BajaNomad

Price of Living in Your Baja Area?

Pompano - 1-23-2006 at 06:18 AM

I was just lazily 'looking back in time' with some very old receipts for goods and services I have bought in Baja Sur over the last 35 years. I got to wondering what today's prices are for various common things around the penisula and how they compare location to location.

Here are some 2005 prices for Mulege:

1 sack of cement = 103 pesos
1 truckload sand (4yds) = 600 pesos delivered 20 miles
re-bar = 3/8" diameter = 2.3 pesos/ft
blocks (15"X7"X6") = 8 pesos each delivered 20 miles
propane (bulk) = 4.62 pesos/litre delivered (Jan-2006)
paint?
calidra?
hourly general labor wage?
tacos y cervesas?
Etc, etc, etc, etc........

Well, you get the idea...what do you pay for general living (or touring) in your Baja area? Examples: Fuel, home building items, basic item groceries, services & utilities, expenses, and whatever?

List whatever your per item expense may be for a common thing, whether a homeowner or not. Should be fun and informative to see where the prices are different.

Also compare with prices from the past.....oh boy, that's gonna be a shocker! I can remember when we got a 5 gallon pail of jumbo shrimp for a Playboy magazine, eggs almost free, Pacificos for 18 cents, sodas for 12 cents, gas for 25 cents a gallon, ferry ride with camper, boat, meal,and stateroom from Guaymas-Sta. Rosalia for 50 bucks. Those days are long, long gone....and have been for quite some time!

Anyhoo..join in and list your prices. Have fun, life is way too serious to be taken seriously.



[Edited on 1-26-2006 by Pompano]

bajajudy - 1-23-2006 at 08:13 AM

Cemento-96.25pesos
varilla(rebar) 3/8 x 12 m-63.81p
1/4 k alhambre(wire)10.68p
truckload of arena-90p }7 sq. m
" grava-300p "
bloque-7.5p
one maestro, one helper....5500p/week
fish taco-12p
shrimp taco-15p
callo c-cktail-40p
case of pacifico-115p with ice

Maestro and helper?

Denver - 1-23-2006 at 08:39 PM

Bajajudy,

What do the maestro and helper do for 5,500/wk? Is that corridor prices?

bajajudy - 1-23-2006 at 09:35 PM

They are building a 3 story building for us. Small but tall. They do everything except carpenter work. They work 5 1/2 days a week.
It seems reasonable to me for the work we get and they are great people to be around. Always laughing. Today I walked out and the maestro had a bandana on his head because they were plastering the ceiling on the first floor. I told him that he was muy guapo.....then waited a while and said...senorita. They both laughed for a long time over that one.
It would be hard to find anyone anywhere like this guy.

Higher costs down on the Cape..

Pompano - 1-24-2006 at 06:08 AM

Maybe it is because that is where the boom is going on..unlike here in the Bay where things are quite a bit slower.

Maestro and helper at our casa = 1400 pesos for a 5 day/40 hour week.

This pair are always laughing and telling stories on each other. The maestro is a wonder and can do everything, including tilework, carpentry, bricklaying, painting, stuccoing, repairing appliances, landscaping, and the helper is fairly good at cleaning fish, washing boats and cars, and hauling garbage.

Manuel is the maestro and I am the helper...He is paid with real money, I am paid with banana cream pie. His wife, Melita (Carmen), cleans up after we make too much of a mess. We borrow money from her from time to time for a beer run and some of Demo's fish tacos in town. Costs us 110p with returned emptys for the beer and 10p for a taco.

Ah..you wanted to see those pies, again, right? Okay, here ya go. Still MUY DELICIOUS!

The good old days

Dave - 1-24-2006 at 08:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pompano
Also compare with prices from the past.....oh boy, that's gonna be a shocker! I can remember when we got a 5 gallon pail of jumbo shrimp for a Playboy magazine, eggs almost free, Pacificos for 18 cents, sodas for 12 cents, gas for 25 cents a gallon, ferry ride with camper, boat, meal,and stateroom from Guaymas-Sta. Rosalia for 50 bucks. Those days are long, long gone....and have been for quite some time!


In July 2003 the price of a pastrami sandwich was $6.95.

Today, the price is still $6.95!

(Of course, you only get one thin slice. ;) )

bajajudy - 1-24-2006 at 05:08 PM

Pomp
Boom doesnt even come close to what is happening here and I feel very fortunate to have these guys at all. I had to order my bloques before we even had a building permit(I know...what is a permit! You probably dont need one)
We were talking today about the fact that everyone here is either building or looking for furniture to put in an already built place. I have never seen anything like this big boom. It is scary to watch.
Today my worst nightmare came true. They have blocked our road to the beach. Dont want any of those pesky Mexicans being able to get to the beach in front of the 12 million dollar beach front lots...yes, my friends, you heard it here. The last lot on the beach in the Fundadores division of Puerto Los Cabos is on the market for 12million...dollars.
Tomorrow we will be 4x4ing to the beach but by dog WE WILL GET THERE. :fire:

Pompano - 1-24-2006 at 06:53 PM

Unfortunately, Judy, we have had to have building permits for about 8 years now for anything new or an addition. Even my simple wall required a blueprint, cost estimate, and building permit. Times have changed. 'There's a new sheriff in town.'

I am familiar with the development down your way. Cabo and especially the land just north of San Jose del Cabo..past the old Buzzard's Roost and north a few miles. I went there with an old Mexican-Swiss buddy about 15 years ago. After he labored to get lot sales going we celebrated New Years 2000 at a large place on waterfront acreage built by a winery family from California. My friend's first sale of many to come. His investment is paying off nicely and the place has certainly proven itself to be a real estate bonanza. Build it and they will come.

As to what it has done to the Old Baja...Like New Year's Eve...Auld Ange Syne...should old acquaintence be forgotten and never brought to mind...I doubt very much. The next good idea might be to start a Hummer waxing service.

Whenever the crowds get too much for you, come north...we have pie.

Capt. George - 1-25-2006 at 06:32 AM

Bring your northern ways and start paying northern prices...

Seem to do it to ourselves....Oh, I simply must have an archetect, what about a permit, what about professional blueprints...go with the local flow, you want Gringolandia? Stay there!

SI, if that's what you want we will gladly give it to you, in spades!

Loreto, archetect mandatory......$500.00 fee per month while building?

by the way, how do you spell archetect...?

Pompano - 1-25-2006 at 06:54 AM

Capt. George....with a lot of $$$'s and an 'i'.

I can fondly remember the times in Baja when you just thought about building something and went ahead and did it. (Actually we still do that Up North). We even built our own bloque maker/shaker thqt supplied blocks for a couple neighboring houses with the help of our local civil engineer. All on the QT.

Actually though, these permit requirements have always been in place in the larger towns and cities..just us rural guys who were 'out of the loop'.
Times is changing fast...adios Baja, hello ??...Panama, Ecuador, Argentina, Marquesas??

Oladulce...you are being charged pretty good for 'the road conditions'...I had 2 large loads of grava hauled on a goat track for 2 hours one-way for 2200p each.
I have been on the road to San Juanico many times...it's bad, but not that bad. But then it's such a nice place, the grava price becomes meaningless.

bajajudy - 1-25-2006 at 07:25 AM

Capt George
When the city comes out and asks to see your license and you dont have one, they shut you down. The way here now is very similiar to the northern way but not by my choice.

Pompano - 1-25-2006 at 07:39 AM

Definetely not 'our' northern way. Way Up North is like it was in Baja 30 years ago....I think you mean the 'lower 48' way. Which area, of course, everyone knows is just plain nutzo.

Bob and Susan - 1-25-2006 at 07:44 AM

Pompano

there's a load of gravel down the road from you that someone is selling if you need some

leftover from repaving...they have permission to sell it

not too expensive since its already close...

Pompano - 1-25-2006 at 07:48 AM

Thanks guys, but the grava is needed some distance away from our beach place. A different project. I imagine someone will want it though.

mcgyver - 1-25-2006 at 12:09 PM

Check out http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-business/legal-terms-mexico....
Read down to where it talks about beach access in Mexico.
You can also Google this.

Of course I know that the law in Baja is what ever the person enforceing it says it is!
Quote:
Originally posted by bajajudy
Pomp

Today my worst nightmare came true. They have blocked our road to the beach. Dont want any of those pesky Mexicans being able to get to the beach in front of the 12 million dollar beach front lots...:fire:

Capt. George - 1-25-2006 at 05:35 PM

How about this, in our little Pueblo, 2 years ago we decided to build a small casita for Deborah. I went to the Delegacion and spoke to the Delagado...

I asked what was needed for us to start construction...he looked at me kind of puzzled and said " Vikingo, necessito a hammer! Vamanos......"
This too will change with the influx of more people from coo-coo land AKA Gringolandia....

Enjoy it while you can BajaJudy, fully understand Cabo...I had enough time in NYC.....It sure is beautiful there but toooo busy for us.

George