How Our Family of 5 Thrived on $2,300 a Month in Merida Mexico (The Real #’s)

When people hear that my family of four moved to Merida, Mexico, the first thing they ask is, “Is it really cheaper living in Mexico?”

The answer is yes. But there is a catch.

Mexico is not a magic wand for your finances. It is a tool. And like any tool, if you don’t use it with a plan, it won’t work. I’ve seen many expats move here with a “vacation mindset,” treating every Tuesday like a Saturday night. They eat at tourist restaurants, run their A/C at 65°F all day, and within six months, they’re spending more than they did in the United States; and many cases, they’re returning back to the U.S. because they can’t afford to stay.

To truly Move Abroad and Thrive, you need a budget. Not to restrict your life, but to liberate it.

The “Thrive” Baseline: Our $2,300 Reality

When we arrived in Merida four and a half years ago, we didn’t have unlimited funds. We had a plan though. For our first two years, our family of four lived—and lived well—on $2,300 USD a month.

We weren’t scraping by. We weren’t “surviving.” We were living a lifestyle that would have easily cost us $4,000 or $6,000 back in the States.

Here is what a $2,300/month “Thrive” lifestyle looked like for us:

• Housing ($525): We rented a beautiful, 2-bedroom townhouse in a safe, family-friendly neighborhood. This was our “anchor” expense. We could have found a home with a pool, but it would have cost us more in rent. We strategically lived in an area where we could walk to the grocery store to save on Uber fees, because we didn’t have a car. We’d walk to the grocery store and took Uber back with all of our groceries.
  
  There were two malls we could walk to and that kept the kids entertained; again, no extra Uber expenses. The choice to live nearby shopping options easily saved us a couple thousand dollars those first couple years in transportation. Plus, not having a car payment and insurance instantly put tons of money back into our pocket compared to needing that car and insurance back in the States.
  
  Housing will be your biggest expense, so think it through carefully. The US dollar fluctuates day to day and that can affect your rent costs in a positive or negative way. When we first arrived, we were getting $20-$21 pesos per 1 US dollar… Right now, we’re getting about $17 pesos per 1 US dollar. Which means we’re paying more for rent right now due to the US dollar being bad. Using the math from back then, the $525 rent would have increased to $617 USD.
  
  So when choosing a budget for your rent, be sure to factor in the fact the US dollar could tank in any moment. Because it’s certainly doing horrible as of this writing.
  
  I want to add that when we arrived, it was 4 of us… A 2 bedroom home sufficed (our 2 youngest daughters shared a room and they hated that, lol). Months later, our middle child arrived and now it was 5 of us living in a house. I was pressured to get a larger place, but I held firm… She slept on the sofa for about 6-7 months. We were on a mission and I had to stick to the budget/plan as best I could.
  
  You gotta make the tough calls and decisions. Making the wrong call could have you returning back to the States, and that wasn’t an option for us
• Help & Ease ($20-$40): We had a housekeeper come by once or twice a month. It cost us $20 per visit but sometimes we just wanted a deep clean. This lady would come in and thoroughly clean the place. She’d defrost and deep clean the fridge, clean out our trashcans, sweep up the leaves from our driveway, and even taught us some Spanish during the time she was there. She was awesome. tIn the US, this is a luxury for the rich. In Mexico, it’s a standard part of a $2,300 budget, jejeje.
• Food & Dining ($350): We didn’t shop at expensive places. We embraced the local culture. We shopped at the mercados for fresh fruit and vegetables, and we enjoyed family dinners out at local taquerías rather than tourist traps. Going to the chain or high-end restaurants could break your finances. The key to making your grocery bill shrink is to eat like the locals. We stuck to many of the staple means like tortillas, beans, rice, pork and/or beef. You’ll be amazed at how full you get when you eat beans with every meal, jejeje.
• Utilities ($175): It was difficult adjusting to the heat. The first year our electric bill was high, easily costing us $500 every two months (they pay every other month here). We eventually learned how to use electricity smartly—keeping that thermostat on 77 degrees helped lower our bill to an average of $350 every two months. During the winter months, we managed to get down to $100 every other month!
• Transportation ($225): No car payment. No insurance. No car maintenance (oil, tires, etc…). We used Uber and DiDi, which eliminated insurance, gas, and maintenance stress. This covered all 5 of us going where we wanted pretty much anytime. We didn’t always go together. I went to my own places. Kim went to hers and the kids went where they wanted. Because of where we lived, we didn’t have to always use Uber. We’d walk. And many times, we’d walk across the street to the mall and order our ride to cut costs on longer trips to places like Centro. We’d have them drop us off at the mall on the return trip and walked home… We’d usually get out at the grocery store and buy a few items and walk back to the house.
• Health & Misc ($50-$100): We paid out-of-pocket for doctor visits ($3) and medications, which are a fraction of US prices. Doctor visits are super cheap here. One co-pay in the States would pay for 10-20 doctor visits here. Got my tooth pulled out for $25 at the dentist (that was 3 1/2 years ago). One of the kids had a root canal AND crown for $225 … Kinda hard to beat.
• Cell Phones ($50): I pay $10 per month for each of the 5 phone lines we have. Includes unlimited texting and calling to the US, Canada and calls within Mexico. Unlimited use of whatsapp, facebook, instagram, snapchat, etc… I never run out of data with my plan. 5 phone plans in the US for $50 total per month ain’t happening … Ain’t no extra tax on my bill… I pay a flat $10 per month per line!
• Internet ($30): They have internet plans for as little as $17 per month (and that’s for fiber optic speed internet). It’s very stable and secure. We pay a little extra because my business is intensive with videos for uploading to YouTube. We pay $30/month and it’s good for the entire house.
• Netflix, Apple TV, Pandora, Amazon Prime, etc ($25): All of the same services you have in the US can be had down here; and if you have a Mexican debit or bank card, you can sign-up and pay almost 50% less for these same services and access pretty much the same shows/music you had access to in the US. Because the locals here earn less money, the prices are adjusted to the local Mexican economy. We pay less for Netflix, AppleTV, Amazon Prime and Pandora. I got access to 95% of all my favorite shows.
• Entertainment ($50): Going to the movies is super cheap. Especially when you go on certain days. One day, the 3 of us went to a new release movie (movies play in English). It cost less than $7 total for all 3 of us…And for popcorn, sodas for 3, candy, we paid under $10. The bowling alley is much cheaper… You can actually afford to go out a few times a month and have a life.
• Casinos ($50): Twice a month, i would take $25 and go play the slot machines. I didn’t expect to win; but I did enjoy going to get away. Some days I’d win $100 bucks; and other days I won nothing. But it was my way to de-stress and get some ‘me time’ for myself. Was it a waste? Nope … Because I did when quite often — so the habit supported itself and on those days I’d win $100, we’d go out to eat, so it was a win.
• Miscellaneous ($200): Things popped up often, but it didn’t really break us… Taking the kids to get glasses were very affordable. I got a set of glasses for $25. When we arrived, we bought mattresses and threw them on the floor for months before we purchased the bases. I found a cheap sofa on Facebook marketplace for $100 … It was very uncomfortable, but it kept us off the hard tiled floors… The main thing we wanted was a nice size TV to help make our days go by faster… As far as we were concerned, we had our essentials: a tv, couch, mattresses… Our dining table came much later, but I did buy one of those cheap tables and chairs from Sam’s club to sit at.
  
  We made it work!

Why Budgeting is Your Ticket to Freedom

Why is it so important to map this out before you move?

1. It Kill “Financial Anxiety” In the US, many of us live with a low-level hum of anxiety: What if the car breaks down? What if rent goes up? When you build a life on $2,300 in Mexico, you create a massive buffer. If your pension or income is $3,000 or $4,000, that extra margin isn’t just savings—it’s peace of mind.

2. It Prevents “Lifestyle Creep” Without a budget, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to replicate your US life in Mexico (buying imported cheddar cheese, buying a brand new SUV). A budget reminds you to embrace the local lifestyle, which is invariably healthier, fresher, and cheaper.

3. It Allows You to Focus on Experiences, Not Things Because we stuck to our $2,300 plan, we didn’t stress about bills. We focused on ‘trying to learn Spanish’, exploring cenotes on the weekends, and spending quality time with our daughters. The budget didn’t limit us; it gave us our time back.

The Bottom Line

You can move to Mexico and spend $5,000 a month if you want to live exactly like you did in the suburbs of Atlanta. But you don’t have to.

We proved that a family of four can thrive on $2,300. Whether you are a retiree on a fixed income or a family looking for a better quality of life, the opportunity is here. You just need the right plan—and the right home—to make it happen.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

4 1/2 years later, we’re still here thriving… I’ve seen a ton of folks come and go because they could not stick to the plan; or they came down here without one. Don’t let that be you!