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Prices in Loreto, La Paz and Baja California Sur, Mexico for Goods, Products, and Services
Price Levels in Loreto for Goods and Services.
Loreto prices for food are low, utilities costs are low, and property tax is absurdly low. Living in the Baja is quite comfortable and secure for Americans that find living in the US a financial struggle. Prices for restaurant food are very reasonable. Excellent breakfasts and luncesh can be had for $3 to $5. Very nice dinners are available all over town for $4 to $9. Mexican prices for Margaritas are cheap at $2 to $3. Baja Prices for canned goods at a food market are the same or 25% higher than in the US. Produce is 20% - 30% cheaper than in the US, and there is a lot of it. I eat alot of great quality avocados. The avocados are excellent and cheap in both Loreto and La Paz. Prices in Loreto for meat and fish are just a little bit more expensive than those found in La Paz, but only by about 10%. Prices for furniture and appliances are very expensive. See below.
Prices in La Paz for Goods and Services
Price Levels in La Paz for eating out, utilities, furniture, and property taxes are the same as in Loreto, except there is much more variety as La Paz is a much bigger town. However, prices in La Paz for fresh fish and meat is about 25% - 50% cheaper in than in the US and about 15% cheaper than in Loreto. Appliances are of medium quality and are about 20% more expensive than in the US. Gasoline today in the Baja is about $2.60 per gallon for unleaded regular while it is $4.50 per gallon in California. There are Pemex government owned gas stations all over the Baja. For a long time now, gasoline has been in very good supply and the quality of the gas has improved to the point where you do not have to worry about it. Building supplies and materials are about the same as in the US. Hardware and tools are about 20% more expensive than in the US.
Prices in Baja for Furniture Are Very Expensive
Prices in Baja for furniture and appliances are high. Especially for furniture. There isn't very much variety, and the quality is just so so to poor. I think if I were to start a new business in Baja, it would be as a small furniture manaufacturer. As mentioned elsewhere in this website, furniture is about 200% to 500% (not an exageration) more expensive in the Baja than in the US, and neither the quality nor the variety is very good, especially in Loreto.
Take your used furniture to Baja. Prices in Mexico are high for furniture. If you want to furnish your Baja house, the absolute best thing to do is to take your used furniture from the US to your house in Mexico because the Mexican government allows a foreigner to furnish their Mexican house with used furniture brought from the US. The concept is that you are ostensibly going to "live" in your Mexican home, so they allow you to "transfer" your currently used US home funishings to your Mexican residence. Be ready to prove your home ownership. That way you can avoid having to pay the Mexican import tariff. Since both Loreto and La Paz are both drivable from San Diego, I suggest that you consider making one big haul of your used American appliances and furniture instead of buying everything in the Baja. You will save a lot of money and you will have better quality.
Prices in Mexico Professional fees
Price levels in Mexico for accounting, legal services, architects and the like are a bit wierd. Before you hire a professional to do work for you, make alot of inquiries and get a good feel for the price range for those specific services. The motis operandi in Mexico among the Mexican merchants, including professionals, is to quote you an American price for services right off the bat. You have to be smart enough to know this and to flatly decline to pay that American price. "Inform" them with quiet conviction in your own mind and a calm, unassuming low register voice at a slightly slower than usual manner that you will only pay ___ dollars per hour for their service. End this sentence with a slight condescending cheshire cat smile on your face while looking at them straight in the eye, without blinking your eyes. Be prepared to go to several professionals until you get the one who agrees to your terms. If you don't approach it this way, you will be paying 40% to 200% more than you have to. Mexican prices for professional fees are all over the place. There you have it.
It is so nice to pay only $2.60 a gallon for gasoline. TOP