retiredslashescaped1
 |
This seems like an easy question, but is not.
If you are not a Mexican citizen, nor married to one, to become a legal resident (as opposed to illegal) you must show an income of at least $12,000 a year, and at the Chicago consulate, at least $17,000 a year.
Or, you can go in on a tourist permit with no income requirements, and then you must go back to the border after 180 days to get a new one. You might be told to wait a few days to apply for a new one, though.
If you are only a tourist, you cannot work or own real property or open a Mexican bank account.
The biggie is rent. I -- as a tourist -- spend most of my time in a small mountain village in Mexico. I get a new FMT when I need it.
My wife has a nice house here. Rent runs, for a tiny and not too nice a hole in the wall, around $100 or $150 a month, in US dollars.
If you eat local diet, food can run five or ten dollars a day or less. If you want smoked salmon, you can spend $30 dollars a day.
One time on a message board, a loser called us liars when we told him what it cost us for food. He took his weekly grocery list that he used in the States, with TV dinners and smoked salmon and steaks, and found it cost much more than in the States. Of course, since all that stuff has to be imported. Those who adapt eat what the locals eat, lots of veggies and fruits, with an occasional piece of meat added.
If you want Internet and telephone, costs start rising. If you want a car, they soar.
Without a car or Internet, but allowing trips and phone calls home, you could do it well under $600 a month, but you might not be happy.
Frankly, most expats last less than two years, and they are gone. No one who comes to save money lasts that two years. The culture is too different, and too hard to adapt for older people.
The only reason to live in Mexico that stands any chance of permanency is because you know and like the people as friends and individuals. Even then, most return to the States. The only reason I am here is because we are among my wife's family in a town where she was born and raised, and over the last 23 years of visiting, they have accepted me, and I have made friends here, strong friends, including a few intellectuals. If you came here, you probably wouldn't last long. |
Draco
|
Small Town:
Rent:
A. Apartment (2 bedroom, 1 bathroom appartment, in a middleclass neighborhood) $250 - 300
B. Small house (3 bedroom, mall yard, in middle class area) $350 - 450
Utilities: $100 - 150 (Water, Gas, Cable TV)
Food:
A. Eating 3 meals at home $100 - 200
B. Eating a meal at McDonald's $4 - 6
C. Restaurant meal $10 - 15
Transportation:
A. Cab $5 -10
B. Bus .30cents - $1
C. Small car $3500 |
Travel
Forum 
Mexico 
No Spam
Adult 
Gambling
Unfinished
Deception
Plagiarism
Not English
