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Even for Mexican citizens, Puerto Vallarta is expensive, only some Mexicans can afford to live there, perhaps locals. What makes Puerto Vallarta expensive is the demand for visitors. Even if the places of residence are not top quality, they are still expensive. Let me make a comparison between living in the province within Mexico and what Mark mentioned in this video about the cost of living. In Leon, Guanajuato, for example, the cost of renting a decent mid-level house is $5,000 pesos per month. I pay $250 pesos from the city water, $150 for electricity, $500 for internet, $160 for bottled water, $200 pesos for gas for cooking only. For hot water most people use solar heaters which saves a lot of money, $900 for gasoline per month, because like Mark we don't use the car much. In total all together including food at the monthly cost is an average of $6000 pesos per month, not including rent. A luxury house in one of the best areas of the city, the rent can be up to $15,000 pesos per month. So you can live very cheap within the Mexican Republic away from the tourist areas.
Thanks for sharing. You can definitely live for a lot cheaper in different cities & towns. I’d say even within Puerto Vallarta in you move into a local neighborhoods you can pay less than half for rent than what it cost to stay downtown or close to the water which would significantly reduce your cost of living.
My husband and I ( B.C Residents) are loving your content and how you are living your lives in PV! How great that you shop at the tianguis! It is the BEST place to get your weekly produce. We are back in PV next month to take care of some visa business. Still figuring out how to finance our lives there! Love that you are making your dreams and plans happen. So encouraging. Glad we found your channel. We shall keep following along.
Hi Marc and Kathleen, thanks again for another great video, and sharing with us your living expenses. As I had mentioned before, we purchased a place, so one of the biggest expenses we will NOT have is mortgage. Along with our kids being grown, we won’t’ have the children expense. I have already worked up a budget (as I am an accountant - and my wife rolls her eyes when I talk about it), but it will be almost half of your spending, because of our simple life style, we are not big spenders. But that will vary depending on how often we will go out. So living on around $1,500 is doable. And electricity will be a big one as well, as we will want to use our air during the summer. We appreciate you taking the time and showing us you expenses. You all stay cool and we can’t wait until your next video. Thank you!
Thanks Mario 🙌🏼 No rent (or mortgage) and no kids will definitely put a lot of $$$ in your pocket. Food will be your biggest expense and if you’re cooking at home it’s super affordable.
Thank you 🙏🏼 If you’re single or couple you could easily cut it in half if you live modestly. We’re currently looking to move to a more affordable place so our next cost of living episode we’re looking to cut some of that expense.
Ottawa resident here. Great channel. I look forward to your videos about a potential apartment search . There’ll be some valuable info. Thanks for sharing your experiences
Thanks for the content ! We are hoping to move to Mexico some time soon ish with our 2 young kids and we currently live in Toronto as well! We are visiting PV next month we have never been there and are curious to see how we like it. You’re content has been very helpful! I was surprised not to see any health related expense don’t you have to subscribe to a private health insurance to be covered if anything happens? You maybe you choose to not take hope and pay the bill when/if needed ?
Thank you so much 😊 that’s great that you guys are visiting. Make sure to visit some of the neighbourhoods around - so many great ones! We currently don’t have any health insurance. Maybe we’ll get one but we haven’t yet! We’ve gone to the doctor once for a lingering cough of our youngest and laid around $60 cad - he was great!
I live in a resort coastal town in Mexico. I am a retired guy who lives a humble, simple life. My monthly expenses in USD are as follows... $375 - rent, including electricity, water, gas, internet. $12 - cell phone $87 - health care (IMSS) $30 - all expenses to operate a moto scooter (transportation) $330 - food $ 6 - drinking water $100 - entertainment $60 - miscellaneous $1,000 TOTAL
great- now show the apartment you live in for that price, and the electric does not include running a/c bc you dont have it- of course NOT! it's hot and you know this!
Love your guys videos. I look forward to watching every time you put something out. My wife and I are newly weds, and we just purchased a preconstruction condo in 5 de Diciembre. Our plan is to go start a family in PV in the next 2 years. We want to get out of the corporate rat race and focus on giving our future children our full attention. You guys are an inspiration to us! Keep it up ❤
Thank you for the beautiful comment and congrats to you both 🙏🏼 It’s a beautiful place to raise children around a culture that cares about children. Wouldn’t change it for the world.
Hola from your 5 de Diciembre neighbors! We just moved here 2 weeks ago for at least a year. Thanks for giving us a cost perspective! Hope to see you in the area😊
Love love love the breakdown Some would say for that amount of money and the qualify of life you have it is cheap for 4 people But affordable or not is totally personal to someone. Everyone’s budget is different Great video 🎉
Thank you 😊 I can tell you we used to spend SIGNIFICANTLY more than this per month living in Toronto. We’ve also cut $1000+ USD from our living expenses since then so I think we’re about due for an update.
Thanks for watching! It’s basically on the lowerish side of rent that close to the beach. The gym prices are not cheap here! There are no big corporations that offer very cheap memberships like they do in USA or Canada. That price is the discounted gym price here. You can find a little bit cheaper but usually the gym is not great!
Being a resident of North Jersey, I have to say $3000/mo sounds pretty sweet for expenses and 2 bedroom for family of 4. LOL. Hope to be in PV in the future.
Thanks for watch and absolutely - not to mention a minute from the beach in MEXICO lol Our cost of living in Toronto was at least 2.5 x amount for a life we didn't want to live anymore.
Love the vids! As a father of 2 little girls considering relocating to Vallarta, I truly appreciate your breakdown. Quizás one day we’ll catch your fam on the malecón!
Thanks! I'll be asking more! Is there a convenient place to teach snorkeling. Tge bus ride sounds just a tad inconvenient unless its wayyyy better. The one close to hotels decent?? Ok water and lots of fish? Mahalo!!
Thank you so much. We’re honestly not at all informed on snorkelling. It’s widely offered as an activity around town and diving is as well. I believe they typically take a boat and go out to snorkel from the city center otherwise. A popular snorkelling spot is called Los Arcos (rock formation on the water). I have no idea what the details are or what to expect.
Is that price for the electric every month or every 2 months ? $29 USD is great for internet! How many megs do you have? I have totalplay and they stink 😔
I think the key is to do as the locals do to keep costs down. If your housing is really nice back home and you want the same in PV you will pay for it, go for something more simple and you can save quite a bit. We’ve learnt to do more with so much less than we have back in Calgary and life here becomes less complicated and more enjoyable! Great video!
Thanks for sharing and absolutely. We’re doing a lot more with a lot less here already and we’re still on a transitional period. Will be interesting to see our what our next cost of living episode looks like 😊
Mark & Kathleen, thank you for this cost breakdown. It is very interesting to see where the expenses are. Electricity, I was very surprised about. Then again, the electricity in Toronto is subsidized by the Govt. I thought they did that in PV as well, guess not. What is the sales tax in PV, for going out? Is it similar to GST?
Thank you for watching and commenting as always 😊 We’re paying A LOT for electricity and don’t use a lot so that’s something we’re currently investigating. Tax here is 16% vs. The 13% in Ontario - I really like that all prices advertised include tax instead of having to try and calculate in your head when you consider buying something lol
I agree I thought that housing costs would less than what I’m spending as well. As well slow season seems to be dwindling housing is going fast if you find something you like at a decent cost. But for this lovely lifestyle can’t complain too much
Great video, with a lot of information. I can tell you it is a lot cheaper than what we spend. For example our 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment we spend $2200 a month.
I really appreciate this breakdown. The food costs seem pretty good. Did you mention before where you store your car? Curious if you have a parking spot or if it's just on the street. We're a family in Alberta - have been to PV but am enjoying your videos as we didn't see too much when there. We saw other places as well and did love Guanajuato and SMA and think they're actually great places to visit with kids. Enjoying your content!
Thanks a lot!!! We're parked on the street since our place doesn't have designated parking. Haven't had any issues and there are nicer cars than mine parked on the street which makes me feel better lol I also keep a nice amount of Dirt and dust her to stay incognito. The price is food is good I can tell you we used to spend that weekly on groceries living in Toronto. Not mention takeout being at minimum $50+ every time. Thank you for the recommendation i'll have a look at those places.
I like this video! Good info about CoL in PV!! If I may suggest, cut your intro from the beginning of your video, it’s so long it almost tells us to swipe away… keep up the good work former Torotonians, from future former Ottawanians lol
Thank you 😊 I know the intros aren’t for everyone but we’re trying to bring in visuals to give viewers a glimpse of where we live and why we love living here vs. Just only a boat load of information - which is also why we add chapters for viewers to skip ahead if they want. Hope that makes sense 😂
As always, excellent content! Gracias! Possible content idea?: recently read that having employment in MX, or becoming a student, can be helpful in earning residency? Would it be possible to lend some clarity to the key issue of residency? The list of talking points for the residency issue is very long, I think. However, one key question that seems to be a little vague would pertain to achieving temporary residency while in MX on a 180-day tourist permit. This would save some of us time, as well as extra effort. For example, I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and the closest Mexican consulates would either be Washington, D.C. (not really a fun trip), or a North Carolina city that is also maybe a 7-8 hour round trip. Then there is the issue of waiting for the appointment while in the U.S. and hoping all goes well (good luck with that one). So for a solo traveler coming to MX on the 180-day tourist permit, maybe I could achieve temporary residency via the student pathway, or the business route? Thinking this topic might make for good content. Grateful for your excellent channel Marc and Kathleen. I will be in Mazatlan by the end of this year. Hoping to keep in touch! Best, Terry
Thanks Terry :) We we're thinking of doing a Residency video but it would be more so sharing our experience and the steps we took. We are being careful with giving "advice" as things change so quickly and we don't want to be responsible for anyone making decisions solely based on what they see on our channel. What you're talking about is the Regularization Program which has been extended i believe in 2023. If you have a look at the link and scroll to the bottom theres more information about it. soniadiazmexico.com/other-visas/
We currently don’t have health Insurance. We’ve thankfully only had to visit the the Doc once. Made an appointment and paid out of pocket. It was around $50 and the experience was great!
I think it's possible to find 2 bedroom places for rent in Mexico for as little as $500 a month, but most likely it's not in Puerto Vallarta, If you do end up finding some thing that's less than $800 there please let me know. All that being said I think this probably will burst most people bubbles to learn they can't live well on $1500 a month there because even if by some chance you could knock 700 or 800 off your monthly expenses, you'd still be coming in over $2200.
Definitely doable in Mexico - there are so many towns here that offer cheap accommodation. It's possible in PV for $500 USD but you will not be centrally located and probably unfurnished as well.
How much of a discount are you getting on fruit and meat going to the local mercados compared to the grocery stores? Do you ever go to the carnicerias, or butcher shops there for meat?
We're planning on doing an episode comparing prices of groceries from the Market vs. Grocery store. We go to carnicerias all the time - typically to buy chicken
Thank you for the nice informative videos, we too want to emigrate from Belgium to Puerto Vallarta within 1.5 years. By the way, I saw your apartment where you are living now passing by on Facebook to rent out :)
All my research shows your numbers are very comparable...Being single would drop costs significantly I feel anywhere between $2000-$2500 per month is very achievable for one person...rent would be almost 50% of total costs
Been watching your videos lately I have been wondering how is the health care situation. Do you feel good about taking your kids to the doctors and stuff?
Hey Marc, thank you for the video and awesomene videos. I had a quick question and was hoping you could atleast give me some advice. I’m from Idaho and I’m currently thinking about buying a property in PV, Is their any advice you would have when it comes to home buying in PV?
Thank you 😊 We don’t have any advice or I formation unfortunately as we haven’t gone through the process yet (hopefully in the next few years we will buy). There are a ton of RUclips videos that could be informative but I haven’t looked much into it yet. I’ve added a link below from Sonia Díaz (our immigration lawyer) that could have valuable information regarding the process (we’re in no way affiliated with them). soniadiazmexico.com/category/real-estate/
Thank you so much for this valuable information on the finances in PV! Do you have any tips on insurance for Laptop/ Computer, those kind of expensive stuff, that you have to take with you? We would like to visit from the US for a few months. Greetings ✌️😊
Thanks Mark for this great information; I’m especially interested to know more about kids related costs, the education part you say they go 100% Spanish school, but would that eventually cause communication issues to you guys? because they will learn everything 100% Spanish and come back home to talk to you parents in Spanish do you understand all of their Spanish? Or have you researched, would you guys consider some international school with half English half Spanish education, would that international school be much more expensive? Thanks 🙏
Thank you 😊 Kathleen and I both speak intermediate Spanish and plan on being “advanced” hopefully within the next year. We would consider a private school with a split curriculum once they’re fully fluent in Spanish as right now that’s the priority. They will learn English/French regardless as we speak those languages at home and with our parents. International schools are more expensive than their current schooling but are significantly less expensive than private school in the USA/Canada
I found your channel with MOVING TO MEXICO. I lived in PV 34 years ago, and it is a huge difference now. Now I am in Denver Colorado for that long. I think what you guys are paying is pretty high. Then again, you are steps from the beach. Have you guys consider moving to areas like El Pitillal. I know it is a little far, but you do have a vehicle. It is an area that is growing and I know many friends have found great deals. Consider also making a good local friend who can speak for you during the negotiation. Many landlords charge a little extra if they know you are international. Best of luck during your search. Great content.
Thank you for watching. We love El Pitillal! Definitely a great place to rent and much more affordable. We will be moving soon so stay tuned for that 🙌🏼
wait did I hear you say there was one gym that was cheaper there, was that the one in the photo, or are you going to the cheapest that exists in the city?
We're going to the one closest to our apartment. I don't quite remember the amount we were paying in the video but our new gym is $410 pesos per month.
@@Morelifediaries I think you said $32 for the first one you were going to, I know you moved since that video though. hmm, lets see $410, that's about $26 right? That's not bad at all!
PV is very EXPENSIVE to live. I was just there and shocked to see the bills of friends who live there...food can be okay in certain places, but the prices of furniture, electronics, pharmacy products etc., are twice or triple that in Canada and not the same quality.
@@Morelifediaries quality of life is not the same for everyone there...depends on many factors. Living has gotten so expensive for the regular Mexican citizen since all the "expats".
great episode. thanks. noticed you know shauninparadise, he's a great guy. i met him cuz we have small casita in LDM and i found him on his first vlog. keep up the good work.
Guys PLEASE do not over pay for anything, yes you might be helping directly the landlord, store, etc. but by overpaying you are also helping raise the cost of living for people that live around you and are regulars who get paid in pesos and cannot in a lifetime afford an apartment for $10,000 mxn on a weekly income of $800-1000 mxn please and thank you!!!
@@Morelifediaries I wasn't directly referring to you about overpaying but it was more so that people who see your content know that what might be affordable for you as an American paid in dollars is not for locals and to encourage people to do their research and be mindful of locals when making their decisions needless to say since you changed your response there are many houses around the area that I'm sure are more affordable of course I'm sure you pay for the amenities you'd want so that you could live comfortably and probably make it feel more homey and relatable to what you would want in the US which is fine as long as you're not endorsing a life that is not true for most Mexicans, unfortunately because you're not native there are many things you wouldn't know or wouldn't experience I'll give you an example many of the houses, hotels and even apartments that have a front beach view will offer a private beach and go as far as removing locals from the beach this because they want to charge more for the privacy that many americans want this is something illegal according to the law the ocean/beach is not to be owned by anyone but they get away with it by paying corrupt officers this is why I say don't endorse it.
Definitely and thank you for sharing! This is what we always preach - do research, support locals, be respectful, learn Spanish and have realistic expectations. It’s unfortunate that a lot of people don’t and just throw money around (this is a problem not only in Mexico). It’s also unfortunate that people don’t have realistic expectations on cost of living in 2023 which is what we’re trying to be transparent about. Whether or not people think the prices of things are too expensive because they’ve once paid less (not that they would ever think the opposite lol) it is the realistic price of it in 2023. I’d say we live here modestly for foreigners and pay on the lower end of prices for rentals in our neighborhood. We wish it was less, way less, but it isn’t! What’s the solution to that?
@@Morelifediaries You bet! I wish more people were aware of their influence on the environment based on our decisions. If you are looking into lowering your costs I'd say it really depends on what your long term goal is, are you planning on staying where you are, keep renting, buying a house etc. definitely learn spanish that will help you the most so that you can communicate directly, moving to a part that's less touristy will help too because everything is priced for turists there just like if you go to Las Vegas, California, Colorado, etc. I'd look for rural/suburban areas and also get on Facebook groups for looking at rentals and housing or ask your neighbors, friends family members! Don't be embarrassed of asking or being wrong.
i got kidnapped 5 minutes after getting of the bus in pv, fuck that place and i only was passing through to go south. ive spent over 4 years living in mexico as an expat so that happens everywhere but i avoided this place because i had no interest, still no interest.
Well mexico always gonna be more affordable than USA and canada no matter what the question is if some day it will over pass the highest prices in USA cuz here in the USA is getting worse the cots of living is getting Spencer 🤣🤣
Heard the biggest, nicest area is all or mostly gay? I actually like most gay people but dont want to be overwhelmed every step. Also dont want big city folk and i am tired of massive , some ok, homeless. I hope to teach snorkeling and i think its there. Need a convient location for tourist . I teach here in hawaii but government getting very questionable . You might have heard about lahaina maui. EVERY person there is saying it was planned and lazer! Liquidfied glass car windows are not natural. I love waikiki so much but worried about usa :-( Hoping personal freedom honored there. Would love to hear your comments on my crazy specific concerns.
Glad the Hawaiian people are finally WAKING UP!!! A lot of coverup, lies and corruption! Puerto Vallarta is big and there are a lot of amazing neighborhoods. Zona Romantica is where you’re referring to which is one neighborhood in a big city. There is snorkeling here but not in the downtown core. A close bus ride away will take you to beautiful beaches with clear water (and yes the bus is VERY SAFE). Personal freedom is honoured here … for now. Who knows what the future holds.
It’s not cheap but it’s all relative to how much you make. If you make 10,000 dls a month it’s cheap. But if you make $3000 dls then you are on the red because after taxes you would come up short.
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Even for Mexican citizens, Puerto Vallarta is expensive, only some Mexicans can afford to live there, perhaps locals. What makes Puerto Vallarta expensive is the demand for visitors. Even if the places of residence are not top quality, they are still expensive. Let me make a comparison between living in the province within Mexico and what Mark mentioned in this video about the cost of living. In Leon, Guanajuato, for example, the cost of renting a decent mid-level house is $5,000 pesos per month. I pay $250 pesos from the city water, $150 for electricity, $500 for internet, $160 for bottled water, $200 pesos for gas for cooking only. For hot water most people use solar heaters which saves a lot of money, $900 for gasoline per month, because like Mark we don't use the car much. In total all together including food at the monthly cost is an average of $6000 pesos per month, not including rent. A luxury house in one of the best areas of the city, the rent can be up to $15,000 pesos per month. So you can live very cheap within the Mexican Republic away from the tourist areas.
Thanks for sharing. You can definitely live for a lot cheaper in different cities & towns. I’d say even within Puerto Vallarta in you move into a local neighborhoods you can pay less than half for rent than what it cost to stay downtown or close to the water which would significantly reduce your cost of living.
My husband and I ( B.C Residents) are loving your content and how you are living your lives in PV! How great that you shop at the tianguis! It is the BEST place to get your weekly produce. We are back in PV next month to take care of some visa business. Still figuring out how to finance our lives there! Love that you are making your dreams and plans happen. So encouraging. Glad we found your channel. We shall keep following along.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Hopefully you both can make your dreams come true shortly 😊 enjoy your time here 🤙🏼
@@Morelifediaries Thanks so much!
Thanks for your transparency. 👍. Giving us a budget.
Thank you for watching 😊
Hi Marc and Kathleen, thanks again for another great video, and sharing with us your living expenses. As I had mentioned before, we purchased a place, so one of the biggest expenses we will NOT have is mortgage. Along with our kids being grown, we won’t’ have the children expense. I have already worked up a budget (as I am an accountant - and my wife rolls her eyes when I talk about it), but it will be almost half of your spending, because of our simple life style, we are not big spenders. But that will vary depending on how often we will go out. So living on around $1,500 is doable. And electricity will be a big one as well, as we will want to use our air during the summer. We appreciate you taking the time and showing us you expenses. You all stay cool and we can’t wait until your next video. Thank you!
Thanks Mario 🙌🏼
No rent (or mortgage) and no kids will definitely put a lot of $$$ in your pocket. Food will be your biggest expense and if you’re cooking at home it’s super affordable.
Hola. Great Video and great info, my wife, and I watch all videos and really enjoy the content. We love PV only 192 days, lol
Thank you so much 😊
Thanks a lot for this video, tough at this point to me to move down to PV.
Thank you 🙏🏼
If you’re single or couple you could easily cut it in half if you live modestly. We’re currently looking to move to a more affordable place so our next cost of living episode we’re looking to cut some of that expense.
Ottawa resident here. Great channel. I look forward to your videos about a potential apartment search . There’ll be some valuable info. Thanks for sharing your experiences
Thank you 🙏🏼
Thanks for the content ! We are hoping to move to Mexico some time soon ish with our 2 young kids and we currently live in Toronto as well! We are visiting PV next month we have never been there and are curious to see how we like it. You’re content has been very helpful! I was surprised not to see any health related expense don’t you have to subscribe to a private health insurance to be covered if anything happens? You maybe you choose to not take hope and pay the bill when/if needed ?
Thank you so much 😊 that’s great that you guys are visiting. Make sure to visit some of the neighbourhoods around - so many great ones!
We currently don’t have any health insurance. Maybe we’ll get one but we haven’t yet! We’ve gone to the doctor once for a lingering cough of our youngest and laid around $60 cad - he was great!
I live in a resort coastal town in Mexico. I am a retired guy who lives a humble, simple life.
My monthly expenses in USD are as follows...
$375 - rent, including electricity, water, gas, internet.
$12 - cell phone
$87 - health care (IMSS)
$30 - all expenses to operate a moto scooter (transportation)
$330 - food
$ 6 - drinking water
$100 - entertainment
$60 - miscellaneous
$1,000 TOTAL
Thank you for sharing :)
great- now show the apartment you live in for that price, and the electric does not include running a/c bc you dont have it- of course NOT! it's hot and you know this!
What town do you live in?
Thanks Love your Video's !! Having a tough time finding a short term place with pool for feb 2025
Thank you so much! It's a busy time of year so I'm not surprised. Check neighbourhoods 5 De Diciembre and Versalles if you haven't already.
Love your guys videos. I look forward to watching every time you put something out. My wife and I are newly weds, and we just purchased a preconstruction condo in 5 de Diciembre. Our plan is to go start a family in PV in the next 2 years. We want to get out of the corporate rat race and focus on giving our future children our full attention. You guys are an inspiration to us! Keep it up ❤
Thank you for the beautiful comment and congrats to you both 🙏🏼
It’s a beautiful place to raise children around a culture that cares about children. Wouldn’t change it for the world.
Hola from your 5 de Diciembre neighbors! We just moved here 2 weeks ago for at least a year. Thanks for giving us a cost perspective! Hope to see you in the area😊
Thank you :) you will love it!!! Say hi if you do.
Thanks of the detailed breakdown. We'll be spending a couple of months in PV this winter and would like to rent small place (just two of us).
Thank you 😊 I would start looking for accommodations now.
You're really getting quality of life for your family and love the kids activities. At that price! Great job!! 😊
Absolutely :) people always think it's about saving a penny
Really loved the montage in the beginning. I miss PV!
Thank you :)
Thank you sooo much for answering my questions!!!! Mahalo!!
Any time!
Love love love the breakdown Some would say for that amount of money and the qualify of life you have it is cheap for 4 people
But affordable or not is totally personal to someone. Everyone’s budget is different
Great video 🎉
Thank you 😊 I can tell you we used to spend SIGNIFICANTLY more than this per month living in Toronto. We’ve also cut $1000+ USD from our living expenses since then so I think we’re about due for an update.
Yes update please :) I'll of course share it
with my customers @@Morelifediaries
Rent and Gym membership were higher than expected. I can understand rent, since you can choose where to live to lower cost, but not the gym. Thanks
Thanks for watching! It’s basically on the lowerish side of rent that close to the beach. The gym prices are not cheap here! There are no big corporations that offer very cheap memberships like they do in USA or Canada. That price is the discounted gym price here. You can find a little bit cheaper but usually the gym is not great!
Being a resident of North Jersey, I have to say $3000/mo sounds pretty sweet for expenses and 2 bedroom for family of 4. LOL. Hope to be in PV in the future.
Thanks for watch and absolutely - not to mention a minute from the beach in MEXICO lol
Our cost of living in Toronto was at least 2.5 x amount for a life we didn't want to live anymore.
Love the vids! As a father of 2 little girls considering relocating to Vallarta, I truly appreciate your breakdown. Quizás one day we’ll catch your fam on the malecón!
Muchas gracias :) Sin duda!!! Somos siempre allá :)
Thanks! I'll be asking more! Is there a convenient place to teach snorkeling. Tge bus ride sounds just a tad inconvenient unless its wayyyy better. The one close to hotels decent?? Ok water and lots of fish? Mahalo!!
Thank you so much.
We’re honestly not at all informed on snorkelling. It’s widely offered as an activity around town and diving is as well. I believe they typically take a boat and go out to snorkel from the city center otherwise. A popular snorkelling spot is called Los Arcos (rock formation on the water). I have no idea what the details are or what to expect.
Is that price for the electric every month or every 2 months ? $29 USD is great for internet! How many megs do you have? I have totalplay and they stink 😔
Electricity has been broken down to monthly (although we pay it every 2 months). If I’m not mistaken all of the Izzi packages are unlimited.
I think the key is to do as the locals do to keep costs down. If your housing is really nice back home and you want the same in PV you will pay for it, go for something more simple and you can save quite a bit. We’ve learnt to do more with so much less than we have back in Calgary and life here becomes less complicated and more enjoyable! Great video!
Thanks for sharing and absolutely. We’re doing a lot more with a lot less here already and we’re still on a transitional period. Will be interesting to see our what our next cost of living episode looks like 😊
Calgary is also much more affordable than Toronto. There’s a big influx of people moving there from Ontario.
Thanks for making such a great video!
Thank you 😊
Very informative. Thank you so much.
You are so welcome!
Mark & Kathleen, thank you for this cost breakdown. It is very interesting to see where the expenses are. Electricity, I was very surprised about. Then again, the electricity in Toronto is subsidized by the Govt. I thought they did that in PV as well, guess not. What is the sales tax in PV, for going out? Is it similar to GST?
Thank you for watching and commenting as always 😊
We’re paying A LOT for electricity and don’t use a lot so that’s something we’re currently investigating. Tax here is 16% vs. The 13% in Ontario - I really like that all prices advertised include tax instead of having to try and calculate in your head when you consider buying something lol
Thank you so much for doing this video. It was eye opening for sure.
I agree I thought that housing costs would less than what I’m spending as well. As well slow season seems to be dwindling housing is going fast if you find something you like at a decent cost. But for this lovely lifestyle can’t complain too much
We wouldn’t change a thing 🙌🏼 our expenses are less than half of Toronto and we will be moving soon dropping it even further.
Great video, with a lot of information. I can tell you it is a lot cheaper than what we spend. For example our 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment we spend $2200 a month.
Thank you :) And we've seen 1B for a lot more than that lol
I really appreciate this breakdown. The food costs seem pretty good. Did you mention before where you store your car? Curious if you have a parking spot or if it's just on the street. We're a family in Alberta - have been to PV but am enjoying your videos as we didn't see too much when there. We saw other places as well and did love Guanajuato and SMA and think they're actually great places to visit with kids. Enjoying your content!
Thanks a lot!!! We're parked on the street since our place doesn't have designated parking. Haven't had any issues and there are nicer cars than mine parked on the street which makes me feel better lol I also keep a nice amount of Dirt and dust her to stay incognito. The price is food is good I can tell you we used to spend that weekly on groceries living in Toronto. Not mention takeout being at minimum $50+ every time.
Thank you for the recommendation i'll have a look at those places.
I like this video! Good info about CoL in PV!! If I may suggest, cut your intro from the beginning of your video, it’s so long it almost tells us to swipe away… keep up the good work former Torotonians, from future former Ottawanians lol
Thank you 😊
I know the intros aren’t for everyone but we’re trying to bring in visuals to give viewers a glimpse of where we live and why we love living here vs. Just only a boat load of information - which is also why we add chapters for viewers to skip ahead if they want. Hope that makes sense 😂
As always, excellent content! Gracias! Possible content idea?: recently read that having employment in MX, or becoming a student, can be helpful in earning residency? Would it be possible to lend some clarity to the key issue of residency? The list of talking points for the residency issue is very long, I think. However, one key question that seems to be a little vague would pertain to achieving temporary residency while in MX on a 180-day tourist permit. This would save some of us time, as well as extra effort. For example, I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and the closest Mexican consulates would either be Washington, D.C. (not really a fun trip), or a North Carolina city that is also maybe a 7-8 hour round trip. Then there is the issue of waiting for the appointment while in the U.S. and hoping all goes well (good luck with that one). So for a solo traveler coming to MX on the 180-day tourist permit, maybe I could achieve temporary residency via the student pathway, or the business route? Thinking this topic might make for good content. Grateful for your excellent channel Marc and Kathleen. I will be in Mazatlan by the end of this year. Hoping to keep in touch! Best, Terry
Thanks Terry :)
We we're thinking of doing a Residency video but it would be more so sharing our experience and the steps we took. We are being careful with giving "advice" as things change so quickly and we don't want to be responsible for anyone making decisions solely based on what they see on our channel.
What you're talking about is the Regularization Program which has been extended i believe in 2023. If you have a look at the link and scroll to the bottom theres more information about it.
soniadiazmexico.com/other-visas/
@@Morelifediaries Thank you!
How much do you guys pay for health insurance 😬? How do you do when kids need to go to the doctor or such?
Great channel btw ❤
We currently don’t have health Insurance. We’ve thankfully only had to visit the the Doc once. Made an appointment and paid out of pocket. It was around $50 and the experience was great!
I think it's possible to find 2 bedroom places for rent in Mexico for as little as $500 a month, but most likely it's not in Puerto Vallarta, If you do end up finding some thing that's less than $800 there please let me know.
All that being said I think this probably will burst most people bubbles to learn they can't live well on $1500 a month there because even if by some chance you could knock 700 or 800 off your monthly expenses, you'd still be coming in over $2200.
Definitely doable in Mexico - there are so many towns here that offer cheap accommodation. It's possible in PV for $500 USD but you will not be centrally located and probably unfurnished as well.
How much of a discount are you getting on fruit and meat going to the local mercados compared to the grocery stores? Do you ever go to the carnicerias, or butcher shops there for meat?
We're planning on doing an episode comparing prices of groceries from the Market vs. Grocery store. We go to carnicerias all the time - typically to buy chicken
@@Morelifediaries Great! look forward to it!
Thank you for the nice informative videos, we too want to emigrate from Belgium to Puerto Vallarta within 1.5 years. By the way, I saw your apartment where you are living now passing by on Facebook to rent out :)
Thank you and best of luck with the move :)
Yes we're moving out - our next cost of living episode will be much different lol
All my research shows your numbers are very comparable...Being single would drop costs significantly I feel anywhere between $2000-$2500 per month is very achievable for one person...rent would be almost 50% of total costs
Thank you 😊
Single or couple could easily cut it in half if they live modestly.
Très intéressant ! Merci pour ce beau vidéo ! Love you ! xoxo
Merci
Been watching your videos lately I have been wondering how is the health care situation. Do you feel good about taking your kids to the doctors and stuff?
Thank you 😊 we’ve only taken our youngest once because he had a lingering cough! Doctor was great and in depth.
Hey Marc, thank you for the video and awesomene videos. I had a quick question and was hoping you could atleast give me some advice. I’m from Idaho and I’m currently thinking about buying a property in PV, Is their any advice you would have when it comes to home buying in PV?
Thank you 😊 We don’t have any advice or I formation unfortunately as we haven’t gone through the process yet (hopefully in the next few years we will buy).
There are a ton of RUclips videos that could be informative but I haven’t looked much into it yet. I’ve added a link below from Sonia Díaz (our immigration lawyer) that could have valuable information regarding the process (we’re in no way affiliated with them).
soniadiazmexico.com/category/real-estate/
Thank you so much for this valuable information on the finances in PV! Do you have any tips on insurance for Laptop/ Computer, those kind of expensive stuff, that you have to take with you? We would like to visit from the US for a few months. Greetings ✌️😊
Thanks for watching :)
No unfortunately we have never looked into that.
That’s not bad for a family of four considering your in Puerto Vallarta.
Not bad at all! Our Toronto
Expenses were insane in comparison.
Do you have 3 or 4 kids? Thinking 2 adults will spend 1/4 in all that food, and zero ( kids) but alot of laptop and some phone internet so maybe 2k ?
2 kids. Depends where you eat and buy your food. Phone data is maybe like $10usd per month - it’s very cheap
Thanks Mark for this great information; I’m especially interested to know more about kids related costs, the education part you say they go 100% Spanish school, but would that eventually cause communication issues to you guys? because they will learn everything 100% Spanish and come back home to talk to you parents in Spanish do you understand all of their Spanish? Or have you researched, would you guys consider some international school with half English half Spanish education, would that international school be much more expensive? Thanks 🙏
Thank you 😊
Kathleen and I both speak intermediate Spanish and plan on being “advanced” hopefully within the next year. We would consider a private school with a split curriculum once they’re fully fluent in Spanish as right now that’s the priority. They will learn English/French regardless as we speak those languages at home and with our parents.
International schools are more expensive than their current schooling but are significantly less expensive than private school in the USA/Canada
Move to fabulous Queretaro and you can reduce that rent to $700-776/mo for a 3 bedrm jouse
Thx for the nice video!
Thanks you 😊 I’ve heard good things a out Querétaro
I found your channel with MOVING TO MEXICO. I lived in PV 34 years ago, and it is a huge difference now. Now I am in Denver Colorado for that long. I think what you guys are paying is pretty high. Then again, you are steps from the beach. Have you guys consider moving to areas like El Pitillal. I know it is a little far, but you do have a vehicle. It is an area that is growing and I know many friends have found great deals. Consider also making a good local friend who can speak for you during the negotiation. Many landlords charge a little extra if they know you are international. Best of luck during your search. Great content.
Thank you for watching. We love El Pitillal! Definitely a great place to rent and much more affordable. We will be moving soon so stay tuned for that 🙌🏼
wait did I hear you say there was one gym that was cheaper there, was that the one in the photo, or are you going to the cheapest that exists in the city?
We're going to the one closest to our apartment. I don't quite remember the amount we were paying in the video but our new gym is $410 pesos per month.
@@Morelifediaries I think you said $32 for the first one you were going to, I know you moved since that video though.
hmm, lets see $410, that's about $26 right?
That's not bad at all!
Yes about $25 usd
excelente
🙌🏼🤙🏼
Do you have a reliable facilitator? IM COIMING FROM COLORADO. THANKS
Please email us morelifediaries@gmail.com 😊
PV is very EXPENSIVE to live. I was just there and shocked to see the bills of friends who live there...food can be okay in certain places, but the prices of furniture, electronics, pharmacy products etc., are twice or triple that in Canada and not the same quality.
Our cost of living is less and our quality of life is more.
@@Morelifediaries quality of life is not the same for everyone there...depends on many factors. Living has gotten so expensive for the regular Mexican citizen since all the "expats".
great episode. thanks. noticed you know shauninparadise, he's a great guy. i met him cuz we have small casita in LDM and i found him on his first vlog. keep up the good work.
Thank you 😊 we know each other from RUclips but will meet up one of these days. Looking forward to checking out LDM soon too 🤙🏼
Guys PLEASE do not over pay for anything, yes you might be helping directly the landlord, store, etc. but by overpaying you are also helping raise the cost of living for people that live around you and are regulars who get paid in pesos and cannot in a lifetime afford an apartment for $10,000 mxn on a weekly income of $800-1000 mxn please and thank you!!!
I’m not sure if you live in Puerto Vallarta but would love for you to share where I can find rentals for under $10k.
@@Morelifediaries I wasn't directly referring to you about overpaying but it was more so that people who see your content know that what might be affordable for you as an American paid in dollars is not for locals and to encourage people to do their research and be mindful of locals when making their decisions needless to say since you changed your response there are many houses around the area that I'm sure are more affordable of course I'm sure you pay for the amenities you'd want so that you could live comfortably and probably make it feel more homey and relatable to what you would want in the US which is fine as long as you're not endorsing a life that is not true for most Mexicans, unfortunately because you're not native there are many things you wouldn't know or wouldn't experience I'll give you an example many of the houses, hotels and even apartments that have a front beach view will offer a private beach and go as far as removing locals from the beach this because they want to charge more for the privacy that many americans want this is something illegal according to the law the ocean/beach is not to be owned by anyone but they get away with it by paying corrupt officers this is why I say don't endorse it.
Just be mindful and do your research is all I'm saying the locals will appreciate it.
Definitely and thank you for sharing!
This is what we always preach - do research, support locals, be respectful, learn Spanish and have realistic expectations. It’s unfortunate that a lot of people don’t and just throw money around (this is a problem not only in Mexico). It’s also unfortunate that people don’t have realistic expectations on cost of living in 2023 which is what we’re trying to be transparent about. Whether or not people think the prices of things are too expensive because they’ve once paid less (not that they would ever think the opposite lol) it is the realistic price of it in 2023. I’d say we live here modestly for foreigners and pay on the lower end of prices for rentals in our neighborhood. We wish it was less, way less, but it isn’t! What’s the solution to that?
@@Morelifediaries You bet! I wish more people were aware of their influence on the environment based on our decisions. If you are looking into lowering your costs I'd say it really depends on what your long term goal is, are you planning on staying where you are, keep renting, buying a house etc. definitely learn spanish that will help you the most so that you can communicate directly, moving to a part that's less touristy will help too because everything is priced for turists there just like if you go to Las Vegas, California, Colorado, etc. I'd look for rural/suburban areas and also get on Facebook groups for looking at rentals and housing or ask your neighbors, friends family members! Don't be embarrassed of asking or being wrong.
How do you make an income living in Mexico?
Freelance as Virtual Assistants & Social Media Managers
Oh, and cut $80/mo feom those itility cosys
Santiago de Quereyaro
😳
Viva Mexico 🇲🇽
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
i got kidnapped 5 minutes after getting of the bus in pv, fuck that place and i only was passing through to go south. ive spent over 4 years living in mexico as an expat so that happens everywhere but i avoided this place because i had no interest, still no interest.
Sorry that happened to you.
@@Morelifediaries its happened many times, i will mention it all from the state of course.
Holy crap! What did they do!!! Praise God your alive!!!!
Well mexico always gonna be more affordable than USA and canada no matter what the question is if some day it will over pass the highest prices in USA cuz here in the USA is getting worse the cots of living is getting Spencer 🤣🤣
Toronto is ridiculous right now so yeah it’s definitely more affordable lol
How about alcohol 🍸 😀
Lol we honestly don’t really drink so we didn’t add it. Maybe a few cervezas per month 🤷🏻♂️
@@Morelifediaries ha. Fair enough! Awesome video! Subscribed!!!
Heard the biggest, nicest area is all or mostly gay? I actually like most gay people but dont want to be overwhelmed every step. Also dont want big city folk and i am tired of massive , some ok, homeless. I hope to teach snorkeling and i think its there. Need a convient location for tourist . I teach here in hawaii but government getting very questionable . You might have heard about lahaina maui. EVERY person there is saying it was planned and lazer! Liquidfied glass car windows are not natural. I love waikiki so much but worried about usa :-(
Hoping personal freedom honored there. Would love to hear your comments on my crazy specific concerns.
Glad the Hawaiian people are finally WAKING UP!!! A lot of coverup, lies and corruption!
Puerto Vallarta is big and there are a lot of amazing neighborhoods. Zona Romantica is where you’re referring to which is one neighborhood in a big city.
There is snorkeling here but not in the downtown core. A close bus ride away will take you to beautiful beaches with clear water (and yes the bus is VERY SAFE).
Personal freedom is honoured here … for now. Who knows what the future holds.
It's gotten very expensive
😳
It’s not cheap but it’s all relative to how much you make. If you make 10,000 dls a month it’s cheap. But if you make $3000 dls then you are on the red because after taxes you would come up short.
Absolutely!!!