Ali and I spent the months of October through December trying our best to live like locals. This meant no crazy dinners and no big touristy activities; just working, spending time with our fellow Zancas (locals of Zihua), and enjoying Zihuatanejo.
We went with a conservative 19.25 to 1 peso to dollar (this is a bit below the averages for October and November, and about right for December) for converting our expenses to USD. All numbers rounded to the nearest dollar. In March and April, 2020 the rate reached 25 to 1, so as a US citizen that extra 30% would’ve saved us about $1,400 had we been getting the same conversion at the end of 2019.
Lodging: We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment pretty much walking distance to everything. The indoor living space is about 700 square feet. The owner has the first level, with a separate entrance and patio for us, as well as a large private rooftop. We had to furnish the apartment, minus a refrigerator, and an A/C unit. We really liked living in the middle of the locals and their businesses. Once furnished, we did buy a few things in November, like a “backup” mini-pool, a stool, some pillows, and a couple fans.
Eating and Drinking: We ate most of our meals out, or brought food in from restaurants. Ali loves cooking, and she tried to cook at least one meal a week. I think the majority of our grocery expense is alcohol. But when it comes to eating in and eating out, there aren’t many places in the world that you can eat food as good as Mexico for the same cost, or cheaper, than making it at home. We made the conscious decision to cut back on our drinking in October and November, but we had visitors for most of December and spent a lot of time in the bars. So, we didn’t have a single dinner that cost over $15 for two people in October. In November and December we did eat a few “big” meals.
Doing Stuff: Our main entertainment activity in Zihua is going to the movies. There’s always something playing in English, and two tickets cost about $5. We’ve already done most of the touristy stuff, so when we want to do something different we hike or travel to an obscure beach or explore new neighborhoods. I also play pickleball two or three times a week. Ali went to the dentist for some work. But our biggest expense was taking Spanish lessons. In November we had two different small groups of friends come down, so we did a few things with them, and purchased a few gifts for friends as well.
Transportation: We own an ATV, so we pretty much exclusively ride that or walk. We rarely take the bus or a taxi. Insurance for the ATV works out to about $32 a month. Even before we had the ATV I don’t think we spent too much more on transportation. In November, I renewed the Insurance, and the monthly rate for the next year dropped to $28 a month, starting in December. We also had to replace a light bulb and renew the license plate. Almost every month there is some $5 or $10 repair needed.
Phones and Internet: We have GoogleFi, which charges us for the data we use, and has a nice international plan. We also have a local phone for local calls and phoning home. We eventually canceled GoogleFi for a more permanent local plan with AT&T, which is a fraction of the cost.
Utilities and Internet: Our basic TV / Internet plan costs about $25 a month. As long as we don’t abuse the air conditioning, then electricity is not very expensive. After a certain level of usage is passed, then CFE, the state-owned electrical company, will charge you all sorts of additional fees for months after. It’s super important in Mexico, just like everywhere else, to conserve energy.
The Breakdown Expenses for Two (excluding housing) for October / November / December:
- Restaurants/ Street Food: $292 / $372 / $339
- Bars: $28 / $40 / $115
- Groceries: $247 / $339 / $235
- Transportation: $45 / $70 / $65
- Cell Phone: $71 / $82 / $66
- Entertainment: $32 / $57 / $57
- Medical / Household/ Other: $111 / $152 / $13
- Clothes / Gifts: $24 / $171 / $54
- Spanish Lessons: $308 / $234 / $196
Totals: $1,158 (October), $1,517 (November), $1,140 (December)