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people who have purchased a home in Mazatlán, yanked up their roots in the
states, or Canada, and headed south with all their worldly belongings--only to
become disillusioned and move back to their home country.
Even though I didn't do it, my advice is to rent a home for three-six months
and give Mazatlán a trial period (see Chapter 13 for rental management com-
panies). If you plan to live there year-round, take six months and overlap the
summer period. Mazatlán weather is fantastic from November to June, but the
hot, humid summers have beaten down some of the heartiest of people. Not
to mention the complexities of adapting to a new culture and language far
from home.
Can you live in Mazatlán on $800 U.S. per month? It is certainly possible,
but you would have to pinch your pennies. The majority of my friends choose
Mazatlán for the weather, people and relatively low costs compared to other
Mexican resort cities. Most of them do not attempt to live on $800 U.S. a
month. Dee Hulen, who helped me with this book, lives in a two-bedroom
apartment and claims that she manages to live on $800 U.S. per month. Her
electric bills during the winter have been averaging $8 U.S. per month!
Here are some of the average costs of living in Mazatlán:
Because of the year-round warm weather, winter clothing is not needed and
you will have no heating bills. My average bills in a three-bedroom home are:
Propane gas used for the stove, hot water heater and gas dryer averages about
$30 U.S. per month. Electricity is also cheap, costing about $35 U.S. during
November through April, but due to air conditioning it gets expensive and, it
could run as much as $300 U.S. during the hot muggy summer months. Water
is cheaper, with the average cost about $5 U.S. for tap water and bottled water
about $10 U.S. per month. Telephone costs are about $20 U.S. per month
unless you like to call the U.S. or Canada. Cellular phone usage is available,
where you pay only for calls made. Long distance rates are becoming more
competitive every year.
A full-time maid costs about $40 U.S. per week. We have one come in and
work four hours per day once a week and it costs us $9 U.S. per half day. A gar-
dener costs a little less. Cable TV, Internet, and satellite TV costs about the
same as in the States and in Canada. For some reason, all my friends say they
eat out more in Mazatlán, so those costs would be an increase.
Check with people who either live year round or are snowbirds. They can
answer any questions about Mazatlán that you can think of. I know because I
have asked them. I've found the best sources of information are the following
groups, of which anyone can become a member:
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M a z a t l a n I S P a r a d i s e