Live Like Millionaires on Vacation for $3,000 a Month
- Frederick L Shelton
- Mar 15
- 7 min read
Okay let me be clear, my blog is purely anecdotal. It is based on my personal experiences, interactions and conversations with people, here in San Luis Potosi – which has not been gentrified by expats like Guadalajara or San Miguel Allende. Okay here we go!
We’ve grown accustomed to “Living Well”. I’ve worked hard so that we could live in beautiful homes, join country clubs and enjoy a wonderful and healthy lifestyle. We’re doing the same thing here – but at a fraction of the cost!
Buying Isn’t for Newbies But Eventually…
We looked at buying a house and anywhere from $250K - $500K will get you around 3,000 sq ft in a safe, guard-gated country club community. With 15% down, that’s a mortgage of somewhere between $2,000 - $4,500 a month.
Renting Luxury: The Mind-Blowing Bargain!
Since I don't have my residency, we decided to rent. I’ve seen all these expats post about
renting a 1,200 sq ft casita for less than $500 bucks a month.
That’s awesome but it’s not for us. You can get a nice house in a safe, guard-gated community in San Luis Potosi for between $1,500 and $2,500 all day! A 7,000 sq ft fully furnished mansion was going for $3,800! I was very tempted to get it but Maria said something about how cleaning and maintaining that much home would be too much work. She’s so selfish!
We opted for a 3,200 sq ft penthouse in a brand new building.
The Cost of Living Like Millionaires!
We're living in tropical climate and in a brand new, high-tech building, in the nicest neighborhood in town. We have security on the first floor to greet visitors but what's really cool about the building security is that it takes facial recognition to get in the garage or building. Then it takes fingerprint recognition to get to our floor!
We have 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a Ladies Lounge (A bathroom with an area outside that has a chaise lounge, table, mirror for doing makeup etc. and a shower).
All the closets have built-in dressers with at least 16 drawers, short & long hanging racks and shoe racks to accommodate at least 30 pair of shoes. The bedrooms and bathrooms all have Pergo wood floors and the bathrooms have granite shower interiors.
Caveat: No baths (which we never used anyway).
The living and dining room (“Social Room”) is about 18’ x 38’ (5.5m x 10.5m), with polished granite floors, soaring 20’ (6m) ceilings and double, floor-to-ceiling windows. The views are exquisite! We also have a 15' x 18' loft which we use for an office and since the guardrails are plexiglass, it too offers magnificent views!
We’re in a completely safe and upscale part of town that is located less than a mile from the local mall, HEB (US grocery chain), CostCo, Liverpool (A subsidiary of Nordstrom's), less than a mile from two country clubs and is surrounded by large homes and mansions.
We have a modern gym, community center that includes barbecue areas, billiards, ping, pong, foosball, air hockey, poker table, and a rooftop infinity pool.
How much is this beautiful penthouse?
$2200 USD a month!!!
Other Costs for Luxury Living
Even with all the amenities, we don’t want to stay in our building all the time. What fun is that? We haven’t been yet, but I went online and tickets to the movies will run you about $3 bucks a apiece. Popcorn and sodas for two people, will go for a whopping $5 - $8 bucks or so.
Club Life
Even though we have every amenity possible in our building, we have always been members of country clubs. It’s a great way to meet other positive and successful people, and make new friends. The people at the club we joined here, are much warmer and friendlier than at our previous club – but that’s true about Mexico, in general.
Plus the club itself, makes our previous clubs seem like they’re lacking in amenities and offerings.
The tennis courts are pristine and surrounded by a specific type of pine tree, so as to keep the air fresh and clean. Tennis lessons are $20 bucks USD.
The gym is as big as any 24 Hour Fitness I’ve seen.
They have Racquet ball, Padel, Squash, Tai Chi, Yoga, Tae Kwon Do, Ballet, HipHop, Zumba, Crossfit, an indoor Olympic sized pool, outdoor ½ Olympic Sized pool, Parkour (where you run and jump from buildings, swing from pole and bars, climb walls etc!), and more.
The lockers are MUCH more luxurious than we saw at previous clubs and come with individual jacuzzis, dry saunas and steam baths. There's also an enclosed solarium and you can also get a professional massage or haircut & shave for twenty bucks.
No Initiation Fee, no Food & Beverage, No Nickel & Diming you on classes & events: $340 a month.
Fine Dining & Culture
We also enjoy fine dining and eat out at least 2 – 3 times a week. Everything from Seafood to Sushi to French fare. Average bill for two including Scotch & Wine: $35 - $45!
We love culture and when we found out the Russian State Ballet was performing Romeo & Juliet, we bought two front-row tickets. Cost for both: $90 (It would have been about $1,000 back in Vegas).
Cost Summary:
$340 Country Club Membership
$200 - $250: Groceries, Including Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies & Booze
$300 - 500: 10 meals out at nice restaurants
$ 20: Electric Bill
$ 15: Water Bill$ 20: Gas Bill
$ 65: Car Insurance - $500K Coverage, Covers Repairs at US Rates
$ 45: 15 Uber Rides with maximum tip possible
$ 15: Mobile Phone with Mexican number, unlimited data, apps...
$ 40: Highest speed internet - suitable for VR Gaming
$ 90: Two front row tickets to see Romeo & Juliet, performed by the Russian State Ballet
$ 20: Total cost of going to movies twice a month, including tickets, popcorn & drinks
$ 5: Cost of my prescription (In the US it was only $20 a month)
$ 0: Charging Tesla. They have free charging at the country club and malls.
Total Cost to Live Like Millionaires: $3,000 - $4,000
Mexico Isn’t Cheap! It’s Inexpensive: Know the Difference
If you come here, it’s best to refrain from using the phrase “Everything is Mexico is so cheap!”
That's so insulting and it’s not accurate! Cheap implies poor quality. Okay fine, there are pinatas and Tourist Trap items for sale in mercados that are cheap. Just like there is a bunch of cheap shit in Dollar General back in the US. The street food? Eighty Cents for a gordita wherein the vegetables, meat and even the bread is fresh made! That’s not “cheap” that’s fucking AWESOME!!!
Although less expensive, the food at all levels of restaurants, mercados etc. is WAY better, more natural and definitely healthier. I’m eating a LOT more and not gaining weight. Maria is eating about the same and losing weight. I guess not consuming pounds of chemicals every month might actually be good for you! The houses and buildings in the upscale neighborhoods are beautiful and spacious, with high ceilings and polished granite and
marble. The reality is that most things in the USA are overpriced! The 65” Samsung 4K Smart TV we bought for $500 here, was $730 in the US. Exact same size, make and model. There are billboards advertising brand new Kia sedans for $16,000 here. Try to find that deal in the US.
The malls are all clean and safe and even offer free chargers for EV's!
All that being said, some things are definitely more expensive here! Mostly American stuff. Want to drink Yuban coffee (from Kraft Foods in the USA) instead of the brew offered locally? Thirty bucks! Cavendar's (Again US company) Greek Seasoning? Twenty five bucks. Guess what? With all the money we're saving on other things, I'm buying the damn Greek Seasoning (not the coffee though! Coffee here is GOOD!) without hesitation!
Health & Dental Care
Both health care and dental are as modern as anything we've seen in the US. For expats with temporary or permanent residency, enrollment in the IMSS (Instituto Mexicano De Seguro Social) program is an option, costing approximately $40 USD per month, which includes medications and treatments at no additional costIf you want to see a doctor, it's usually $5.00 USD but in private offices and hospitals can run up to (Gasp!) $500 pesos! ($25 USD).
If you do want private insurance, I just got a quote from Alianz Health Care and it was going to be about $410 a month. That’s still far below the $2,000 I would have paid for a really shitty plan with huge deductibles and Out-Of-Pockets in the USA! .
IMSS also covers all non-cosmetic dental work! However, I want to get a crown and two implants. The cash price for crowns were quoted at $600 and implants at $1,000.
Given that the bill for visiting Green Valley Urgent Care in Nevada, for three hours, and receiving a total of two Tylenol as care, ended up producing a bill of $10,300 and a copay out of my pocket of over $3,000, I'm liking Mexican health care better!
We thought about moving here years ago but then COVID hit. Then other Life Circumstances came along and we just kinda forgot about the concept. Until late last year, when tragedy struck the US, and we decided we were definitely moving here.
We couldn't be happier! If you have any questions or comments, let me know! Cheers,
Frederick
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