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After living on Mexico’s Caribbean coast for three months in Playa del Carmen we travelled to Cuba, Mexico City, and Guanajuato before settling down for another three months—this time on the Pacific Coast in the tiny beach town of San Pancho (officially called San Francisco), 50km north of Puerto Vallarta. As in Playa we discovered that living in Mexico is much more affordable than travelling around when the cost of hotels and buses can really add up. By slowing down and getting to know a place for longer we not only had plenty of time for work and relaxation, but also spent much less.
These are our monthly expenses in San Pancho in USD for two people.
| Monthly Expenses in San Pancho | |
| Casita rent | $400 |
| Food | $585 |
| Drinking Water | $19 |
| Transport | $37 |
| Entertainment | $23 |
| Miscellaneous | $35 |
| Total Monthly Expenses | $1099 (£700) for 2 people |
We actually spent $187 less per month than we did in Playa del Carmen, although this is mainly due to getting a good deal on our accommodation, as we spent slightly more on food here.
So what does $550 (£350) a month per person get us in San Pancho?
Accommodation
We got a good deal on our beautiful casita as we are subletting from a friend of a friend who has a long term rental here. We are about 10 minutes walk outside of town up a steep hill, but the payoff is a peaceful location overlooking the jungle. Our two storey casita consists of two spacious studio apartments (we use downstairs as our bedroom and upstairs as our work and living area), two terraces, and a garden filled with flowers, butterflies, birds, lizards, and the all important hammock.
We have a fully equipped kitchen (yay, an oven!), reasonable internet (it can be slow but it’s mostly fine), a washing machine, and it’s beautifully designed with lots of Mexican artwork and an open-air design that brings nature into the house (literally sometimes). All our bills including a gardener and cleaner once a week are included.
As I said, we got a good deal and I’m not sure you’d be able to get such a nice place for this price for a short/medium term rental. There are only a few hotels in town and most people who visit are American expats or people renting holiday homes—the weekly rates can be quite expensive. You can get a much better deal by renting monthly and the best way to find a place is by coming here and asking around.
Our friends Victoria and Steve of Bridges and Balloons paid $500 a month for their one bedroom apartment with roof terrace in the centre of town (read more about it here), and Shannon from A Little Adrift paid $375 for a studio apartment (read her total living costs here). If you are prepared to go basic (no hot water or internet) you can get a room in a shared house or studio for much less.
Overall I’d say apartments are cheaper in San Pancho than Playa del Carmen as good deals there are getting harder to find and are only possible outside of the centre of town.
Food
We eat out more often in San Pancho than we did in Playa del Carmen and our food costs are slightly higher because of it. We ate out more in our first month than we do now (many places have closed for the low season) but it averages at 3-4 times a week, cooking at home the rest of the time.
Meal prices range from 50 pesos ($4) for two quesadillas and soft drinks at a taco place to 400-700 pesos ($31-55) for dinner for two at the town’s best restaurants (despite its small size there are some great restaurants here). We are also regulars at Cafe Paraiso where Simon is addicted to their frappuccinos and we both indulge in the brownies, coconut cupcakes, and banana bread.
Cooking at home is much cheaper and we spend less than $50 a week on groceries. We buy corn tortillas from the tortilleria, fruit and vegetables from a stall, and everything else from the little grocery store El Indio. I thought we’d miss having access to a big supermarket but we can really get everything we need here and it’s a much more pleasant shopping experience. We only go to the supermarket Mega (about 30 minutes away on the bus) about once a month when we need to withdraw cash as the ATMs here charge a high withdrawal fee. While there we end up buying treats we don’t really need (Simon disagrees) like imported cheese and salt and vinegar kettle chips.
You could definitely spend less on food by avoiding the coffees and treats, cooking for yourself, and only eating at the cheap taco stands. As vegetarians though the cheap options are limited to cheese quesadillas as this small town doesn’t have the variety of Mexican vegetarian dishes that we found elsewhere.
Drinking Water
We buy 20 litre returnable garrafones that cost about 25 pesos ($2) each and last us 2-3 days. We drink a lot of water so this cost might be higher than for most people.
Transport
Everything in San Pancho is walkable in no more than 15 minutes so our only transport costs in town are a taxi about every 10 days to stock up on water. They are too heavy to carry up our hill and the water truck that delivers the garrafones can’t make it up here.
Other transport costs included here are a few bus trips to Mega, a return bus trip to Puerto Vallarta (for our short break to Majahuitas), and a few visits to the nearby surf town of Sayulita 6km away. Although the bus to Sayulita only costs 10 pesos ($0.80) per person they aren’t very frequent and you have to walk to the highway to pick one up, so we usually get a taxi back which costs 100 pesos ($8).
Entertainment
We haven’t done any tourist activities like boat trips since we’ve been here as they are quite expensive if you don’t have a group to share the cost. Simon did rent a surfboard for an hour in Sayulita for 50 pesos ($4), and the rest of the entertainment expense is on alcohol when not included with a meal. We don’t drink often but have indulged in the occasional margarita on the beach or glass of Mexican wine while watching a game at the town’s incongruous fancy polo club. The main attraction in San Pancho is the beach and that’s free.
Miscellaneous
This includes other items like suncream, toiletries, medical supplies, and a new hat. The biggest cost is a data plan for our Mexican SIM card for our iPhone 5 which is 299 pesos ($24) for 1GB of data with Telcel and lasts a month. Simon has written a detailed post about setting up a pre-paid Mexican SIM over on Too Many Adaptors. It’s the first time ever that we’ve had internet on a phone and as well as getting Simon hooked on Foursquare (he’s basically mayor of San Pancho), it’s been useful during the occasional power cut when we can switch to using 3G and continue working.
We have loved living in San Pancho and have found it very affordable without depriving ourselves of anything we wanted. We spent much less than we would have travelling around Mexico as we’d have had to pay $40-50 a night for a simple hotel room with private bathroom. Slow travel wins again.
You can read more about San Pancho and our casita and see our cost of living in Playa del Carmen, Puerto Escondido, and Oaxaca.
Greetings: Have been searching for a good while for a place like San Pancho. Currently i am inm San Cristobal De Las Casas at least for the month or longer depending on the best time to move to Puerto Pancho. Is there an inexpensive temporary lodging like a hotel or Hostil (with a private room) giving me the opportunity of seeking out a long term 1 bed or smaller apt. Thanks for the info. Erik Poppke
My daughter and I want a nice rental in San Pancho mexico. From December 1, to Feburary 28. Please email me what you have available. We are looking forward to going back. We always stay in san pancho and purevta varreta every year. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.
[email protected] Rebekah Taylor PO BOX 755 Hayden, Idaho 83835. I would appreciate you mailing me some info on any and all rentals for 89 days. Thank you Gracias
We don’t arrange rentals but hopefully someone will see your post. Good luck with it!
Hello How are you doing. My name is Jamie. I am ex military. Worked at Intel. I am 41 wishing to become an expat in Mexico but want somewhere cheap by the beach. I will be getting my certificate for Teaching language as a second language plus getting my Military disability. I am also a single active guy. Do you have any suggestions where I could go. I also speak Spanish pretty well
My son and I are looking for a 4 month to long term rental in San Pancho mexico as of the 18 th of March We have moved from Canada and I would like to put my son in a school there in September. We are in support of human right and looking for like minded friends. Brad and Wyatt.
[email protected]
7092162491
Hi there, We just purchased a home in San Pancho, down Las Clavalinas in the jungle, and rent it via Airbnb for short and longer term rentals when we are not in San Pancho. If you’re interested you can reach us through Airbnb or here! We’re excited to share our home and lovely San Pancho! Here’s the link for anyone interested! If you plug in dates, a long term discount would pop up for 35% off of 1 mo stay and 45% off of 12 week stays. Hope this helps! https://www.airbnb.com/h/cliffsidehomesanpanchomexico
Look for a long term rental in San Pancho. Nothing pops online that’s helpful. Any help is appreciated
It’s really hard to find something online unfortunately. The best bet is to go there before high season starts and ask around. Sorry I can’t help more.
I lived in Tulum for a few years up until the beginning of 2020 and man is it expensive for people working the regular Mexican wages! How do you think that San Pedro compares for us who rely on local jobs & pay, I am an American woman with Mexican husband and 2 year old baby (I like to eat organic & quality).
Also, were there any rivers, waterfalls, or fresh water swimming places in San Pancho?
It’s been a while since we were in San Pancho. I imagine it would be cheaper than Tulum but it really depends on what kind of deal you can find on accommodation. It’s a really tiny town and it can be hard to find good value places to stay especially in high season.
We didn’t come across and fresh water swimming places and the sea is pretty rough for swimming – very different from the Tulum side.
I’d recommend looking for some Mexico expat groups on Facebook and asking for ideas of places to move in there. We were only in Mexico for a short time so our expenses are different and we also don’t have kids. Good luck with it.
I noticed your post is from 2013, has there been any significant price changes since then? My husband and I are considering moving to San Pancho or that area next year we will have 2400 /month total for the two of us. Any thoughts or advise?
We haven’t been back since then so I can’t say for sure, but I think that would be enough. The most challenging thing is finding an affordable rental so it’s best to go in off season to find a place.
Hello I would like to retire in San pancho I’m 67 from USA my income is 1500 per month is that enough for just me to live a good and comfortable Life style
Probably, if you can find a good-value long-term rental.
I am semi-retired looking to move to Mexico. I’m also a photographer. Im of mexican descent, speak spanish fluently. I will be getting my mexico citizenship soon. Can you refer me to a realtor there?
I am a professional writer or should I say a singer songwriter guitarist in the Texas folk blues genre respectively earning my masters from the Texas panhandler to the greens of Austin can.I carve out a living with these skills
Wonderful looking place.
My friend just sent me your blog and I love it. Spent three days in San Pancho last November while having dental work done in Puerto Vallarta for two weeks and I fell in love with it. Will return this year. Is there any way to connect with rentals such as the one you got before getting there? my email is [email protected]
Mil gracias for the info.
Hi! My girlfriend and I love your blog, and San Pancho! We are looking right now for more long-term rentals but are having no luck at all….. just curious if you happen to have any connections still?? Any help would be much appreciated! Any help would be much appreciated…. my email is [email protected]. Thanks!
Hi. Thanks for the blog. We were there in December and loved it. We are planning to spend a few winter months there in the near future. We are going there in mid June this year for a few days. I was wondering about bugs in June. Do you remember a lot of mosquitos in June? I know there are no screens on homes and bugs love me soon much.
I think the number of bugs increased as it got hotter but I don’t remember it being a major problem and our house was open sided.
Hi! I just moved to san Pancho with my boyfriend and we’re looking for long-term rentals. Would you mind sharing the contact information for the owner of the house? I’d love to see how much the house is rented for now. My email is [email protected]. Thank you so much in advance for any information you can provide!
Best,
Lindsey
I’ve sent you an email.
Wonderful blogs. We plan to retire in a year and spend time in Mexico. We have lived and taught all over the world, but have seen little of Mexico. We are fluent in Spanish . . .many years in Ecuador. We plan to take a car and travel down the Pacific coast of Mexico. How difficult is it to rent with a large, well trained dog? Can’t leave home without our doggie.
I’m afraid I don’t know. It might limit your options but I think it would be possible.
Hi! Most posts above are old–2013. What is your cost of living breakdown today–2016? Thanks.
We don’t live there anymore so I’m afraid I dont know.
I AM LOOKING FOR A SMALL PLACE, 1 BDM, LR, ETC. THE WEATHER THERE
SOUNDS LIKE THE PLACE I SAID I WOULD MOVE TO IF I EVER FOUND IT. I AM
WINDOWED, RETIRED AND MOSTLY LIKE WALKING, READING AND BICYCLING.
A NEAR THE BEACH LOCATION WOULD BE NICE TOO. CAN YOU GIVE AN IDEA
OF COST OF LIVING.
THANKS,
BOB
Could someone send me a good rental site to check for inexpensive one bedroom rents?
You really can’t find inexpensive places online. It’s best to turn up and ask around.
I just love that idea of living in a quiet place that seems sooo faraway from everything yet everything is nearby. Are the rents really that cheap.how far is the main areas and are their jobs in which foreigners can work. Can i get a house for $20,000. I like the idea of living in the tropical woods, yet the beach is not far away. Please contact me.
You can get rent that cheap if you rent long term. It’s a small town so there aren’t many jobs but a few foreigners worked in the restaurants. I have no idea about prices to buy property.
Hi
I read Shannon’s take on life there and subsequently came across your site. Excellent! I’ve traveled to Mexico countless times including P.V. a couple times. Although I don’t care for P.V. I love Sayulita. Last time I was there (P.V.) I went to Sayulita for an afternoon and loved it so much I bailed from my All Inclusive in P.V. and got a room for a few days. San Pancho sounds (possibly) even better. Thanks for the info here….I’ll be there soon and use some of it to settle….Cheers N
Thank you so much for all your info and advice on San Pancho! I’m living in Ohio now but planning to move/retire in San Pancho. Making my plans;hoping to be there in October. I will have $1200 monthly which seems to be sufficient. Thanks to you, I feel good about this major move. So happy to be near the ocean and see beautiful
sunsets and best of all, it’s affordable:) I will be alone, yet I’m not worried. Looking forward to meeting other expats and retirees. Thank you so much!
thank you so much for your blog. i’ve visited san pancho a few times and i really love it. you’ve answered some basic questions already and i plan to rent for a month on my next visit to see how it works for me. i’ve only talked to one expat living there so my knowledge is limited and i don’t know whether that person gave me unbiased advice (she and her artist husband have a restaurant/studio on the main street not far from the beach). the other question i would have is what the median age of the expats is in San Pancho. please don’t hesitate emailing me any further thoughts.
It’s really a mix of ages. There’s a group of solo travellers and couples in their 20s and 30s, and then retirees in their 60s/70s.
Good to see you’re still answering questions here – thanks for that and for the great posts.
I will be in San Pancho at the end of June/start of July. Your post mentioned that some restaurants close for the “low season,” which I assume includes June/July. How’s the variety of dining options during that time? Does anything notable close?
Yes that would include June/July. We were there in June and we could still go to most of the places we listed in our restaurant post: http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/vegetarian-restaurants-san-pancho-mexico/ The hours tended to be variable though and we couldn’t rely on a place to be open -have a back up plan! But as there’s only one street it’s not that big of a deal. Entre Amigos is the only place I remember being totally closed.
Hey Erin! I was just wondering what is the best way to go about finding a casita in San Pancho? I’ve spent a few months in Sayulita with friends, but I’m looking for a semi long term rental in San Pancho. Could you possibly point me in the right direction?! Thank you!
The best way to find somewhere is to come to town and ask around in the shops and restaurants. The places online are expensive.Try Inez who owns Maria’s, Trini of Ola Rica’s brother at San Pancho Properties (office across the street from Maria’s). Good luck with it!
I would love to visit Mexico one day but the airfare from Malaysia to Mexico is the killer. Love your pictures and thanks for the info.
Wilson
i see you guys work from your computers…what was the internet like? I work from my computer too but need pretty good internet…any suggestions on places to go for excellent internet to work?
It really depends on your accommodation but ours was OK. We always worked at home but there are restaurants like Maria’s to work in.
Dear Erin,
Lovely reading you. Would it be too much to ask for a contact for the friend of your friend who rents your former casita long term? It being high season it may be taken, but it’s worth asking, wouldn’t you say? We are currently in Yelapa – just figuring out what’s worth exploring across the bay and an extended stay there would really help!
Thank you,
Linda
Our friend Tara has now left the house as when she returned after the rainy season the house was quite a mess (leaks, cockroaches etc). She said the owner was coming back in December to sort it out. I don’t know if he is living there right now but he may be open to renting it out so if you’d like to try here are his contact details:
Jim Gardner- [email protected]
HELLO SIMON AND ERIN
We are two friends from Greece planing travelling to Playa del Carmen&riviera Maya this February.
Do you think it’s possible staying there for 25 days with 800€ each?won’t do crazy things we are only interested in meeting the locals and enjoying the sea.Also would like to go to TULUM and Puerto Aventuras
Are there any scooter rentals, e.g. Like Thailand?
Thank you for your time
Dimitris
It’s definitely possible if you can find a good deal on accommodation (there are hostels) and eat mainly at the street stalls and cheap local restaurants (head away from 5th Avenue).
Unfortunately there aren’t any scooter rentals. We hired a car for one day but you can get to most places by public transport.
TOO Funny! the yellow house in your first picture is the house we rented in 2006! I love San Pancho! I am currently trying to convince my husband that long term travel is the way to go :) LOVE this blog!
Cool! It’s such a cute house isn’t it?
Dani, do you mind me asking what a house right there on the beach cost you to rent? Also thanks for the info about Costa Azul! We are planning a trip to San Pancho with our 3 kids. That little tidbit will be quite valuable for us!
Hello! Great post! We are considering moving to San Pancho. How is it in terms of safety/crime/robberies/muggings? :)
We felt really safe and didn’t hear of much crime in the area.
Hey Guys. I lived in San Pancho for a month at the turtle camp. I want to go back next year and live for the year, but I would like to love outside of the compound. How did you find your house? Did you go through a realty agency? I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.
We found our place through a friend of a friend. Most people we know found places by just walking around, responding to signs and asking people. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your input and for being willing to seek advice for me from your friend! I greatly appreciate it. Do you normally go to puerta Vallarta for supermarket shopping?
We did most of our shopping in the little shop El Indio on America Latina, and usually got our vegetables from the stand next to it and tortillas at the place opposite. For a bigger supermarket we sometimes went to Mega which is just outside Bucerias. We usually only went there as the ATM was cheaper than in town.
Erin,
Thank you so much for all the great help and info. The advice from your friend gave us great insight and confirmed what we have been reading other places. We are moving forward with our plans to head to San Pancho and are excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed with all the preparations that need to be made. Working on getting passports for our three children this week! I have a few more questions that I would like to pick your brain about if you don’t mind…
-Do you have any insight on medical insurance/health care in MX?
-What things would you recommend we bring with us that are hard to come by in Mexico?
-As far as clothing is most modest American attire appropriate?
-What is the postal system like? Should or shouldn’t we expect to use the postal system to mail things back and forth between the states?
Again I want to thank you for all of your help! I have been sending all of my family to your sight to learn about San Pancho and ease their fears about us leaving the country :). I was hoping that maybe you guys would be staying their longer term so that we could meet, but I just read that your plan was to leave back in July. Blessings to you!
I don’t know about medical insurance as we’re not American so things are different for us. We had regular travel insurance. The health care is pretty affordable there though. We know a couple who lived nearby and had a baby in Puerto Vallarta. I’m pretty sure they paid for it themselves and had a great experience without it costing too much. There’s a small hospital in San Pancho.
I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. We weren’t living there for long so didn’t need anything in particular. Expats might have different suggestions as they live there for longer.
It’s a beach town so the dress close is pretty relaxed. Local women wear shorts and tshirts. Just don’t walk around town in a bikini and you’ll be fine (the beach is OK of course).
I wouldn’t trust the postal system too much. We didn’t try in San Pancho but in Playa del Carmen we got two parcels sent from England and only one made it after a very long time.
Good luck with it all and really don’t worry too much. It’s a very easy place to live and you’ll meet other expats who can ease you in.
I’m planning on going with my wife and two kids (2 years old) to San Pancho. Just wondering if the place is kids friends. Do you know if the restaurants have high chairs, for instance? Did you happen to see kids around? Thanks.
There were plenty of kids around but I don’t remember seeing any high chairs, but then I wouldn’t have been looking.
If you go to costa Azul ( resort) and buy lunch or drinks you can use their pool etc. they also have a kids club~
Erin,
My husband and I are in the preparation stages for taking a sabbatical with our three young children. He is in the middle of a job transition and we have decided if we are going to do this now is the time before we jump back into the next season of life. Our original idea was to travel the US, but we have friends who took a sabbatical in Mexico so I started researching what that could look like. That’s when I stumbled upon your blog. San Pancho sounds ideal. We come from a small rural community and that’s what we are looking for. Our goal is to have endless amounts of time to focus on our kids so the beach is the only entertainment we need. Also the spotty internet sounds perfect to me as it can be such a huge distraction from our reason for going off the grid. I am wondering if you would mind me emailing you with questions I have. Things like how to go about finding a place to live and whether we should bring our car. Thanks again for the inspiration to step out of our comfort zone and take a new adventure!
Sure go ahead and email any questions.
We have been considering driving our minivan down from the US, but I have been reading that it is safer to fly to southern Mexico because it is in the northern border states that most of violence is happening. What is your opinion on this? If we do end up flying is it hard to buy a vehicle down there? We plan to do most of our getting around on bikes, but with three small children it makes me a little nervous not to have a vehicle available.
We don’t have any experience ourselves but generally we found the security concerns overstated in Mexico. Also our friend who lives in San Pancho brought her vehicle down and often drives back and forth with no problems. I think maybe cars are more expensive in Mexico but I’m not sure. I’ll ask my friend if she has any advice. I think a car will be useful as supermarkets are quite far away (there are small shops in town).
Here’s what our friend said:
It’s safe to drive. I have done the border crossing drive myself, alone three times and with other women twice. I’ve driven from Seattle to Mexico City, Mx City to Oaxaca, Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, PE up the coast to San Pancho, alone. I have never encountered anything remotely dangerous. There are certain things I strongly suggests – one is not driving at night. But this has less to do with fear of bandits or violence. It is because even on the best roads in Mexico you can encounter a cow, potholes the size of a VW Bug or a truck parked in a lane without lights or flashers. You have to be very on your toes day at night because of these and any number of things we would just never see on a highway in the states (an old man riding a bike oncoming in your lane).
I have alway crossed the border at the Nogales truck crossing south of Tucson without a hitch. I have more info about this if they choose to drive. Or there is a lot of info online both on official sites and forums.
I don’t have any experience buying a car here. I understand they are much more expense than in the states. And licensing a car in MX I have heard is an administrative adventure (one I think is probably worth having:-).
Mexico has recently changed it’s visa and importation laws surrounding cars and who can keep them and for how long. It’s confusing at best even after attending a meeting the joint departments held last spring. The easiest way to enter with a car is on a tourist visa. You can keep a US plated car for six months then need to return it to the country of origin. MX requires you to pay a deposit upon entry that is returned when you pass back out or is forfeited if you stay longer than six months. I have been told that if you stay longer (and you are willing to forfeit the deposit which was about $350 US when I crossed a month ago) that your car is illegal and could be confiscated. I have been pulled over for speeding while my car was illegal and only had to pay the obligatory mordida (bribe – usually 200 pesos).
Enjoyed your travel info from San Pancho. How readily acceptable are credit cards?
The more expensive restaurants accept them but other places don’t. You’ll definitely need cash on hand and it’s best to get it outside of San Pancho as the ATMs there have high fees.
Thanks for sharing guys! We’ve been living in Chiang Mai for the last five months and after a short two month travel stint in Europe starting next month we’ll be back home for Thanksgiving and then making our way to Mexico. We want to spend 3-6 months down there, but with what seems to be so many awesome places to live on both the Pacific Coast and the Yucatan, we’re confused to where we want to begin!
San Pancho sounds excellent although I’m thinking it might be a just a little too small for us. We’re looking for something slightly bigger and we’re hoping to score some fast Internet or else I might go postal. LOL ;-) Keep up the good work guys.
Mexico is a great place to live for a while and there are loads of options as apartments and decent internet are pretty easy to come by. San Pancho is small, so you might prefer nearby Sayulita (also small but lots more going on) or Puerto Vallarta (a bigger city), or we loved Playa del Carmen and had really fast internet there.
Wow! Nice and wonderful work done Erin! But please I won’t to enquire am a Nigerian and am planning coming to. Mexico to settledown is there any kinda of job that I can get as a torist, something I can be doing to survive if I should run out of budget because I have budgeted 2000 dollars, please urgent reply thanks
We know some tourists there who were working in bars and restaurants so it might be possible but I don’t know much about it.
You might have saved on food if you would cook yourself, but I know that I would eat outside too, as I love to try traditional cuisine wherever I travel.
We like to have a mixture of both too.
Just adding to the chorus of “helpful article”..because, well, it is! Thanks.
Very helpful! Andy and I are looking into places to stay for 1-3 months during the winter, and while I don’t think we’ll make it to Mexico this time around, it’s definitely on the list for the future.
That’s a great deal for the month. It makes me want to go visit Mexico more. Nothing better than having a beautiful beach to go play on.
You guys are so good at being on a budget! Steve and I didn’t keep very good track of our budget but I’m pretty certain we spent more than you. Living in eyeshot of Paraiso didn’t help, as well as a one minute walk from Cielo Rojo! Plus I imagine we may have indulged in a few more margaritas and polo brunches! That said, I think we kept it under 1000 GBP each month. Damn, I miss San Pancho!
We didn’t try at all. It helped that we are up the hill and away from temptation – you guys were in the heart of it all. If Simon lived that close to Paraiso he’d be a nightmare :) His coffee expenses have gone way down this month as it’s been so steaming hot that we haven’t been able to face the walk back up the hill too often.
Simon & Erin,
Do you take any notice of the Foreign Office travel advice when deciding on where to go? They have a warning about Mexico, but San Pancho seems to be safe.
Thanks
We do take a look but most of the warnings (including for Mexico) usually only apply to small areas of the country, often where tourists don’t go anywhere. For Mexico the warning is just for Ciudad Juarez which is far away from anywhere most tourists go. San Pancho is one of the sleepiest, safest places we’ve ever visited!
Hi Erin! Great blog you have here. I’m currently in PV and was wondering if you knew off hand some decent places (with internet – yes) for around that same price range?
I don’t know of anywhere I’m afraid. The best thing is to come into town and ask around. There are some signs up advertising places.
Ok. I will do so. And thank you for your prompt response.
That casita looks wonderful. The perfect place to spend a month! Food looks amazing too!
Loving this breakdown! Mexico looks beautiful and congrats with the low cost of living! I’m impressed. :) And it’s nice to see, that our budget is actually possible (we have aroung $1700 between the two of us pr. month) – thank you!
Can’t wait to start traveling. :) Thanks for the inspiration – that means a lot.
That’s a decent budget depending on where you go of course, but it’s definitely possible. Happy travels!
Cost seems very reasonable, I loved your “casita” :) I hope we can do it to Mexico one day.
What a beautiful place guys! I’ve been missing Mexico lately, will have to consider San Pancho for a future long-term pit stop to refuel and refresh.
It is a nice place to recharge.
Hi Erin,
I am from Playa del Carmen, Mex. Last night I went to sleep at 1 am reading your blog.
You both have great life traveling.
I read about the list of items to travel, what is your opinion to replace the laptop for Ipad and the memory drive for iCloud?
I am enjoying reding your posts. My partner and I traveled too, but i never considered to backpack luggage.
Form now I’ll a backpack traveler with the essential things.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and knowledge.
It really depends how often you’ll use it and what you’ll use it for. A laptop is essential to us as we work as we travel, and it’s also useful if you want to store and edit your photos as you go. If you are just browsing the net and sending emails an iPad would be fine. Relying on iCloud will depend if you have good internet in the places you are visiting.
That food looks amazing. Hadn’t heard of San Pancho but it’s now on my list of places to spend a month or two in. I much prefer the quieter locations so I can work and this looks perfect.
There are some good eats in town despite its small size. Hope you make it here!
Very jealous, it looks amazing. Great breakdown on prices, you did very well on your accommodation and with how good the food looks I can’t blame you for eating out. Jade will also need to join this foursquare help group or maybe we can organise an intervention.
For a small town there are some excellent restaurants so we definitely wanted to take advantage. Ha, yes there definitely needs to be a Foursquare intervention—I just don’t get it myself.
Love these posts guys, they help us plan our next trip :) San Pancho sounds like a place I’d love, and the perfect place to get some work done without too many distractions.
If you like being somewhere small and quiet then it is a great place to work although the internet can be variable and definitely not as fast as other places in Mexico like Playa del Carmen.
It seems that San Pancho is fast becoming another mecca for digitial nomads along with places like Chiang Mai and Medellin. It’s definitely on our list of places to settle for a while now.
We’ve also been using prepaid data on our phone for a while now (especially here in Bolivia where wifi is quite unreliable), and Zab has a similar addiction to Foursquare: maybe there’s a help group somewhere.
Honestly it’s really weird that that’s happening. It has only been Victoria, Shannon and us here in San Pancho (we’re the only ones left) so it’s not really on the Chiang Mai level. I actually don’t think San Pancho would suit everyone at all—it’s really tiny, quite isolated without a car (buses aren’t very regular) and there’s not a huge amount to do. We love it but you do need to like peace and quiet.
Just wondering what or how for you obtain residency or can you leave the border and return. I heard certain areas have their own rules or laws. Please help
You can get a 6 month visa on arrival in Mexico. Most people who want to stay longer just cross the border then return.
I love your cost of living posts guys :)
I think San Pancho looks amazing, looks very quaint and Mexican. It’s crazy to think you only spent £700 for both of you in such a beautiful place. I spend more than this myself living in cloudy UK haha but definitely looking to hit up Mexico for a few months early next year.
Thanks again, appreciate it.
We love showing how affordable travelling and living abroad can be. Hope you make it to Mexico soon!
Hi Erin:
We just came back from seven weeks in San Pancho and it has grown so much since this post. It has a boss food scene! For those with families, it is teeming with kids and activities as well as a very cool, but very gringo-oriented, farmers market on Tuesdays during the season.
We loved San Pancho and would go back. But wanted to see if you know of a place in Guatemala that has the same vibe. We would like to surf so ocean living would be great. What about Honduras?
So glad I stumbled onto this page. Wonderful!
We wish we could find somewhere else with the same vibe as San Pancho :) We didn’t travel much in Guatemala (didn’t make it to the coast) or Honduras at all. We did enjoy living at Lake Atitlan: http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/temporary-home-lake-atitlan-guatemala/