COST of LIVING

Discussion in 'Living in Cancun' started by smoke007, Aug 27, 2013.

  1. smoke007

    smoke007 Enthusiast Registered Member

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    Ok I hear that is cheap to live in cancun but I look at some of ads at walmart and wow that doesnt look cheap at all.Am I mistaken or is that not the place to shop ,confused I hear people on these forums say rent is cheap utilities are cheap and foods cheap .whats the real truth , anyone?
     
  2. Steve

    Steve Administrator Owner

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    The real truth is that its different things to different folks. It all depends what standard of living you need to be comfortable.

    Personally I find it expensive, and I know for a fact we would spend less money living in the UK which most others would consider an expensive country.

    A huge percentage of folks here live on less than 5000 pesos a month and you'll rarely hear complaints from them so there's no doubt that you can live cheap if you want to or have to. But most of us expats need a little more than a basic standard of living though so costs scale up proportionately.
     
  3. matkirk

    matkirk Guru Registered Member

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    Housing is cheaper here, although generally of a much lower standard.

    Everything else (food, electronics, Internet, phone, clothes etc) not cheap at all.
     
  4. Steve

    Steve Administrator Owner

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    Housing is cheaper here than the UK, but the cost of borrowing money to buy one is a lot more.
     
  5. V

    V I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    For most people, to live on a U.S. standard will cost more here. Cancun is more expensive, according to official statistics, than Mexico City.

    Can you live cheaply here, of course, but you will live like a Mexican lives if you do. Nothing wrong with that, if you've decided that what you need is a more austere lifestyle.
     
  6. rawkus

    rawkus I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    Compared to Stockholm, EVERYTHING here is waaaaaaaaay cheaper, with one exception: Pizza ;)

    I pay 3000 pesos for a big 2-bedroom flat, newly remodeled, safe building and with a big patio(perfect for the dogs). 3000 pesos is approx 1500 Swedish crowns, which in Stockholm will get you... nothing. Rents that low do not exist. (Smallest I ever rented back home was 12 square meters and it cost me around 4500 Swedish which by todays exchange rate is around 9000 pesos..)

    Food is waaaay cheaper here. Fruits and veggies are fresh and in many cases locally grown, which is not the case back home, especially frozen bananas shipped from South America to Sweden during winter...

    TV´s, computers etc. are cheaper here but in some cases you can find certain stuff at almost the same price.

    Here I spend 150 pesos on electricity per 2 months. Just to HAVE the contract for the service costs more back home.

    Transport? 8.50 pesos for the Hotel Zone ride = fares that low dont exist back home. In 4 trips with the subway you will spend around 200 pesos...

    I would make way more cash back home, but with the costs, Id have very little enjoyment of that salary - here I end up with more after bills etc. are paid. And here I work from 6am to noon ;)

    Cars, gas, motorbikes etc. are all way more expensive back home.

    Basically, everything except pizza :D
     
  7. smoke007

    smoke007 Enthusiast Registered Member

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    wow that's pretty good, you got me sold,can't wait to get there and enjoy the views.
     
  8. V

    V I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    Read between the lines, smoke. Rawkus is being honest. Is it representative, no. If you´ve been to Cancun, ask yourself how you´d like to live without air conditioning.
     
  9. Steve

    Steve Administrator Owner

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    As mentioned before, it's all about what you're comfortable with.

    Rawkus spends 150 Pesos every 2 months on electric, ours is around 4,500 and we only use air con at night, so his monthly cost is the same as our daily. Rawkus's rent is 3,000 a month, that would cover less than 4 days at our place.
     
  10. rawkus

    rawkus I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    V: I call it strategy: I looked for a flat on the bottom or first floor, which ensures that the neighbors above take the direct sun. In the back patio there is a wall and then another house that takes the morning sun. My place stays fresh, 24/7.

    Dont even need to use A/C when having people over for beer ;)

    Sometimes I use the A/C in the bedroom, but I limit it to 1 hour per evening, shutting it off when going to bed. The room stays chilled until the afternoon the day after. No joke.

    So yes, living without A/C is fully doable and can be very comfortable. I have air running through the entire flat, from the shaded backyard and out the front. Mosquito nets = no bugs and a 24/7 draft :)

    My tip is to visit the flat/house you intend to rent/buy during morning, mid day and evening, to see and feel the difference.

    EDIT: My rent is NOT representative of the area nor building. I got a cheaper rent-deal as I helped fix the entire flat when the current owner bought it. The same sized flats above me in the same building rent for 6200-6500 pesos per month. Took me 3 weeks to fix his flat - and the result is less than half the rent ;)
     
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