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Living at lakeside on $2,300/mo. for a singe person


joanne

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This gets me a residente temporal with about $200/mo. to spare, but is this income liveable with a decent

quality of life? I'll define that- decent food, adequate (not more) housing, health insurance, keeping a vehicle on the road, etc? I'm a pretty utilitarian sort of a person, eg. don't dine out that often, mostly cooking at home or eating take out food, virtually all imbibing done at home vs. in bars.

Based on all this, is a comfortable lifestyle within my reach on $2,300/mo?

That's supposed to be 'single' person, BTW.

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Oh, heavens, you can live like a king if you find Mexican alternatives to items you have used in the States. From food products to personal care items. You can buy Campbell's soup for $3-5US a can or you can buy Campbell's made in Mexico for far less. Same with mayo, deodorant, bath soap, etc. Rent can be from $400US to $1500+US per month, depending on what you want and how far away from Ajijic you are. Gasoline is not cheap here but because the distance between places you are likely to drive are short, you may only need gas once a month or less. First run movie tickets are $2-4US. This is just a small example of adjustments that can be made that will really bring down your cost of living.

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EASILY!!! I am single. I rent a house in West Ajijic, drive a car everywhere, go out to eat at least 5 days a week, go to the movies, the theater and the opera in Guad and I hire someone to work for me 16 hours a week. I do not have health insurance here. All this runs me less than $1,600 a month....Including telephone, telecable, electric and gas for the house and the car.

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EASILY!!! I am single. I rent a house in West Ajijic, drive a car everywhere, go out to eat at least 5 days a week, go to the movies, the theater and the opera in Guad and I hire someone to work for me 16 hours a week. I do not have health insurance here. All this runs me less than $1,600 a month....Including telephone, telecable, electric and gas for the house and the car.

Great to hear. Do you use Seguro Popular or IMSS for healthcare? And if I'm not being too nosy, what amount

of that figure goes for rent (assuming you don't own your own home, that is)?

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Health insurance: Depends largely on your age and pre-existing conditions, if any. You might want to google one of the agencies like Met Life for figures. IMSS and Seguro popular are the public entities. IMSS runs from around $300 US to $600 U.S. yearly with a waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Both of those are no-frills care. Some people choose to carry IMSS or Seguro Popular as a backup for serious illnesses but pay out of pocket for doctor visits. A general practitioner visit will run under $30 U.S.; specialists $60 to $80 normally.

Otherwise, you can live very comfortably on that income, as others have pointed out already.

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In San Miguel, they have just announced a transitional living place for single, active, women over the age of 60...For $1400-$1900 month, you would get included a large furnished suite with access to rooftop terraces and gardens, all utilities, common area with huge tv, maid and laundry 3x week, breakfast AND comida, 24 hr. security, shuttle services to shopping, ...this starting at $1400 a month. Other than health care, can't think of another thing you would need to "purchase".

If this is the type of living you would be amendable to, you could indeed live like a queen on $2,300 month!!

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Is your meaning of Transitional living...

."""Transitional living refers to any type of living situation that is transitional. The primary purpose or mission of transitional living environments is to help the resident become a productive member of society. Transitional living facilities often offer low cost housing. Transitional living residents that cater to those recovering from economic hardship often graduate from a shelter to lesser crowded living situation. Transitional Living may or may not have other common threads among residents. Transitional living provides professional support, education, and a stable living environment. Common types of transitional living include transitioning from jail or prison, an addiction treatment center or a mental health facility. Transitional living is provided by many well known private and non profit organizations, by government, churches and other charitable organizations"""""".

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I believe this is privately run..- since announcing this today, they have been overwhelmed with response...maybe a place such as this at Lakeside would do well!

"Beginning April 15, 2015 we will be introducing our first Transitional Living Center in San Miguel. Briefly, this is a shared housing concept for single women over 60 with an active lifestyle who prefer a safer, no maintenance, all inclusive option for housing. Our first property, a large 6 suite home with gardens and magnificent views. Suite rates begin at $1400 per month and top out at $1900 a month for the Penthouse suite with private terrace, luxury bath, sitting room and views. Minimum two year commitment. Some rooms are suitable for two, extra person in a room is an additional $450 monthly

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In San Miguel, they have just announced a transitional living place for single, active, women over the age of 60...For $1400-$1900 month, you would get included a large furnished suite with access to rooftop terraces and gardens, all utilities, common area with huge tv, maid and laundry 3x week, breakfast AND comida, 24 hr. security, shuttle services to shopping, ...this starting at $1400 a month. Other than health care, can't think of another thing you would need to "purchase".

If this is the type of living you would be amendable to, you could indeed live like a queen on $2,300 month!!

For those to whom this is appealing, it's still pricey since it doesn't include health care or dinner, and the trouble with the huge TV is that everyone watching would need to agree on the station. One group may want to watch "Honey Boo Boo" and the other "Downton Abbey". It sounds a little too much like "assisted living", but may be just the thing for some.

At Lakeside, there is the "Abbeyfield" apartments at what sounds like a much more reasonable way to go for shared accommodations re dining, etc.

Since our O/P hasn't stated gender, if Joey is a "he", they might not welcome him to a ladies' residence, but......on the other hand...........lol. :unsure:

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depends upon your medical needs like medications, & dental. as for health insurance, i dont reccommend IMSS unless you break a bone, an emergency. there are car repairs i assume (i dont drive, know zero about autos). you may have to pay for new locks for the house/apt. (i know i would). if you go to restaurants often you will spend alot of $. as for food prices, i dont think it is too different than the US, @ least for the items i buy. i cook@ home 95% of the time. as for hair/body products there's a range, depending upon where you shop. you can spend $14-30 usd for sunblock or get the same generic for $6-8 usd. a haircut can be $28 usd or $8. then there are activities like a gym or swimming which vary as much as anything else.

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It would be the rare person who COULD NOT live down here on $2300 US a month. Some people might not want to, but that does not mean they could not. Whole families of Mexicans live on far less than that amount of money.

That being said, everyone is different and needs different things in order to be content. You might strain that budget if you need to live in an upscale house, are a compulsive shopper, travel a lot, use/eat mostly imported American products, host a lot of parties, drink expensive alcohol regularly, spend a great deal of time and money on doctors and medications and dine regularly at only the high end restaurants.

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if i had my meals out i would spend @least 300% more than i do now on food. one large grilled piece salmon ($2.70 -3 usd) plus potato (35 cents) plus vegs (50 cents). thats about $4 to $5 usd for a quality meal. same meal (entree) in restaurant plus tip: $16 usd. (or more). i have expensive tastes (rib eye, filet mignon), it's necessary to do it on the cheap. as for imported products most are not necessary. mex brown rice, beans, mexican yogart is very cheap. quart of ricemilk can be cheap if its kirkland ($2 usd). those asian things @ superlake are useless. i once saw noodles (from hongkong) for about $5-$6 usd. some stuff was 35 cents in chinatown. expats spend a fortune on so called "artisanal" organic ("made it home" by other expats). their choice, but i dont get it. dont forget computer repairs & other things that happen. if you rent you are responsible to pay for leaks & repairs.

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"if you rent you are responsible to pay for leaks & repairs."

I rent and my landlord takes care of all maintenance and repairs. That is true for several people I know. Also, most people I know pay only for small things, anything over 500 pesos the landlord takes care of. The only people I know who are responsible for all upkeep and repair are paying very low rents.

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I am so fortunate to live in a beautiful casita, 2 bd/2 ba in LaFloresta. Quiet, safe, all is paradise at 6500 pesos. But, one cannot have it all I guess. I pay for any and all repairs. MX landlord does not seem to care if anything is done for upkeep or betterment of the property. Example, had to threaten to take it off the rent to get 1/2 price paid on a new water heater, which was a dangerous situation so had to be insisted upon! In two yrs, nothing else done unless I do it myself. So it goes.....

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sometimes the lease says you have 6 weeks to report problems & yes they will pay up untill then. i only paid for one tiny repair (70 peso). but if i ruin the washing machine i need to buy another. landlord did my entire roof as he does every few years. fixed moisture damage from a flood. paid for a maid to come in after the flood to clean up. they pay my phone, electricbills, handle gas fill. installed additional security. all included in rent. some mexican landlords will pay for nothing, i have seen/heard of nightmares in floresta. floods from holes in roof etc. even if the lease says they will pay, they never do. you are stuck w/ all the aggravation & high bills. becareful who you rent from.

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For me, finding the right landlord is more important than finding the right house.

The practice of the landlord paying nothing for upkeep and repair seems to be more common with Mexican landlords--not always but often. That makes sense when the rent is 2,000 or 3,000 pesos a month--not so much when it is triple that. The lesson in this for the OP is for you to look around, talk to a lot of people and find the best deal for yourself. Nice houses, reasonable rents and responsible landlords are out there. You just have to find them.

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