How Much Does Living in Mazatlan Cost Us? | How Much is Our Rent and What's Included? 

Hi Kathy, We appreciate your very kind comment and for watching our video. This apartment is a great deal and we love the location. Also, we're very happy knowing that you found the video helpful!

Thank you! We used to live in Issaquah and also in Wilkeson 20 years-ago - living there was very expensive then, too. We bet Mexico - in general - would be much cheaper than Eastern Europe or Malaysia. Good luck on your search and keep Mazatlan in mind!

Same here. I've been to Mazatlan 2 times in the safe zones but I'd love to stay there if I could get a little rental. Thanks for your video!

You are welcome!

I pay same property tax in New Jersey. I’m moving in 2-3 years at mosr

In Eastern Europe is no property tax. You bought it it's yours period. Paying taxes every year for what you own.....insane !

Thank you very much missmayflower for the lovely comment!

You are correct - this is a very good way of finding an apartment in Mazatlan, and doing this in a pulmonia is even better! You can still find plenty of signs all over town advertising places for rent and many of them are fully furnished! Ours was, even if those furnishings were a bit....dated? 🤣😉

Thanks you two! If installed and wired properly, electric showers are a really good idea. Speaking of Guatemala, one of our hotels there featured a suicide shower with the breaker-switch located on the wall just to the left of the shower head - you know, in case you need to restore the electrical current while getting clean!! Yes, we got very lucky with our apartment - it's comfy, a great value and we love it!

Thank you, Johanna! We hope Mazatlan makes it to the top of your list. If not, we certainly hope you enjoy your new home in Mexico - wherever that may be!

@@ACoupleofDrifters how sweet! Thank you!

Thankfully, we've never received an electric shock from our shower in Mazatlan! Hopefully your next rental won't require rubber flip-flops in the shower!

Thank you - we hope to be as prolific as you two when it comes to recording and releasing videos. Fingers crossed....

@@ACoupleofDrifters I'm sure you'll be able to do it, and you'll go for quality not quantity... whereas I record almost everything we see on our travels :)) There will be so many fascinating things to video and share from your part of the world. Looking forward to learning more about Mazatlan, and Mexico in general.

Thank you Daphne! We are back in Mexico after three months in the United States - be on the lookout for many more Mexico-related videos soon!

Hi Charlie, It's lovely knowing you enjoyed our video - thank you! Yes, this apartment was an _astounding_ value and it was the perfect size for the two of us. Are you thinking of spending some time in Mexico?

Thank you for coming along on the tour Horacio!

It so good to hear you liked the video - thank you so much for the very nice comment! We love this neighbourhood - it's very close to everything as you know. The weather is perfect here in winter. As for the noise: We have come to expect it throughout all of Mexico and also Central America - it's a fact of life.

Thank you, Lilia - we loved our time in Mexico!

Thank you Crimson Wolf! Centro is a great part of Mazatlan to be in, especially in the winter months! We just arrived back to Mazatlan last week for a five-week stay - it's hot and _very_ humid with some thunderstorms at night. We may return to Mazatlan for a bit this winter.

You're very welcome. The neighbourhood is fantastic, it is so conveniently located to everything downtown. There are a lot of great local spots to eat around there too.

We thank you, Melodee - your lovely words and your subscription means a lot to us!

Haha! Yes, nothing but the finest imported showers for us! Seriously - these make a lot of sense, even though the concept freaks a lot of people out.

LOL - yes, they are everywhere in Central America! For years, I thought Lorenzetti showers were fancy Italian imports, but it's only from this comment thread that I've learned they're fancy Brazilian imports! 😂🤣

It's a great apartment, perfect for 1 or two people. We have since moved out but we lived there for about a year and a half. We still miss the location even though we are not too terribly far away from there now.

Thank you so much Asta - we appreciate your kind comment and for watching!

Thank you very much for watching and commenting on our video. Hopefully you'll be back in Mazatlan soon!

We cleaned the hell out of the place - thanks for noticing!! Why didn't we have these showers when we were growing up?

Hello Marian. Thank you for enjoying our video. Mazatlán is a great place to live, although the summers are very hot and humid. There are a lot of great little apartments to be found in the city. Although we have since moved on, we loved living here and still miss this apartment. We hope you'll be making your move soon.

Hello Rodolfo. Thank you for enjoying the video. It really was a great location and we loved living there. Having a balcony would have just been a nice bonus, just a little wishful thinking on our part 😉. We hope you have a brilliant time in Mazatlán when you visit, it's a beautiful city. San Diego is also very beautiful 😍. Thanks again Rodolfo.

We appreciate your lovely compliments!

Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! Yes, the roof is nice to have, indeed! Put Mazatlan on your list, for a visit or a move. We took the cargo ferry TMC from La Paz to Mazatlan in 2013. It's fun to see that same boat pull into port from time to time now that we live here. We also took the CHEPE train from Los Mochis back in 2014. The price of a ticket has escalated rapidly since then from year-to-year, so we suggest you do this soon. Here's a good tip: If you're heading east toward Creel/Chihuahua, sit on the right side of the train for the very best views. Thanks again for your very nice comment!

Thank you, BlueFM!

Indeed, our very first video. We've shortened the duration of our subsequent videos. Yes, the common area on the roof is a really nice spot. We appreciate your comment, Christine!

Hi Russ, Thank you for the lovely words of encouragement - we hope to make more videos and improve with time. Mazatlan is affordable on our budget - $15 USD each per day. There are even cheaper rentals than ours. Getting to the border: We've flown direct from Mazatlan to Tijuana and then walked across the border downtown. Flights to Tijuana can be cheaper than buses! We love Mazatlan - there are many snowbirders here but to us it seems less on the radar than Puerto Vallarta, Ajijic, Oaxaca, Playa del Carmen, San Miguel de Allende, etc...at least for now.

Hi Joan, We hope your move goes very well!

Yes, we do plan on making videos like that. Thank you for watching and for offering some suggestions.

We actually got used to the tv being so high up on the wall. Thanks for the compliment, Kenneth - it really was a lovely little apartment!

Thank you, Matt! We're getting a great deal, indeed. A nice, central location just a few blocks from the beach is great - and we have a puificadora on the corner so we don't have to schlepp our bottles too far!

Ah, love it.😊 It's always great to hear from someone who understands the whole immersion insanity. The most feared question was always "did you turn the immersion off"? 😟

Yes, there are some nice options out there - thank you for the comment, Rose! Enjoy your retirement!

Thank you Horacio! We first saw these types of showers in Guatemala. We both like them very much because, as long as you have electricity, you'll never run out of hot water.

Hi Robert, We're both very happy you enjoyed the tour! For healthcare costs: We pay out of pocket when care is needed. For insurance: We simply opt to go without - this is a hard pill for most to swallow, but that's how we handle it. Yes, Merida is becoming VERY popular; we were last there in 2014 and it's a great place to spend some time. We find much of Mexico very noisy, including here in Mazatlan. We're becoming big fans of the electric shower; these are much more efficient than hot water tanks in the US which largely use excess gas or electricity to always keep the water supply hot, even though the actual demand for hot water isn't always that much throughout the day. Should we be in Istanbul, we'll keep an eye out for exposed wires in the shower! Thanks for watching and commenting!

Thanks Greg. Looks like you two might be looking for an apartment there yourselves 😉! One cannot resist the charms of Mazatlán 😍.

In our past experience - with an electric shower we once had in Guatemala - the only shock we've ever received was when the shower head was touched and that was just a mild jolt! In reality, we feel quite safe using an electric shower but we understand how this concept can seem quite....shocking to many folks!!

Hi Leslie! We wish you the best of luck with your move to Mazatlan - and congratulations on your retirement! Stone Island is a favourite of ours for seafood. A dune buggy sounds like a lot of fun!

The immersion is great for saving money on electricity - if you remember to turn it off! Kids in Ireland are haunted by the thought of leaving it on by mistake! The immersion is not good when you want or need instant hot water.

Hi Jan. We agree it really was a great find. We hope you find something similar at an equally great price. Are you thinking of moving to Mazatlán?

You overlooked the cost of the utilities that aren't included in the rent - people want to know this as well. These utilities, and how much they can cost, are mentioned in the video - did you watch ANY of it? Thanks for your "thorough" SPOILER ALERT! 🙄

Thank you for subscribing! No matter where you go first, have a great time during your visit to Mexico and let us know how it goes!

Thank you Curtis! Yes, the apartment really is a great deal. We loved that spot but we've since moved from that apartment to another spot in Mazatlan. We hope you love Mexico City as much as we do - there's so much to do and see there and we can't wait to return for a visit ourselves. It's wonderful knowing you'll be spending a few weeks in Mazatlan - the malecon here IS the best! Let us know if you have any questions about Mazatlan. Have tonnes of fun with your upcoming Mexico adventures.

Boy, it gets hot in Mazatlan in the summertime... That place might have actually worked for my son and I...if we juggled the livingroom furniture a big and put the small bed in the corner of the livingroom.... Don't know about that shower, tho...haha.

Indeed, the summer humidity can be tough to deal with. As far as we know, that apartment is available - we moved out a few months ago and nobody has moved in from what we understand. Honestly, as long as those electric showers are working properly, they make A LOT of sense instead of a traditional gas-powered water heater. Thank you so much for the comment!

@@ACoupleofDrifters Thanks! Geesh, we are paying $760 mo. for a tiny, rundown place in a small town on the south Oregon coast. It's crazy. It would be such a relief to move to Mexico but we wish to start in a small used RV and have not been able to save enough yet.

You'll find quite a difference in prices here in Mexico!

Unfortunately, that second bed has become a home for our clothes - we're too lazy to fold them up and put them away properly - LOL! We thank you for the nice comment, Jimbo!

Hello David. It really was a great apartment, at a great price and an amazing location. Even now well over a year later since we've moved out we still miss it.

Hi Ray, Lorenzetti has the electric shower market cornered in large parts of Central America, too. Oddly, this is the first Lorenzetti (or any electric shower) we've ever seen in Mexico. To us, electricity in Mexico seems quite inexpensive. Our power supplier is CFE, which is indeed federally-owned. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Avoid any areas that don't offer exactly what you want - do you and your wife want the colonial charms of Mazatlan, a more local feel, the glitzier areas of town, or a nice combination of all three? The Playa Sur area (just south of Centro) is a very nice mix of middle class locals and foreigners from north of the border - it feels a bit like the suburbs here even though it's so close to the center of old Mazatlan. The Centro neighborhood is simply the beating heart of the city and mostly consists of locals, however snowbirds/retirees live here too, generally centered around Plaza Machado and radiating out a handful of blocks in all directions from there. Our neighborhood is just beyond this range, however it still features a slightly lesser concentration of retirees/snowbirds. Yes, we consider our area to be very safe indeed for everyday living - we've been here for about 1.5 years at this point and have literally walked it (many times!) at every hour. Centro is, well, centrally located to everything we want and need - we don't have a car so it's easy to catch buses to anywhere in the city from here. We have a handful of restaurants we love, all just a few blocks away. The main market is four blocks away - the area around the market contains every shop or service we need. We love this neighborhood and encourage you and your wife to give it a good look this summer - good luck and happy trails! Warning: Summers in Mazatlan are very hot and humid!

Thanks for the comment Jorge! Yes, we're pretty happy with the deal; it's very affordable for us - and very close to the beach.

Indeed, Lorenzetti is a Brazilian company and their showers are manufactured there. The electric shower in the video is a Lorenzetti. Interestingly, we are in Peru right now and the electric showers we've seen in our hotels here are not Lorenzetti's - we can also say the same for the electric showers we have seen in Ecuador. Considering we are in South America, we were expecting to see Lorenzetti's. They are sold here, we just haven't seen them in any of our hotel rooms yet. Yes, this type of electric shower really works great and makes a lot of sense versus a tank of water which is heated throughout the day so it can deliver on-demand hot water - what a waste of energy and money! Still, we can understand how some people may question the safety of these types of showers, but they really are the best in our opinion - and are totally safe in our experience!

@@ACoupleofDrifters We have other makes here too, HYDRO is one, I think the quality is even better than Lorenzetti, my Hydro sh is 8 x 14 inches, LOTS OF WATER !

Hi Angela! Are you talking about the electric shower? If so, have you ever used one? We think these types of electric showers are great, even if the idea can take a little getting used to by some. These deliver unlimited hot water when working properly. Electric showers like the one in the apartment are very common in Guatemala.

Thank you Garland Etheridge! Indeed, it was a great value for us and we really enjoyed this little apartment - we miss it and still think about it often!

Indeed, it's a crazy-sounding concept at first.🤣Believe it or not, a properly functioning electric shower is safe and very energy efficient. The first time we ever saw one of these we laughed, however they make a lot of sense due to the fact that the water is heated right there at the shower head. Where we live now in Mazatlan has a gas-heated water tank. This uses gas throughout the day to keep large amounts of water heated all day - a total waste of gas...😥

At least you experienced what it's like living in this part of the world. We hope you find your ideal place to retire Diane. 😀

what places do you recommend, Diane?

We LOVE electric showers, although we also understand many people are concerned by them. Since the water is heated right there on the spot, it's so much more energy-efficient than a system which uses gas to preheat a tank. Also, we LOVE El Salvador - we cannot wait to return for a visit!!

Hi Don, Two degrees in Denver? We guess that beats 0! We did live in Maine for 14 years so we know the struggle is real! Our favourite part of Mexico should be easy to pin-down; we've been to all but three states here! Instead, we have a LIST of favourites: Real de Catorce in San Luis Potosi state: So many perfect hikes, all without another soul in sight! This place is magical! || Veracruz (city): Our budget hotel was just a few steps away from a great seafood restaurant that was open 24-hours! We are VERY easy to please... || Mexico City: SO much to do; we spent 5 weeks here and each day was full of sights and sites. This is simply a world-class city. || Bahia Concepcion in the state of Baja California Sur: Some of the most tranquil seas - with the bluest water! We kayaked here for weeks at a time! || Right here in Mazatlan: The best seafood, the friendliest people and an overwhelming sense that this place was love-at-first-sight for us way back in 2013. || The coast of Michoacan: We hitchhiked a very large portion of this route in 2013; the folks that picked us up were cool, the music on the radio was unforgettable and the scenery was STUNNING! Ah well, we're likely boring you to death! As you can see, we love Mexico. Have you been? What are your favourite places in Mexico and why?

We could do that. What we find even more odd than the position of the bed is that such a small place has so many televisions!

That's a good question. We suspect that shower, when it was plumbed, was meant to be fed hot water from a tank. Perhaps the electric shower was added as an afterthought? Or, maybe someone thought two handles looked a bit more legit? 🤣

We absolutely loved this apartment - it was perfect for two people. The price was right, too!

No, they aren't officially called suicide showers but that is how they are largely known in the English-speaking world, especially in the areas outside of where electric showers are common. Indeed, we mention in the video that we have seen many of these in Central America. We actually like these types of showers very much and aren't afraid of them! 😀

Thank you Stephen!

Thank you Suzanne! The water pressure was ok - we've had much better power showers elsewhere. However, as long as you had electricity then you had all the hot water you wanted.

Thank you for the comment! Yes, this is a great deal indeed and we love it here in Mazatlan. Where in Mexico are you considering retirement?

This is indeed a nice place and it was _very_ affordable - we're happy to be able to share it with you! Are you thinking of spending some time in Mazatlan?

Thank you, Connie. We love it here in Mazatlan.

Thank you - the price is definitely right!

You have a point about the similarity between the shower and an automatic coffee maker! 😂 We suppose electric showers can be dangerous if you take the unit apart or touch the wires while you are washing up. Other than that, all the electric showers we've used (in Mazatlan and throughout Central America) have been perfectly safe.

Hi Cathy, thank you for your very kind words. The apartment is on Calle Luis Zuniga. It is one block north of Plazuela Zaragoza. This is known as the Centro neighbourhood. It is extremely convenient to everything downtown. It's a great wee spot.

You are welcome! We hope you choose Mazatlan!

Hi Maclovio - we aren't knowledgeable enough about the rental market in Mazatlan and cannot answer your first question with certainty - anything we say regarding price and availability would be us speculating. However, we've since moved from this apartment and believe it's still for rent. In November, 2019 we found this apartment through a posting in a facebook group: Mazatlan Snowbird Rentals/House Sit. The posting we responded to was for a sublease. Aside from this facebook group there are other Mazatlan-related groups which feature rentals from time to time - we suggest you look into these groups to get an idea of what's what. We also see signs posted throughout town for rentals. Sometimes these signs are on the actual rental itself and sometimes they are posted in a shop or restaurant. We strongly suggest NOT renting a place without first seeing the apartment in the flesh, so to speak. We wish you the best of luck on your search and we hope you enjoy your time in Mazatlan!

Thank you for your comment Jose! That makes sense about the TV. As for the shower, we've stayed in a lot of inexpensive hotels in Mexico but have never seen those types of showers here, however many hotels in Central America have them. We LOVE electric showers because we think they are much more energy-efficient than hot water tanks which are fed by gas or electricity - with an electric shower the water is heated right there as you use it. Believe it or not, some people who have commented on this video have said they would NEVER use an electric shower because they think it's dangerous - we think these are very safe.

There are temporary resident visas and permanent resident visas for living in Mexico. It should be said that people have also used FMM visitor permits (granted for _up to_ 180 days) for many years in order to live in Mexico and some people still continue to do so. It's important to note that the practice of living in Mexico on an FMM permit has become a _very_ contentious issue lately in certain circles and there is much talk that Mexico's agency in charge of regulating the entry/stay/exit of foreign citizens (Instituto Nacional de Migración, or INM) will begin to *fully* enforce measures to ensure that this practice either no longer happens or is seriously reduced. The full _legality_ of living in Mexico on an FMM is unclear to some. Mexico's INM has been very generous with issuing FMM permits in the past (both in frequency and, more often than not, with the maximum 180-day allowance) and this has caused some people to abuse that generosity in order to live in the country long-term (decades in some cases) instead of applying for residency visas. INMs practice of generously issuing FMM permits has also caused some people to question whether or not it's illegal to continue using FMM permits to _be_ in Mexico for very long periods of time. To further make things vague for some when it comes to this issue,, Mexican law allows visitors with FMM permits to purchase property - doing this within a certain distance from the ocean front (50km?) or any international borders (100km?) requires a bank trust. We're not at all certain of the process of buying property in Mexico as a foreigner, nor are we sure how much information FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES regarding the legalities of living in Mexico is in either the public domain or available from experts/professionals, however this is exactly how we recommend you gather the information for the question you've asked: *From official sources only* or *experts/professionals.*

Hi Mike, Thank you very much for the comment - we're quite happy to hear that you found this video informative. Yes, summers here tend to be VERY hot and humid indeed. The humidity is higher late at night and in the morning, when the temperatures are (somewhat) lower. Let's face it, you'll sweat here at all hours of the day and night in summer, even if your sitting still!! Thank you for watching Mike!

@@ACoupleofDrifters De nada ! I wouldn't fare well in the Summer months there, so Winter it would be. I was there in February 1995, weather was very nice compared to February in Edmonton ! Mike

We hope you make it back this winter - 2021. The temperatures are absolutely perfect here from late October to April, when you start to feel the muggies creep back in. We lived in Portland, Maine for 14 years and we definitely don't miss the winters there. Sounds like you're well overdue a return trip to Mazatlan!

@@ACoupleofDrifters Hi yes 26 years overdue !

Thank you very much for the comment Juan. Keep Mazatlan on your list and good luck with your move, no matter where you choose in Mexico. Our plan is stay in Mazatlan until at least October.

That's an excellent question. We didn't have hot water at the kitchen or bathroom sink - only the electric shower. For washing dishes we boiled water in the electric kettle, then filled the sink. It worked out quite well, even though we didn't have instant hot water from the tap. We wore out several cheap kettles in a matter of no time. 😂🤣

I've found that if you have an electric shower head you don't have hot water at the sink. Sometimes the garrafon cooler has a heater though. :)

We wish we had one of those heating/cooling bubblers for the garrafon - it would've been especially handy for instant hot water.

Thank you for asking, Hunter - that is a very good question. We have a video where I sample the tap water in Mazatlan, Mexico. The video answers your questions and sheds light on exactly what the water looks and smells like from the tap in our apartment - see that video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mIwP8LT6h0I.html

@@ACoupleofDrifters Isn’t it recommended to use filtered water or have a filtration system installed? I owned a condo up until 2019 and the water filtration system worked out nicely and I felt far more comfortable. Personally, I’d never recommend drinking the tap water. My sister who lived in Mazatlan for ten years was always ill until they installed a filtration system.

Yes, it's recommended to drink and use filtered water. Within this comment thread I indeed reference the video where I sample tap water - by sample I only mean comparing the clarity and smell of the tap water to the filtered water, not drinking the tap water. I wouldn't recommend that anyone drink tap water in Mexico - the video I linked to in our comment above explains this. Having said that, ourselves we DO ingest trace amounts of tap water because we rinse our toothbrushes, wash produce, boil rice/beans, etc with it. We don't have a filtration system - we take our bottles to the water purification shop on the corner. This is cheap (about $1 USD for 30 liters) but it's not as convenient as having an in-house filtration system.

I am ready to retire on a very limited budget. Thanks again.

Thank you Eileen - we're very happy to hear you found our video informative! Yes, roaches are quite common in this particular area. We'd hesitate to say that we've seen infestations of them (although it's likely infestations DO occur at times), but it's not out of the ordinary to see a few solo roaches in the space of a week, in our experience. We see roaches in many types of buildings/businesses (even restaurants) or outside on the streets and sidewalks. Having said that, our own experiences have shown us that ants are a much, much bigger problem in homes than roaches. Again, we haven't seen infestations of them, however ants are certainly more of a nuisance than roaches are in our opinion, and we see more of them than cockroaches. We understand that some people may have a genuine fear about any type of creepy-crawlies, including roaches. We hope your cats aren't kept too busy hunting insects, or spiders!

We wish you well on your retirement Eileen!

@@eileenverdina6127 There are cockroaches but usually about three per week and I owned a very nice condo on the beach in the northern part of Mazatlan. It did bother me as I’m not a bug person. My condo was right above the parking garage and I feel that they would come up through the drain. When I’d come back to the condo in Nov I’d find a few dead ones in the condo.

We don't recommend drinking water from the tap, however we DO use it for cooking, washing fruits/vegetables and brushing our teeth. When we lived in that apartment (we've recently moved) we brought our water bottles to a shop around the corner to be filled - 30 liters of purified water costed us 24 pesos, or just over $1 USD. We have a video which covers a lot of things about the water situation in Mexico - I even take a sample of the tap water and compare it to a sample of drinking water - you'll want to see this! https//ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mIwP8LT6h0I.html For the cost of groceries: We have a very fun video which compares the prices of some basic groceries (bread, eggs, milk, flour, snacks, etc.) in the U.S. against those in Mexico - you'll be quite surprised by the this... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e_ipj8Asfm0.html As for watching television: We barely used the tv at all - maybe once a week to watch music videos from the 80's on VH1. 😀 In the end, we got used to how high up the tv was on the wall. Thanks for the comment and we hope enjoy the other videos!

@@ACoupleofDrifters Why did ya'll move, if you don't mind me asking. Do they do leases or is it all month to month on rentals?

We don't mind you asking at all! Actually, it was a sublease we had at first, then the landlord was super cool and agreed to have us month-to-month because of how crazy things have been in the last few years! Even though we are gone from that place, we STILL miss the neighbourhood!! So, we moved because we are housesitting for friends who cannot make it down from Canada. They very kindly offered us their place - so we have a very sweet deal deal right now, we're only responsible for paying utilities. Our current place is about 8 blocks from the old apartment - we are very fortunate to have been given this opportunity by our friends.

Sure, you can go through agencies. We found our apartment on a Mazatlan-related facebook group and there are quite a few to choose from. Of course, we strongly advise against paying a penny without physically being in the apartment first, either in our home countries or here in Mexico.

Thank you for the compliment and for subscribing - it really means a lot to us! Indeed, electric showers like the one we featured in the video are _very_ efficient compared to heating a large tank, either by gas or electricity. When are you thinking of moving to either Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta?

​@@ACoupleofDrifters That's what I'm familiar with, a large 40 gallon water heater. It's looking like it will be late 2022 or early 2023...not soon enough!

No

We hope the time flies by and you'll be in Mexico before you know it! Please accept our apologies for our late response to you.

@@ACoupleofDrifters Thanks! And no worries, I'm glad y'all are enjoying your journey and not spending all your time on here! Take care!

Yes, it looks like the 80's exploded in here! The previous tenants did a bit of decorating. Do you have any suggestions?

Yes, the price was right for us and the apartment was so close to everything we wanted and needed.

Hi Craig, Thank you so much for the very kind comment! Suicide showers are really efficient - and they're pretty safe if the wiring has been done properly! 😉 At our apartment (the one in the video) in Mazatlan, the internet service was quite reliable but the older model router was a bit temperamental and needed to be power-cycled on occasion. We are now living elsewhere in Mazaltan and the internet (and router) is even better than what we had at our old apartment.

Yes, the most terrifying question from our youth! Can't believe Ireland still has immersions!

It's in Mexico.

Hi BangTao Beach! Generally, a 12 oz. bottle of Pacifico from a shop in Mexico ranges in price from about 65 cents to just over $1 USD. If you buy eight 12 oz. cans of Pacifico, they can cost as little as 40 cents USD each. The real bargain is a Ballenón of Pacifico - this is a 1.2 liter (40.5 oz) returnable bottle which costs as little as $1.65 USD. The only problem with a Ballenón is drinking it fast enough before it gets warm, returning the bottle and then trying to drink the next one even faster! 😉🍺🍺 We apologize for the late response to your comment - believe it or not, we were in a remote area of the US for six weeks with very unreliable internet. We fell behind on a lot of things so we thank you for your patience!

Sadly, the factory stands for both televisions didn't come with the apartment - this is indeed odd. Truth be told, we actually got used to watching a tv which was high up on the wall, but it really is a strange position to put two televisions!!! 😂Thanks for the compliment, Matt!

Hi Lola, Thank you for the lovely comment on my Irish accent! After spending much time travelling through Mexico - and now living here - I've always found many, many similarities between Mexico and the Ireland I grew up in. It's very interesting to hear your insight about Irish/Mexican families and how similar they are, too. If you haven't already, we hope you get to visit Ireland some day soon and we hope you get to move to Mexico!

@@ACoupleofDrifters Awe Thanks hon....I was and still am very close to all my family from Ireland and I would love to visit the big Irish family of mine that are still over in Ireland ! My daughter Mary-Catherine intends to go study in Ireland for a year!! I’m so happy for her my Aunt Micki and Uncle Seamus are so excited! My daughter is the spit in image of my ma!....always singin, dancing and wakes with a big smile on her face to meet the morning! And the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen! Well sweetie May God watch over you both, your travels! I subscribed and I’ll be sure to catch up and like all your videos! And I’ll leave comments to say Hello as well 🙏🏼 Blessings , Lola

Thank you so much for your lovely words, and for subscribing! We wish the very best of luck to your daughter on her studies in Ireland - you must be so proud of her! Her being there is the perfect chance to go for a visit and catch up with family. Yourself and Mary-Catherine will love it in Ireland. Thank you again for your very kind words - we look forward to hearing from you!

For us, we never had any issues at all regarding our safety or security in Mazatlan.

The roof top was lovely, although there was no shade and it was a shared space. A nice little private balcony would've been nice but you are right - we can't complain!

We're glad to hear you liked the video - thank you! Indeed, Mazatlan is spread out (population of about 500,000). However it seems to us that most foreign visitors/expats/snowbirders tend to concentrate in a handful of areas in the city. The downtown, or Centro neighborhood, is quite concentrated - this is one of the areas some foreign visitors/expats/snowbirders prefer and it was our choice as well because everything we needed was within walking distance. Getting back to Mazatlan as being spread out: Personally speaking, population density in Mazatlan is much greater than what we are used to in our home countries and because of that the city is very manageable to us - we have no vehicle and rely solely on walking and/or city buses to get around.

Hi Brian, If you've never been to Mexico, coming for six months to scope it out is a great idea. You more than likely will get stamped for six months upon entering but just know it can less than six months, depending on the immigration officer in Mexico. However, usually 180 days (six months) is the norm stamped. This makes ANY trial period in Mexico a pretty wise choice, in our minds anyway. Of your four cities, which would we choose? This is tough to say without knowing more about you and your situation. Mexico City isn't as "open" as other places right now, but it's a hub for all sorts of things and we love it there. Queretaro is an up-and-coming destination; we only passed through here on a bus in 2014. Puerto Vallarta: To us, this seems a bit more of a tourist-driven beach destination compared to Mazatlan. Are you looking for, beaches; culture; easy access to other places; mountains? You could base yourself in one place whilst you scope out the other three. Check out flights when thinking of travelling between cities, you may be surprised that sometimes a flight can be cheaper than a bus. Personally speaking, we love it here in Mexico. Check out Facebook groups specific to areas you are interested in; you may find rentals within them, though it's best to be there in-person and NOT rent a place sight-unseen. An Airbnb may be a good starting point whilst you explore an area. If you come for six months and are then interested in obtaining temporary residency status, from what we understand this process must be done whilst stateside. Hopefully our response offers some help. By the way what part of Europe were you in for two years? I (Fiona) am from Dublin, Ireland.

Definitely Maz ❤️

@@ACoupleofDrifters , thanks for the information. I really want to go back to Europe but I don't see it reopening until 2022. I've been to Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Hungary and UK (just London - which in and of itself could take years to properly explore). LOVED THEM ALL! I have checked domestic air flights in Mexico and they are cheap. Are you staying in Mazatlan for awhile?

We hope you get to see Ireland on your next visit to Europe. We think we'll stick around in Mazatlan for a bit - it'll be tough to rip ourselves away from here... Let us know if you're in the neighbourhood.

If you like Europe, you’d probably like San Miguel de Allende or Morelia. They are both UNESCO World Heritage sites with beautiful architecture and have mild temperate climates due to their altitudes. Morelia has a very European cafe culture and SMA has a vibrant arts scene.

Is Mazatlan cheaper than Puerto Vallarta? We cannot say for sure, as we haven't spent any time there, aside from passing through on a bus. As for safety, we feel very safe here in Mazatlan, but our experiences are just that: Ours! We feel safe everywhere in Mexico, but this is just us speaking...

@@ACoupleofDrifters Thanks much for the quick and honest response. I really appreciate it. Cheers!

You are very welcome, Davis. We both thank you for your comments and your acknowledgement.

Hi Tony. We definitely got very lucky finding such a great apartment. It was also a perfect location during Carnaval 2020, we could walk to all of the events!

This was a lovely little apartment! We've since moved on from here but we still miss this place!

The electricity in the apartment did go out a few times, but it was never an ongoing problem and the power was restored rather quickly. Our personal experience with the reliability of electricity while traveling throughout Mexico has been very good. Here's our experience with internet in Mexico: The internet which was included with the apartment was very fast and reliable - about 30 mbps download/10 mbps upload. On a few occasions we needed to power-cycle the modem because it was an older model, but we cannot complain about the internet in that apartment. Internet at the budget hotels we stay at as we travel through Mexico: This is hit-or-miss but tends to be on the lousy side more often than not. Often times we observe only one router, usually located in the lobby, which simply doesn't reach all of the rooms. On occasion, even hotel rooms costing 250 pesos per night have great wi-fi. Where we're at right now (house sitting) has very reliable FLAMETHROWER internet (in our opinions!) with speeds of about 35 mbps download/9 mbps upload.

@@ACoupleofDrifters wow! thanks so much for the detailed info! 😎🤙🏼

You are very welcome!

The TV hangs on a sort of anchor which is bolted into the concrete wall, so to us it wasn't worth it to move the television. We seldom used that TV anyway, so there was no need for us to move the bed.

Both - we paid month to month for a while and we also had a six-month contract. Our landlord was very kind and let us pay month to month due to uncertainties regarding the pandemic.