Living in México

Guadalajara

The name Guadalajara comes from the Arab name "Wad-al hidjara", which means "River that runs between rocks". (Information courtesy of ¡Vive Guadalajara!)

The metropolitan area is made up of several communities with a total population of around five to six million. It has an almost perfect climate with an annual average temperature of around 19.2 º C. (about 67º F.)

Finding a place to live

El Informador is a daily newspaper that has a good classified section with lots of rental accommodation listings and houses for sale. http://www.informador.com.mx

Another source for rental accommodation is: http://www.superrenta.com

Apartments can be found from between $3,000 and $6,000 pesos/mo. for a two-bedroom, up to $10,000 pesos for a three-bedroom. Most apartment buildings have some level of security, locked gates and intercoms.

One of the best ways to find a home is to drive or walk around a neighborhood that appeals to you and look for "Se Renta" or "Se Vende" signs. Some good areas are Arcos-Vallarta, Chapalita, Ciudad del Sol, and Las Fuentes in Zapopan.

Landlords do very little maintenance on the apartment or house once it is built. If you have electrical or plumbing problems, you have to find someone to fix them yourself, and bear the cost.

You also have to do your own painting and provide window coverings, light fixture, and rugs for the floors, which are often faux marble or ceramic tiles. They do, however, have someone to maintain the public areas and put out the garbage, which is collected several times a week. Sometimes, you have to provide your own fridge, stove, and other kitchen furnishings. When renting better-class accommodation, you are often required to give a security/damage deposit, and occasionally to provide a Mexican co-signer.

You will probably be provided with your own laundry room, sometimes outside, and a patio on which to dry the laundry, but you will have to provide your own washing machine.

Most places use gas for cooking and water-heating. Some homes have large storage tanks on the roof for gas (propane) which are filled from tanker trucks; others have portable cylinders which are replaced by a delivery service when they are empty .

If you run out of gas, you will have to relight all the pilot lights when you switch to a new cylinder. The cost is between $270 and $300 pesos per cylinder (delivered and hooked up).

Utilities:

Electricity

Some landlords receive all the electricity bills for the building and hand them out to the tenants to pay.

If you have to arrange for your own connection, the power company is the CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad).

There are branches all over the city. Make sure the service you get is classified as residential or it may cost a lot more.

The cost varies but the average is around $100 pesos a month for two people in a two-bedroom house or apartment.

Telephone

There are several telephone companies in Mexico. It is advisable to arrange for telephone service as early as possible as installation may take two to four weeks. You will have to sign a contract with the company and pay a deposit of around $900 pesos.

Cable (pronounced cab-lay)

In Guadalajara, Megacable provides multi-channel television cable service. Extended service includes English-language news and movie channels, and a number of music channels. Megacable also provides internet services. Similar service is available in Zapopan from TeleCable.

Shopping

For general supplies and food, there are Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Costco, Commercial Mexico, and Gigante. There are also branches of Office Depot and Home Depot.

One of the interesting and convenient things about Guadalajara is that merchants supplying the same type of goods tend to cluster together, for example, you will find dozens of places to buy bathroom fixture and tiles on Niños Heroes; and Chapultepec is the street for Office furniture (towards the south end) and fabric and sewing supplies (at the north end).

Furniture stores can be found along Lopez Mateos, near Plaza del Sol, and downtown on Avenida Federalismo. There is a narrow little street called Donato Guerro near the city center (n. of Avenida de la Paz) that is lined with artisans' who make traditional Mexican chairs of raw wood and leather (equipales).

Tlaquepaque is the place for superior crafts. This charming old community has been almost engulfed by metropolitan Guadalajara, but has managed to hang on to its unique charm. Here you can buy hand-blown glassware, beautifully decorated ceramics, stained glass, paintings, hand-made clothing, silver and jewelry, and much more.

Tonalá is another great place for artisans. It is a small town on the southern border of Guadalajara. Tonalá is the artisan center of Jalisco and has a huge street market every Thursday and Sunday. The prices here are very reasonable.

Both Tonalá and Tlaquepaque can be reached by bus.

More about shopping

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