In the initial stages of planning, with Questions....

dennissira wrote:

Hi all,
I am Dennis, 55yo, live in Pennsylvania in USA. I was planning on retiring in 5 years and then moving to Mexico (initial thought is the Lake Chapala area).  What I am trying to really figure out is just how much I am likely to spend living down there, so I can determine if I can stop working earlier than that.    It will be 2 adults and at least 2 dogs.  Not looking for the minimal number but more of a realistic figure including Apartment, utilities, internet, Health, food (vegetarians). Would expect to have 1 or 2 cars.


Also, from some of my reading it does not sound like bring a car down from the US is all that easy.  Is that the case?  What do I need to know about that?

I'm sure I will have more questions, but want to start with just some basics first.

Hi Dennis,

What you probably should do is make a couple of exploratory trips to see what you think. You can get and idea about housing costs by looking at the classified on this forum. To really get a feel for it though , you should visit and physically look.

It varies according to the area you are looking in. For example, at the current exchange rate I am paying about$7-800.00 U.S  for a large house with a pool, I would be on the high end for this area, I pay about $60 a month for my once a week housekeeper and $40 a month for a garage to keep my car in. Garages are not a given. I am also primarily vegetarian and spend about $100-150 a week on food. All just rough figures. The electric is every two months and varies depending on AC and pool issues, probably averages $119 to 200, I pay cable yearly , probably about $300 U.S. and $200 a month in pesos for my unlimited cell phone The L.C. area would probably be much more expensive. Most expat communities usually are. ( note I'm trying to convert at the current exchange rate on the fly. I tend to think in pesos at this point. so as I said it'a a rough estimate)
The car issue is a big one,and an expensive one . You will pay an import fee which is refundable just to bring it in, You get the money back when you exit.  You get a lot more attention driving a foreign licensed car, you must get Mexican insurance and your insurance from the U.S will not cover you. Most of us have figured out it is much better, safer , and cheaper to sell our U.S. cars in the U.S. and buy a Mexican car, or use taxis and buses here. It is not in anyway like the U.S,. It is not essential to have a car, the roads are much different , and the driving is very different. Read some of the previous post to learn more about all of these subjects.

good luck.

Dear Dennis,

I agree with Travellight. Your best plan is to identify a few cities you might like and then make an exploratory trip. One thing I would add is know ahead of time if you are looking for an inland city, one at a higher elevation, or a coastal area. For example, not everyone is cut out for the heat and humidity in the Riviera Maya. Not everyone can live at 5,000 (LC) or 6,200 ft (San Miguel de Allende).

Lastly, yes Expat cities are more expensive, but the more Spanish you know, the better your chances are of finding more reasonable rent and services.

Best of luck!
Melanie

I think I under estimated the cable bill by 1/2 . As I said I tend to think more in pesos now,   and pay it once a year, so you might want to double that cost. I will look for the factura *(.bill), But I think you have a rough idea.

Hi Dennis, like "travellight" says, you should check other forums like "Cost of living in Mexico 2017" , "best places to live in Mexico".
Also, like Melanie says, living at sea level and 2500 meters above like Patzcuaro is different.

Adios y buena suerte, GyC.

Hi all, thanks for the info.  Yes I know we will have to go and check out different areas to really be sure we like what we are getting into. Definitely don't want the heat and humidity, the humidity is specifically what I want to get away from, as well getting away from the winter.

I may even try to swing having my job send me down to Mexico to work for a couple of years (would be Mexico City), and then I use that time while still working to see other areas and decide where specifically I want to be.

If I choose an area with a large amount of Ex-Pats I would probably look to move onto the outskirts of the area, so be able to have access to the Ex_pat community when desired but live a bit more local.  We will probably want to build on our own (a cross between Mexican and American building styles).

The Car situation is probably my one of my bigger concerns as my thought had been to buy a pickup truck before heading down and load up what I wanted to bring with me.  But if my job sends me to Mexico that all changes.

Jocotepec comes to mind as higher elevation around Lake Chapala, but further from the expat center of Ajijic.

Hi Susan, Yes Jocotepec is an area I am looking at or even just around onto the south side of the lake. I think it would be more affordable to get a slightly larger piece of property. Would love to have chickens and at least a small garden on our own.
The down side is that would put us further from Guadalajara which limits some of the cultural activities a bit.

"Factura" is a reciept [proof of payment] not a bill. Bill is a "cuenta" or "recibo".

alleycat1 wrote:

"Factura" is a reciept [proof of payment] not a bill. Bill is a "cuenta" or "recibo".

I am aware of that. Instead of teaching all the Spanish words for payment or receipt  I thought I would keep it very simple.
Most people when they translate "factura" will get the word bill, invoice, or sales check, because it's about understanding, not being precisely, grammatically  correct.

Cuenta on the other hand is a tab, tally or account, given that I was not asking for a tab at a restaurant, but just talking about an invoice I didn't chose that word.

What I would be looking for would be a "factura" or invoice.

If I approached every Spanish word in a rigid manner it would be no fun at all. It's a language not a competition.

travellight wrote:

alleycat1 wrote:

"Factura" is a reciept [proof of payment] not a bill. Bill is a "cuenta" or "recibo".

I am aware of that. Instead of teaching all the Spanish words for payment or receipt  I thought I would keep it very simple.
Most people when they translate "factura" will get the word bill, invoice, or sales check, because it's about understanding, not being precisely, grammatically  correct.

Cuenta on the other hand is a tab, tally or account, given that I was not asking for a tab at a restaurant, but just talking about an invoice I didn't chose that word.

What I would be looking for would be a "factura" or invoice.

If I approached every Spanish word in a rigid manner it would be no fun at all. It's a language not a competition.

The problem is if you used that word to talk about a bill you recieved and need to pay no Spanish speaking person would know what you are talking about. Rigidity has nothing to do with it. A "factura" in Mexico is a SAT [Mexican equivalent to the IRS tax collection institute] online generated official  paid reciept [commercial invoice] from a company and nothing else.

alleycat1 wrote:

travellight wrote:

alleycat1 wrote:

"Factura" is a reciept [proof of payment] not a bill. Bill is a "cuenta" or "recibo".

I am aware of that. Instead of teaching all the Spanish words for payment or receipt  I thought I would keep it very simple.
Most people when they translate "factura" will get the word bill, invoice, or sales check, because it's about understanding, not being precisely, grammatically  correct.

Cuenta on the other hand is a tab, tally or account, given that I was not asking for a tab at a restaurant, but just talking about an invoice I didn't chose that word.

What I would be looking for would be a "factura" or invoice.

If I approached every Spanish word in a rigid manner it would be no fun at all. It's a language not a competition.

The problem is if you used that word to talk about a bill you recieved and need to pay no Spanish speaking person would know what you are talking about. Rigidity has nothing to do with it. A "factura" in Mexico is a SAT [Mexican equivalent to the IRS tax collection institute] online generated official  paid reciept [commercial invoice] from a company and nothing else.

Well,  Although it is not a word I use commonly, Yet I have used the word on several occasions , not in a government office, and I have heard people use the word not in a government office.  I use other words more often, but I have still used factura and been understood.

Translations of factura
noun
invoice
factura
bill
factura, proyecto de ley, cuenta, billete, lista, cartel
commercial invoice
factura
sales check
factura
bun
bollo, moño, factura, coca

Hi everyone,

Please note that several posts have been removed from this topic. Can we please focus on the initial post.

Thanks

Chris
Expat.com