Property prices in San Miguel de Allende

Priscilla, I sold a home in San Miguel this year for only $88,000 USD, but that low of a price is uncommon. I've attached a link for another new home that is only $159,000 USD in a gated golf community, but it is four minutes out of town.  Centro is always the most desirable location (buyers want to walk everywhere) so conversely, values are higher in Centro.  The further from Centro, the more affordable the value!

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Saludos,
Greg

What are the most desired places to live?

My answer is obviously biased, but I think living on the outskirts of El Centro (in San Miguel de Allende (SMA)) is better. El Centro can get a bit noisy as SMA tends to have many events that involve fireworks. Where I live (in a place called Los Frailes - un fraccionamiento), the fireworks are mostly not noticeable. However, there are trains that pass by fairly frequently and through the night. So the best area, in Los Frailes, is away from the tracks.

There are many places for sale in this area and that could be one of the reasons. I am not interested in buying, at least not yet, so am not familiar with costs.

Renting is fairly good although it can be quite high depending on who you ask. Real Estate agents generally will not call you back if you ask for a rent of less than $1000/month US. At least that was the case for me.

I lucked out as I met a Mexicana who wanted to have someone live in her house while she was not here. So my rent is unusually low and for a very nice place. The only exception is the the noise from the trains passing by.

I passed by a very nice area down a short street with beautiful flowers hanging from the walls. It happened to be an apartment building. All apartments were currently rented and ranging from $350 US (for 1 bedroom) to $540 US (for 2 bedrooms). I was unable to see any of the rooms so I have no idea what the quality was like.

There are many places here for rent above $1500 US per month. And some, that I have seen, are not that great for that price.  But then there are  a lot of expats living here (and many have lived here for many years) and I believe that has increased the rents.

There is a very nice small town called Tequisquiapan (east of Queretaro by about 50 minutes) which is, in my opinion, nicer than SMA. It is quieter but for some it might be too quiet.

I had heard of several expats that had moved there and then returned to SMA because they felt there was not enough to keep them busy. SMA certainly has a lot of things to do. And because there are a lot of expats here a person could get by without learning Spanish (although I would not recommend it) and, if you like spending time with other expats this would be the place to do it.

I like quiet so eventually will seek out a place like Tequis.

One couple I recently met in Tequis had purchased a four bedroom house for around $158,000 CDN. I never saw the place so don't know what quality it was. But they did tell me they had sold their house in Canada for a lot of money, so I suspect they had the money to buy a more expensive place if the quality at that price had not been sufficient for them.

I was told by a local (to Tequis) that it was fairly common to rent a 2 bedroom / 2 bath furnished house with a backyard for between $400 and $700 US per month depending on the quality you preferred. He also said never tell a real estate agent what your top rental price is. The $400 price would most likely not be in a gated community; whereas, the $700 price would likely be in a gated community.

There is another very nice looking place called Morelia (at an elevation of about 6300 ft above sea level, just 100 ft more than SMA, and south of SMA by about 2 hours driving distance). There is a lake near by that looks beautiful with lots of trees surrounding the lake. It reminds me of back in British Columbia, Canada where I am from. It is definitely on my radar to visit.

My husband and I just closed on a townhomes in SAN Miguel. It is our second home purchase in Mexico. My husband is a Mexican from Mexico City. Home prices are going up but still reasonable. Keep in mind if you are not Mexican you lease the house for 50 years. Then you renew it. Both houses are gated which works for us since we do not live in Mexico full time yet. Renting seems a good thing for you. If you truly love it then buy!

Hola,

We live in Colonia San Felipe Neri.  It is about a 20 minute walk to El Jardin in centro, mostly downhill in, but not too steep.  This colonia is near Independencia and is primarily a mixed neighborhood of extranjeros and locals.  The cost of housing in our area is a little lower than most areas in SMA, and we are part of a neighborhood development called Mojica.  This is not a gated community.  The development is of homes built in currently open lots, and can be built to suit.  Mojica has a facebook page, and I would recommend that you look there to get a feel for the opportunities in this development.  The facebook page is Mojica Project San Miguel de Allende.  This page and it's links will show you the neighborhood and provides contact information.

Saludos,

Joe Thomas

Centro is noisy with lots of exhaust fumes. Areas close to centro still expensive but best to look out a little further.

Ask if there is bus service. for example there are no buses in Los Frailes and rough cobblestone streets. Also crime is not uncommon there.

I personally recommend the areas up the hill by Luciernaga Mall. Housing is less; it is quieter; the large Tuesday and Sunday markets are present; minutes to centro with buses every few minutes; one new hospital plus the Seguro Popular hospital; At the mall are Soriana for groceries, banks, Liverpool, pet stores, clothing; an excellent private school.

We live 3 minutes away on an excellent paved road called Camino Alcocer. It is quiet, no vehicle fumes, no fire works and yet 12 minutes to centro. We have been here 10 years and would not live anywhere else in SMA. My web site has a page dedicated to SMA and another to cost living plus more re healthcare etc.

I'm in the process of buying a house in Los Frailes.  Neither my husband or I are Mexican.  We are buying the house outright, paying cash, not leasing for 50 years.

We purchased in Ojo de Agua. I love this area because it's very close to Benítez Juárez Parque and a 10 minute walk to the Jardin. We wanted to be close to Centro but away from the traffic. We do have a car but parking in Centro is a nightmare. Our needs were different than some because we have a child and like being on the edge of SMA so he can play outside without constantly being in fear of him getting hit by a car. However, if we want to go to lunch or dinner in Centro,  the cost of a taxi is so low that we rarely use our car except for shopping.

As I scanned down this thread, I have a few comments. I think it was best for my wife and I to visit SMA 2 times before we moved here. She had been here a bunch of times to see her mom. We get to be here (in paradise) and be near her mom and my wife's step-dad in their older ages.

We rented in Guadiana, one of the more upscale areas and we really wanted to buy that home, partly because we had spent so much getting it just right. Renters pay for more things than the owners do here. Our disappointment after hearing "No" from the landlord lasted a while and then the perfect place showed up. We are outside town on Xote Road and we LOVE IT. No fireworks sounds, or very few. Less traffic and the best view I have ever had in my life. that's just how it worked for us. We bought, and since, have added the lot next door.

We imported our Hyundai Tucson SUV which is perfect for these roads and bought a Mex. plated Jeep Grand Cherokee-more of the same. Our driving of the Tucson is limited but the other one is not. None of it is a problem.

I would never bring a new car or a Mini on the cobblestone streets of SMA or in the Campo-the country. SUVS are perfect.

Dogs in Mexico are sadly, second class 'citizens' are viewed perhaps more accurately as 'security' or workers. (Not at our house.) In fact, we treat our dogs great and we have 5 rescues. We also have 4 cats and 3 burros!

One should not move here hoping to change Mexico-it won't work and is frowned upon. So, we do our best to take care of our dog family and support efforts to take care of strays, etc.

This is an amazing area but not for everyone.