Topic Title: Puerto Vallarta - cost of living

Author dmexx

Date Posted: 8/22/2010 2:21 PM

I have been waiting for someone who lives in Pto Vallarta to answer your questions. No one has come forward, so I’ll try and help. I don’t live there, but have been living off and on in Jalisco for more than a decade.

First of all, if you have the cash to buy a house of three or four bedrooms in place like PV you are very well off.

The living expenses you ask about will pale by comparison to the house or what costs are in the States. Property taxes are minimal; probably less than several hundred dollars a year for the expensive house you are talking about. Due to the need for air conditioning, your electric bill could high, say as much as $150 dls a month. Propane, your telephone/internet connection and television satellite will all be around $50 each a month. If your house is part of a condo, you will have association fees to pay, but these vary all over the map depending on where you buy and what’s included in the fees. More that $200 dls a month is expensive in my book. Groceries will be about 30-40 percent less if you buy Mexican. Medical expenses are a fraction of what they are in the States. Where I in live, a visit to the doctor is $16 dls, a specialist more like $40 dls. Many foreigners in Mexico don’t insure their homes, but if you want to it will be affordable. It just might not be very good. As for health insurance, I have gotten by with government insurance to cover disasters, or IMSS, which is about $300 per year.

So, there you have it. Expenses should not be a worry.

You can get more information on prices in PV at http://www.vallarta-info.com/puerto-vallarta-prices.html

Good luck,

Dmexx