What should the average rent be, based on distance from School

[salto_jorge]

What should the average rent be, based on distance from School ?

Example:

One unfurnshed room w/private bathroom in a three room house, two rooms are rented one is a guest room, has an office, kitchen, living room, washer, dryer, frig + share utilities.
Gated parking, about 8 minute drive from UAG in traffic.....$450 mo.
Just off Calle Cancer near the large church and glass factory.

Is this average or way over priced ?

[Karplus]

Wow, that is out of site expensive. Keep looking.

I had a two bedroom with a postage stamp back yard for $450. This was on the back gate of ICB 5 min. walk from door to seat of classroom. I still was late.

Two doors down was a three bedroom, two bath, partially furnished with underground parking for six something.

I was lucky and got it online from another student before coming. Don't bet that you'll have it that easy.

[Pepz202]

I have a friend who pays 3500 pesos for a two bed 1 batch, gated apt in the same area. So yours is expensive if its in dls.

[salto_jorge]

Is theirs furnished, I had to furnish my own room. It comes with everything else. Two of us split the utilities.

Does your friend have a private restroom ?

I was going to suggest that the rent be lowered to $390. US

I can only be asked to leave.

[LaTeeCatin]

I've searched and searched and I hope I'm posting this in the right place...
Can we live near the school without a car?
Can a married couple rent a small furnished place within walking distance?
Can we do this without taking out private loans?
Can my husband get a part-time job in Mexico?
I'd love to attend this school but haven't applied yet. I'm trying to find more 'living cost info'. Any current info would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be a lot of info about 30 years ago on these threads that isn't terribly useful. Thanks.

[brainteazer07]

I've searched and searched and I hope I'm posting this in the right place...
Can we live near the school without a car?
yes u can, there are ample of apts around the campus that are walking distance. i live 3 mins away from the class. getting bag full of groceries can get lil time consuming with all the walking. groceries are 5-20 mins walking one way depending on where u live. getting really cheap car would come in handy, doesnt matter how old it is, you wont do much driving here anyways.

Can a married couple rent a small furnished place within walking distance?
yupp. quite easily. just have to come early and shop early

Can we do this without taking out private loans?
that depends on how much u have in the bank. depending on the exchange rate, rent can be from 250-600 dollars. plus food, plus books, taxis?, med equipment, scrubs, etc etc

Can my husband get a part-time job in Mexico?
there are lot of couple who do that, some say its not legal, but ppl still manage to find work. of course it depends on what he wants to do

I'd love to attend this school but haven't applied yet. I'm trying to find more 'living cost info'. Any current info would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be a lot of info about 30 years ago on these threads that isn't terribly useful. Thanks.
which other schools are u considering? it would be hard to find something as cheap as mexico.



good luck!

[LaTeeCatin]

Well, I already have a bicycle as a daily driver and we survived Katrina (no power or running water for nearly 6 months). We don't need the standard American lifestyle to be happy and the bi-lingual experience would be interesting. I'm currently looking at U of MS SOM, USA (Mobile, AL) and a new DO school in Hattiesburg, MS. I'm a senior at Southern Miss with a 3.7 GPA and unknown MCAT (2 weeks ago). We have zero $$$ in the bank, and will be financing med school thru loans.

[brainteazer07]

Well, I already have a bicycle as a daily driver and we survived Katrina (no power or running water for nearly 6 months). We don't need the standard American lifestyle to be happy and the bi-lingual experience would be interesting. I'm currently looking at U of MS SOM, USA (Mobile, AL) and a new DO school in Hattiesburg, MS. I'm a senior at Southern Miss with a 3.7 GPA and unknown MCAT (2 weeks ago). We have zero $$$ in the bank, and will be financing med school thru loans.

thats a nice GPA. hopefully MCAT score would work out well for you. most of us dont take private loans [i dont know of anybody who has done that yet]. government gives u more than enough money to work with, esp since u r married, u would get more money. you would be easily able to live very comfortable life with loan money.

i wonder if UAG does scholarship. haha

if u get good MCAT score, you would be able to get into lot of US schools. Students live off of govt money anyways.

[LaTeeCatin]

Thanks...I'm not originally from MS, and GDL sounds nicer than Jackson, MS. In order to live in a safe neighborhood there, I'll be driving in 20-30 minutes each day. I heard of UAG from a recruiter from San Antonio who was visiting USM. If my MCAT isn't stellar, then I'll likely be working on my spanish full-time :D Thanks for the info brainteazer07

[eastern2western]

Well, I already have a bicycle as a daily driver and we survived Katrina (no power or running water for nearly 6 months). We don't need the standard American lifestyle to be happy and the bi-lingual experience would be interesting. I'm currently looking at U of MS SOM, USA (Mobile, AL) and a new DO school in Hattiesburg, MS. I'm a senior at Southern Miss with a 3.7 GPA and unknown MCAT (2 weeks ago). We have zero $$$ in the bank, and will be financing med school thru loans.
if you are coming to gdl, do not ride your bikes period because the danger that is involved is not worth the pain. the roads is here are not flat and even like the states, I even tripped over the street cracks when I was running on the streets, I can only recommend a bike if you are into extreme sports. if your get a bike in here, the money you saved from not getting a car would probably be spend in medical bills later on, most of people in here live from loans, if your gpa is that strong go us because a lot of people can not adapt to the lives in here

[ajijicdoc]

I've searched and searched and I hope I'm posting this in the right place...
Can we live near the school without a car?
Can a married couple rent a small furnished place within walking distance?
Can we do this without taking out private loans?
Can my husband get a part-time job in Mexico?
I'd love to attend this school but haven't applied yet. I'm trying to find more 'living cost info'. Any current info would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be a lot of info about 30 years ago on these threads that isn't terribly useful. Thanks.

We are looking at a house within walking distance, so I'll only be using my car during rainy season and for grocery shopping - I shop for a family of 5 plus a nanny - can't do that by walking.

I don't know about small places - like I said family of 5 - but if we can find a large enough house close, I'm sure you can find an apartment close.

If Federal loans cover it all - no need for private!!!

Your husband cannot legally work in Mexico without a work permit. Depending on what he wants to do - the permit can be very easy or difficult to get - and ALWAYS a hassle to aquire. Most gringos work for cash under the table, but there is always the chance of immigration raiding the establishment looking for 'undocumented workers' - similar to US. It happened to my friend a week ago - thank goodness our other friend is a mexican lawyer!! I wouldn't let it stop you, just be careful doing it.

GPA shouldn't determine if you go US or Mexico - mine is 3.8. The decision is whether or not you want to be in Mexico for the next 4-5 years. Can you handle the culture shock? Can you handle the language? (And yes you need some spanish just to get by in life outside of the english classes at school.) There are many aspects to UAG that you will not have to deal with in the US - those should be where your efforts are for the decision making!!

As far as the cost of living - overall, it is less than the US - but can be quite a bit more - depending on your ability to adjust. If you need US food products and personal care items (shampoo, laundry soap)- groceries will be more - a box of granola type cereal (US Brand) is over $5. However, if you can adapt and eat / use Mexican brand items it is much cheaper. Milk, meat are about the same. Veggies and Fruits (bought at the outside markets) are MUCH CHEAPER!!!! Water, gas, phone - all about the same. Electricity can be more because there is not one fee for use - the more you use, the more $$ per kwh.

Hope this helps. I've lived here in Mexico for almost 5 years (not as a student). If you have more questions, pm me!!

[salto_jorge]

How far away from ICB are you and how much do you pay for rent ?

[ajijicdoc]

How far away from ICB are you and how much do you pay for rent ?

I don't live in Guad yet..... I live out by Lake Chapala and we own our house - not rent. We'll be renting when we move to Guad in January - and paying around $1000 for a large funished house.

[salto_jorge]

Just curious, how far is it from the school ?

Is large over 196 square meters ?

[ajijicdoc]

Just curious, how far is it from the school ? Is large over 196 square meters ?

It is about 1 block from ICB. It is about 1800 sq ft. It has three bdrms, 3.5 bath, office, nanny room/bath, kitchen, 2 dining areas and two small courtyard (outside) spaces.

[salto_jorge]

In the end would $700 - 800 US be reasonable for a two level house (197 sq meters ) , 2 bedroom/2 bathroom plus office and a bathroom in the first level hall way with washer/dryer/frig and kitchen table. The only thing missing would be ones own bed. Strangely there is a third bedroom with bath that is not rented and we are not supposed to use (ha ha ). Has off street parking for only two cars, could be why the third room is not rented. The place is about a 5 minute drive from the school down 2 lane residential streets.

We are thinking about finding a cheaper place if it is over priced.

[brainteazer07]

In the end would $700 - 800 US be reasonable for a two level house (197 sq meters ) , 2 bedroom/2 bathroom plus office and a bathroom in the first level hall way with washer/dryer/frig and kitchen table. The only thing missing would be ones own bed. Strangely there is a third bedroom with bath that is not rented and we are not supposed to use (ha ha ). Has off street parking for only two cars, could be why the third room is not rented. The place is about a 5 minute drive from the school down 2 lane residential streets.

We are thinking about finding a cheaper place if it is over priced.

if u dont need that big of an house...than u can say its over priced. other than tht its not too bad of a deal. there are house like that in the "cotas" on naciones unides where lot of students with families live.

[salto_jorge]

Its in a coto, two of us live in it.

[LaTeeCatin]

In which colonia is the school located, and would the apartments be in the same one

[brainteazer07]

In which colonia is the school located, and would the apartments be in the same one

Colony is Providence. and yes apartments will be in same colony. there are other colonies nearby where u can find apt as well.

[cpt.ricard]

check map section in student manual.

[JesusLovesYou]

I live 3 minutes quick walk from class. Less than one minute from campus. I pay about $5500 pesos with a almost fully furnished apt. and gas and water are paid for. I only pay for electricity which is like less than $10 a month (depends on how much you use of course). My rent may be going up another $500 pesos. You really won't find anything at my price this close to campus. It will usually cost you more than $7,000 pesos easily. My apt is single occupancy with one bedroom (two beds), one bathroom (no jacuzzi)m one fair sized closet (not walk-in), dining room combined with kitchen and dining room, and small patio room that I put my washing machine into.

[excmnd&bdy]

I just spent an entire week in Guadalajara searching for apartments/houses. There are a multitude of options:

5000 pesos: 2 bedroom apt/1 bath/ 0.5 to 2 miles from ICB. Parking (not gated)
7000 pesos: 3 bedroom apt/ 2 bath/ Providencia/ 15 minute walk to school/ 5 minute drive/ gated parking/ no guard
8000-10000 pesos: 2 or 3 bedroom house/2-3 bath/guard/gated parking/
13000 pesos: nice luxury apt b/n 2 and 3 bedrooms in highrise with guard/parking.

Obviously there are other options but I was looking for something specific and so one room apts or shared apts are available and cheaper. There are signs everywhere with numbers.. once you get to Guad just walk/drive around and call, call, call. Good luck!!!

[salto_jorge]

Good Budget housing does not stay around very long.
Some priced places may not have the best reputations either.

My experience seems to be, being at the right place at the right time and friends.

Depending ones how much one is used to spending it could be very hard to find a place near the school.

The area does not have rent control, you have no idea other owners/students are charging on the same street where you live.

We neet a list of house and room rates in the areas where students live plus information like gated, guards (what the guards watch), etc.