Comments by "MarcosElMalo2" (@MarcosElMalo2) on "Merida Mexico House Tour -$450" video.
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I’m paying 3700 pesos/month is San Miguel de Allende. At current exchange that’s $177 U.S. What am I getting for this? 2 bedrooms, a sala, a decent sized bathroom, medium sized kitchen. There’s a small room off the sala that’s being used as a home office. The azotea (roof terrace) runs the length of flat, and there is a covered lavandería (laundry area).
I’m a 15 minute walk from the centro histórico, in a neighborhood beginning to gentrify. I locked in the rent 8 1/2 years ago—the landlord has raised it 100 pesos each year after the the first year, which is quite reasonable. He pays for water, I pay for my own electricity and gas. When I moved here, the neighborhood was a bit rough, but I’ve lived in worse neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Ángeles. But as I said, it’s gentrifying. More rich people, both Mexicans and Gabachos are moving in.
The wall of one bedroom faces a busy street, so noise is sometimes a problem. Across the street is a preparatoria, kitty corner is a public high school, a few doors up the street is a kindergarten, and two blocks down is a primary school and the neighborhood’s “commercial district”, i.e., the small grocery stores, produce stores, butchers, etc.
My current monthly budget is around $900. I think I could get it down to $400-500 if I was really pressed and went minimalist. But I like my little luxuries, I like ordering things on Amazon, and I like helping friends in need (I’m currently paying for a neighborhood kid’s tuition at a private prep school).
I lived in SF in the early 90s, near Lower Haight. Three bedroom, three roommates splitting $865/month rent. Dangerous neighborhood. I moved away in 93, visited in 95 and happened to see the current tenant leaving my old flat. So I asked him what he was paying: $2000/month. I can’t imagine how high the rent is now, 25 years later. Incidentally, I did previously rent what was basically a closet with an even smaller closet in the Castro. That was $300! Mind you, it was a beautiful closet in a beautifully restored Victorian. I bet it’s going for $1500 these days.
Of course, you can spend a lot more in SMA, if you want a nicer and safer neighborhood closer to the historic center of town or in one of the wealthy neighborhoods. You can maintain a middle class gringo lifestyle if you’re willing to pay for it (and it will still be cheaper than the U.S.). There are plenty of Americans and Canadians here and they have their own social community. I know of people that don’t bother to learn Spanish! Personally, I’ve given all that up. Over the course of these 8 years I’ve firmly established myself in my community. If the shit hits the fan, they’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs.
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