It's been almost three years since I moved to Mexico, but I still remember the things
that shocked me like it was yesterday.
After this video, you'll have five things I wish I'd known before moving to Mexico.
For the best advice about moving to Mexico, subscribe to my channel and hit the bell to
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Hi, I'm Alex and I moved to get it to Querétaro, Mexico in October, 2017. On my blog, Backpacking
Brunette, I write honestly about my life here and provide practical advice for people interested
in moving to Mexico. In the years since I moved to Mexico, I like to think I've done
a pretty good job of adjusting to life here, but here are five things that really took
me aback when I first moved to Mexico.
First up, landlords require a fiador. If you don't know what a fiador is, don't worry.
Neither did I, when I first moved down here. In fact, my boyfriend had to look it up via
Google translate when a landlord mentioned it in the very first apartment that we saw.
In English, a fiador is a guarantor and it's a person who basically is responsible for
paying your rent if you decide to skip town. Now, in Mexico, an eligible fiador is a Mexican
citizen and a property owner. And like I said, many landlords require you to have one if
you want to sign a lease. Fortunately, my mom's cousin, who I call my tía,
lives in Querétaro and is a Mexican citizen and property owner. She graciously agreed
to be our fiador, but I know that other expats aren't as fortunate.
I talk about the importance of having a plan for your fiador in my Moving to Mexico Quick
start guide. You can grab it at the link in the description. If you're wondering how you
can work around this, because yes, there are workarounds, then make sure you head to that
link in the description and grab it for yourself.
Number two. You can furnish an apartment on a budget. When I first got to Querétaro,
I really focused my apartment search on furnished places. But like I said, since Querétaro
isn't a huge expat destination; there weren't a lot of furnished apartments available. I
did see a few, and because I was so intimidated by the idea of blowing my budget furnishing
an apartment myself, I almost took a place that I hated. But before settling, I decided
to look at one last apartment in a location that I absolutely loved, even though it was
unfurnished.
Because I loved the style of the house, I loved the location, I decided to go for it,
since it was what I had envisioned for myself when I decided to move to Mexico.
I won't lie, the day that we moved into the apartment with just our two suitcases and
two backpacks and we were in a huge empty house, didn't even have a mattress to sleep
on, I was scared. I thought that I had made a mistake. Between Amazon Mexico, Walmart,
secondhand stores, and the market, furnishing an apartment is easy to do on a budget.
If you're interested to see how my apartment turned out, be sure to check out my Mexico
apartment tour, where I also discuss the cost of living in Querétaro.
Number three. Direct deposit isn't popular in Mexico. Our landlord prefers, insists really,
on being paid in cash. She shows up probably the first week, there's not really a set day,
every month to collect it. If you plan on living in Mexico on just a tourist visa, then
you won't be able to open a bank account because you need at least a temporary residency to
do so.
Since we were not in a position to open a bank account, the ATM fees really killed us
when we were first starting out here. If you're American, I recommend opening a Charles Schwab
high-yield checking account. It's free open, there's no minimum balance, and Charles Schwab
reimburses you for any and all ATM fees at the end of each month. It's been a total lifesaver
since moving here.
In the comments, I would love for you to tell me where you live in the world, and if it's
more normal to pay your rent in cash or do direct deposit. Let me know below.
Number four. It can take a long time to get your internet installed. When we first moved
to Mexico, my boyfriend, Taylor and I were both teaching English online. That's the only
way that we were earning money. So of course, without an internet connection, we couldn't
work.
After finding our apartment, our first order of business was to get internet installed
and it turned out to be a total drama. In fact, internet has been the biggest headache
for me since moving to Mexico. I think a lot of our internet drama was because we live
in the historic center. When we started contacting internet providers to see if we could contract
service with them, many told us they didn't service the center. And in the end, we really
only had two providers to choose from. We signed up with a company called Megacable
and we did so because they offered us a package with a fiber optic internet connection and
we really needed that fast, fast internet since we would both be video-conferencing,
teaching at the same time.
Instead of giving us an installation date, Megacable told us that they would call when
they were ready to come hook us up. We thought we were looking at a week, maybe 10 days,
but in the end, it took Megacable over a month to install our internet.
I wish I could say that once our internet was installed, everything was fine and dandy.
But over the next year, year and a half, that we had Megacable, we had multiple problems
with them. In the end, we switched to Telmex. We've had that service provider for a few
months now and are really happy with the service.
Number five. Having your rent raised for inflation is normal. When we signed our initial lease
for our apartment in Querétaro, our rent was exactly 10,000 Pesos per month. Now when
the time came, year two, to sign our second lease, our landlord said that she would be
raising the rent to accommodate inflation. And at first I was completely taken aback,
but talking with friends, talking with our neighbors who have the same landlord, it turns
out that rent being adjusted for inflation is actually pretty normal in Mexico. Now we
pay 10,800 Pesos per month. And when we signed our lease for a third year, this November,
I fully expect for that to go up another 200 Pesos or so.
As you can see, pretty much everything that shocked or surprised me about moving to Mexico,
had to do with finding a place to live, because I know firsthand just how stressful finding
an apartment, especially abroad, can be. I put together the Move to Mexico Quickstart
Guide. It includes my top tips for apartment hunting in Mexico, plus a renting in Spanish
cheat sheet to help you find a place to call home that you will love.
The Move to Mexico guide is completely free. Just head to the link in the description and
download yours today. If you have any questions about moving to Mexico, living in Mexico,
finding a place to live, then be sure to leave it in the comments and I will definitely get
back to it.
I'm Alex from backpackingburnette.com. Thanks for watching.
Check out these videos next for even more advice about moving to Mexico. Did you find
this video helpful? If so, give it a thumbs up, subscribe and share it with someone who
dreams of moving to Mexico.