Finding a House in Mexico – What are My Options?

Finding a House in Mexico What are My Options
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Finding a House in Mexico – What are My Options? Lots! We have lived in Mexico for over seven years and in two different cities in the state of Michoacan. Our experience doesn’t give me any room to speak for beach locations or popular expat destinations like Lake Chapala or San Miguel de Allende, but I can show you what our homes in Central Southern Mexico, the mountain region, look like. And I can give you details on our rent and the whole experience in general. Keep reading for information on all six of our homes thus far. Yes, I said 6…

Finding a House in Mexico What are My Options

When we moved to Mexico in 2013 the peso was about 12.50 to 1 USD. It has changed considerably since then! Today it is 20.27 pesos to 1 USD. You can understand that the exchange rate makes a significant difference in what you will pay to rent a house in Mexico. That is something to keep in mind when you move to another country. The fluctuation in exchange rates.

In my opinion, rental prices in pesos for a house in Michoacan, Mexico have not changed much in the last seven years that we have lived here. Perhaps that is because of the loss of value in the peso compared to the USD. I honestly don’t know. Maybe it is just in our current city of Uruapan, where we have been living for the last six years. Either way, it bodes well for those of us that live off the USD.

This was our first house in Mexico. We paid 8500 pesos for this three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home in 2013. At that time our cost was about 660 USD. Today that cost would be about 419 USD.

Our second house in Mexico was 6000 pesos a month. We had three bedrooms plus a schoolroom and we shared one and a half baths. With this home, we saved about 2500 pesos in rent which in late 2014 was about 200 USD per month. At today’s exchange rate 6000 pesos is about 296 USD. This house was the one that appeared on House Hunters International with us. You can find that post here.

We moved to our third house in Mexico because we changed cities. We paid 7500 pesos a month for this home, which was a three-bedroom and two and a half bath, plus a service room and separate bath. In 2015 the exchange rate was about 15 pesos to 1 USD. That would have been about 500 USD. At today’s exchange rate that is about 370 USD. We were only here a few months! Click here to find out why.

Our fourth house in Mexico was a quick decision because we only had two weeks to move. We were only here for one year because the landlady would not make any repairs on the house. For this home, we also paid 7500 pesos or about 500 USD a month. At today’s exchange rate that would be about 370 USD.

This fifth house in Mexico was by far my favorite. I think the whole family would agree. We moved here in mid-2016. We lived here for over three years and the only reason we moved was that our landlord decided to sell the house. We paid 6000 pesos a month which was pretty much a steal for this size house. As of today’s exchange rate that would be about 300 USD. This house had a two-car garage, five bedrooms, and four and a half baths.

Our sixth house in Mexico cost us 8500 pesos a month. Again that would be about 419 USD at today’s exchange rate. We had three bedrooms and two and a half baths. We only lived here six months before our landlord decided to sell the house. This rental was not a good decision. I wrote an in-depth post on my opinion of fraccionamientos after this experience. You can find it here.

So yeah, we have lived in a lot of homes in Mexico. It would be nice to find one home and stay there a while. I am pretty tired of moving as you can imagine. Why don’t we buy a home? Because we like the freedom to get up and go if the need be. And on several occasions, the need has arisen. So here we are, becoming pros at finding a house in Mexico. At least we can share our knowledge with you. If you have a question for me, be sure to ask me below. Signing off until the next house, Tina ;-)

Originally published January 27, 2021

41 thoughts on “Finding a House in Mexico – What are My Options?

  1. Susan allard says:

    I love your home. It is so besutiful and big
    And the price. How do you find such great deals. Wish i was there. Next winter. Yesterday we got 28cm of snow and more to come. Im in ottawa canada

      • Susan says:

        Well Tina Marie , since I am flying solo, truthfuly. I have been contemplating a move for a couple of years now. Following various groups and blogs. Still I am planning to spend at least a month in Mexico before committing myself to the unknown. I have only visited a few times , mostly in cancun . And driving with a engineer friend who taught himself Spanish . Drove from vallerosa tobasco to cancun .

        • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

          Following groups and blogs is a great way to learn more about life in Mexico, from people who actually live here :-) I would recommend “trying” it for six months versus a month, only because I don’t think a month really allows you to experience the reality of being in Mexico. Does that make sense? A month is like a long vacation. Six months is like “Okay, I live in Mexico.” I am telling my parents the same thing. Remember if this doesn’t become your home… you can always go back home. And it won’t be a failure. It will be an adventure and a life experience!

  2. Cassandra Navarro says:

    Wow that’s a great price. I would love to move to Mexico, my husband has family that lives in La Riconada it’s a few minutes away from Zamora so not to far from you,but anyway I love Mexico we were looking at brand new homes in Zamora in a gated community for 65 thousand it’s so crazy because we are from Northern California and in our area the average houses are like 500,000 such a difference,but my husband isn’t ready to move yet☹️

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      There are many Mexicans in our area that have lived in California. Most speak fluent English. I can’t imagine the price difference! I think California is beautiful and I want to take the kids to visit however we couldn’t afford to live there. Kentucky isn’t nearly as expensive as Cali. I am familiar with Zamora… I don’t know if we visited though… I think we only drove through. Hope one day you can move here and experience the tranquility!

  3. Fritz Kerr says:

    Hi Tina…I’ve just recently started following your blog. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to write. My wife and I are seriously considering relocating to Mexico in the next few years. We have out check list of things that we want, but I’m curious to learn what your criteria was for choosing the location you’re currently living. We don’t have kids at home any longer, so schools aren’t really an issue, but what was your criteria?

    Thanks again.

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      Two things mainly… One, a place we could help English-speaking people in our Bible ministry. Two, a place with a temperate climate because heat affects my husband’s health. Morelia and Uruapan are both in the mountains in Mexico and have mild climates in comparison to Kentucky. That’s it for us :-)

  4. Kevin says:

    This house is incredible! And what a deal on price!

    We are planning our move, possibly to Puebla, and hope we can find such a beautiful, picturesque house.

    I assume you pay your landlord cash every month? Do you do one large withdrawal when exchange rates are favorable? Does the rent include any utilities or services?

    Best wishes!
    Kevin (your newest subscriber)

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      We pay in one lump sum every month and he gives us a receipt. No utilities or services are included. We pay for those separately. And yes, we get our money out once a month and put it in envelopes to use till next payday.

  5. Rick Copeland says:

    Hola, Tina Marie, Thanks for keeping us up to date with your adventures and with all the useful information about moving to Mexico! My wife and I just retired from Hawaii to Ajijic on Lake Chapala. We both love the Mexican people and the culture, but the cobble stone sidewalks and streets here are proving to be too challenging for my wife. Not to mention the constant thick haze. We have researched Uruapan before as a place to settle and we are looking at it again. We would definitely go for a stay before we decide to make the move, but in the meantime there is very very little information available about the realities of daily life there and if there is any expat community, as well as resources for home rentals. If you can be of any assitance, I would sure appreciate it. Muchas gracias!

  6. Haley Wright says:

    Love this house! And I think the rent you pay is an excellent deal. You really can’t find anything much cheaper than that. Would love to see more of your adventures soon and ideas for vacation spots. We are looking into an all-inclusive resort in Mexico soon so if you have any ideas, let me know!

  7. Mary Lou Magana says:

    Hi Tina! I think that’s a great deal for a beautiful house. I just came across your blog(love the title). Are you still living in Uruapan? I was just there this past holiday and the new year. My husbands family is from there. I absolutely fell in love with Uruapan. Since we have been back (California) home we’ve been thinking we want to move there in a few years. Can I email you with more details of the daily life in Uruapan? Will be following your blog. Thanks for sharing;-)

  8. Casey Scott says:

    Wanting very much to move to Mexico. I am a retired nurse and looking for a more relaxed lifestyle than the USA.

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      For us, it is definitely a more relaxed lifestyle. My husband doesn’t do well with high-stress due to his disability so we love our tranquil life in Mexico. I hope you can find your way to Mexico Casey!

  9. Casey Scott says:

    Thanks for your reply. I will definitely keep in touch as questions arise. Presently, expecting move late spring next year.

  10. Elizabeth says:

    I’m curious about your reasons for choosing Uruapan. Our family of six is seriously considering the move to Mexico and I’m learning as much about various cities as possible. Thanks!

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      We started in Morelia and then moved to Uruapan to help out a smaller Bible congregation. Uruapan is smaller than Morelia and has more mountains and more trees. I like it a lot better. Morelia was too big, congested, and stinky. Downtown is lovely though and they have a nice zoo :-) We chose Michoacan, the State, because it is in the mountains and has a mild climate. My husband doesn’t do well with heat. It actually affects his brain.

  11. Raquel says:

    Hi Tina, I just find your blog. I’m planning to move to uruapan, I would like to buy a property or lot how can I find reliable information I’m currently live in Dallas ready to retire. Thank you in advance !

  12. Tressa says:

    This is where my family is originally from. Its so nice to see more people open to more of this lifestyle now. Hope your adjustment is well. Its always been such a beautiful area.

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      Thank you. We love Mexico and have adjusted quite well after seven years here. We are actually in our sixth home now… and I hope we can stay here for several years. I am tired of moving! Have a wonderful week!

  13. Teri Runjevac says:

    I live in La Mesa de Sadano. I’M looking for a place to call my own. I’m don’t want to be paying rent for somebody ealses property. Do you kind of understand what I’m trying to say?

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      I understand but I stand on the other end of the spectrum. I like my freedom to get up and go if necessary, and I don’t ever want to own a home again in this system. There are pros and cons to both sides of the coin :-)

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