to live there. I have a potential job offer but would like a bit more perspective before I pursue it. Thanks. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:29 am Post subject: |
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Traffic is pretty hairy up and down Morelos Ave any hour of the day, and the centro's narrow streets are teeming.
I like the atmosphere...a lot of students, much slower pace of life than DF...a lot like Puebla I think.
Been a while since I looked into rents there, but they were a little higher than I expected for what pay rates are there. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
I like the atmosphere...a lot of students, much slower pace of life than DF...a lot like Puebla I think.
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Only WARM! 
It is smaller than Puebla and the people are a lot more laid-back. There are a lot of cool people there. I have many aquantainces in the Mexican Sustainable Developement community that live in Cuernavaca.
The rents are a lot higher than other cities its size and a lot of well to do Mexicans come down for the weekend (especially during the cold months)and maintain houses or apartments there, so maybe that's why. My husband had an option of studying there instead of Morelia, and while that would have been nice because its a lot closer to where we live (like 6 hours closer!) we would have been seriously strapped for cash because most of his scholarship would have been eaten up with his living expenses. (instead of being eaten up by our book habit.  )
I like Cuernavaca, but do not know it well, mostly I know as the place we make an over night layover on road trips between Oaxaca and Morelia.
Good restuarants
Nice architecture
Nice climate
Near some REALLY nice places (Tepoztlan for example)
I would consider relocating there in the future if the opportunity presented itself.
Last edited by MELEE on Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| I would consider relocating there in the future if the opportunity presented itself. |
As would I...in a heartbeat actually. I don't relish a commute from Cuerna to DF every day, but the climate (Cuernavaca is known as the City of Eternal Spring), is a big draw. It's just big enough to be called a city but not so big as to stop thinking about it as a village. |
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hlamb
Joined: 09 Dec 2003
Posts: 431
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| It's just big enough to be called a city but not so big as to stop thinking about it as a village. |
How big is the population there?
Oh, and thanks for the helpful replies! |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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From a google search..
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Location
With a population of approximately 700,000 permanent residents, Cuernavaca is one of the beautiful and historical centers of Mexico.
The elevation is 1,548 meters (about 5,000 feet) and it is geographically centered in Mexico making it very easy to reach other cities of cultural and recreational interest.
Mexico City and Taxco are nearby and can be reached in about one and a half hours. Puebla is two hours to the northwest and the beach resorts of Acapulco are four hours to the south. |
Feels smaller than that, but you know how Mexico is already. Then again, I live in DF, so places like Toronto and Chicago feel like smaller towns to me now. |
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