During the first ten days or so of the month we start receiving our utility bills. They don’t come through the mail – they are just dropped through our front gate – usually delivered by someone walking along with a huge stack of bills.
We thought it might be interesting to reveal what a few things cost here in Mazatlán. All amounts are in pesos – about 10 pesos to the dollar.
Water & Sewer – less than 45 pesos per month. We allow Cuauhtémoc to use our water so our bill may be a bit higher than most. We have a dishwasher and laundry equipment.
Cable – We have cable with HBO and the rest for 475 pesos per month.
Phone & Internet – Between 475 and 500 pesos per month.
Electricity – Our electricity use is lower than it had been up North. During the non-air conditioned periods it has been running around 250 pesos per month. The hottest month we have bills for was less than 2,000 pesos. There is a government subsidy on electricity here from May through November.
Propane – We use propane for cooking, heating our hot water, and our clothes drying. We spend about 1,000 pesos every two months having our tank filled.
Food – I don’t keep track of our grocery store and mercado expenses very well, but I think we spend about the same as we did up North. It really depends how much we eat at home and how often we go to Sam’s Club! I think we spend about 3,000 pesos per month. This is everything at the grocery store and mercado, including cleaning supplies, alcohol, dog food, and my gomita habit! (Gomitas will probably be another blog post someday…)
Mazatlán is not the least expensive place to live in México, but we are very happy with our decision to move here. We are happy and healthy and loving every minute, and yes, that even includes the rain!
If you’d like to read more about the cost of living in Mazatlán, check out our friend Jennifer’s post on the topic here.
Steve Cotton
June 11, 2008The cost of canned and prepared foods surprised me when I was in Mexico. Most were as expensive, if not more so, than up north. But all of the fresh items were far less expensive. That appears to be the trick. Eat what is local and in season. It will mean breaking years of habit for me. And I will miss the Oregon cherries in July.
Beth
June 11, 2008Oh, but Steve!!!!! Just think of the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies!! SO much better than canned! And better for you! Have you checked out the sodium content of canned stuff?
Great post, Nancy!!! Very informative!
Cynthia Jones
June 11, 2008Hi Nancy!
Just wanted to tell you that I’m very surprise in how BIG your plants/garden are/is!!! I so love gardens in Mexico cause thay’re always beautiful! I can’t wait until I move there to be able to have my own one! And I love the rain too, it’s so different than in Canada!
mexpat
June 17, 2008Wow- your utilities are a lot cheaper than they are in our neck o’ el pais. I’d be afraid to post our utility prices as I’m sure I’d have ten bloggers tell me they pay less, but it’s still slightly cheaper than living NJ to live in Playa del Carmen. I think if you’re coming from somewhere that’s already cheap, say South Carolina, you’re gonna pay more here.