Rooms in Chapala

[synthia]

That's a great idea! Thank you.

So if the rent is set in US dollars, and I'm paid in US dollars, I would be neither hurt nor helped by fluctuations in the exchange rate. Inflation would be my only problem.

[RVGRINGO]

The currency you use for a rental will depend entirely upon your landlord. For the rest of your expenses, you will use pesos and they are easily obtained at any ATM machine. Bank charges will depend upon your bank and its relationship with the Mexican bank's machine. There is no way to escape the 1% foreign exchange charge. Be sure to notify your bank that you will be using your ATM/Debit Card, and possibly your credit card, in Mexico.

[synthia]

A few years ago I spent three months in Ecuador, then another three months in Peru. About a month into the Peruvian stay, my ATM card stopped working. When I called, a horrified customer service representative told me that 'someone has been using your card in Peru!" I told her that someone was me, then asked why it took them four months to become concerned that my card was being used outside the US.

I've learned they don't really care where you are, just so the field that contains your location isn't blank. And I think it resets with your first charge back in the US. At least that's how it seems to work with mastercard.

[RVGRINGO]

We always send an e-mail to the issuing bank before we travel to another country. That lets them know that there will be a change and approximately how long it will be before we return to Mexico. It has always worked and we've never had a problem.
However, should you decide to buy a big ticket item with your card, like a refrigerator or a car, you may expect to be delayed by the merchant and have to talk to the credit card folks by phone to establish your identity. That phone call has always been on the merchant's nickel, in our experience.

[synthia]

For some reason, this always seems to be more of a problem with Mastercard. I'm not sure why.

[El Toro Furioso]

Originally Posted by synthia

In another thread, there are posts about people renting rooms in Chapala for $100 or less per month. But when I looked on the internet, all I found was a room with a share bath at $300 down the hall. Since there was some detail about someone living like this for a few years and saving enough for a condo in Manzanilla, I started to think the rates might be a bit old, and rooms might be more now. Or are the less expensive rooms, as is typical, not on the internet.

I'm really trying to decide whether to spend the winter in the Chapala area, or in SE Asia. I know I can live very cheaply in SE Asia, but it costs a lot to get there. On the other hand, the up front costs for getting to Chapala would be a lot less.

Considering what is going on in the markets, I'm sort of planning to, once again, hunker down for the winter.

That was $100 USD per month in Chapala when the peso was 10 per dollar. At 12 per dollar the rent is now 20% less. No private bath, though. My wife and I rent a 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with front and back yards with mature fruit trees (right now harvesting limes, mandarins, oranges and figs), off-street parking with an automatic garage door and a laundry room. We pay our Mexican landlord and neighbor (and now friend) $324 USD per month. We live a block from Lake Chapala and a 25-minute walk to the plaza in Ajijic. We have magnificent lake and mountain views from our roof. Could anyone ever find a place like this on the internet? From a realtor? No.

[synthia]

Well, I'll be checking it all out in person soon. I'm planning to leave this coming week, probably to Cancun, and then work my way across the country, eventually going up the west coast and busing into the US, then possibly turning right around and coming back in.