What it costs to live here
The real numbers, current, with the government fees included.
The guarantor fee, and why there is no single move-in number
Three times the rent is due at signing. Landlords here call it a guarantor fee, and it is the thing that catches out almost every newcomer who budgeted from a US frame of mind. It is not a deposit that comes back the way an American security deposit does, and it is not optional at most buildings.
On a 15,000 peso apartment that is 45,000 pesos, roughly $2,580, in cash, before keys.
The cash needed at signing scales directly with the rent you choose, so the only honest version is the formula.
At 15,000 pesos rent: 45,000 pesos at signing, roughly $2,580.
What a month costs, by how you live
Depending on how you live, a month here runs from about 18,000 pesos to over 70,000.
Lean
One adult, small apartment, market food, no car, local healthcare. Comfortable, not tight, and how a lot of people here actually live.
Comfortable
A couple, a nice place with a pool or a courtyard, eating out often, a car or regular rideshare, private insurance, some help in the house.
Very comfortable
A family home in a prime colonia, private school, a car, staff, travel. Still well under the equivalent life in a US city.
Rents run 10,000 to 30,000 pesos a month, about $575 to $1,720. The bottom of that range is a small apartment, the top is a family home.
Residency fees
Paid to the Mexican government and the consulate, per adult.
The $56 consular fee is paid abroad and is fixed in dollars. The 11,141 peso INM card fee is paid in Mexico. Together, roughly $675 to $700 depending on the rate.
Same $56 consular fee, a larger INM card fee, 13,579 pesos, paid in Mexico. Together, roughly $815 to $840 depending on the rate.
Peso amounts are what you will actually pay. Dollar figures are approximate and move with the exchange rate.
Not sure which one you need?
Fifteen minutes with someone who lives here. Free, and we will tell you honestly if the answer is none of them.