Living in Tulum

So, you want to live in Tulum? I always get the question… “What is it like to live in Tulum?” “How much do I need to live on in Tulum?” and “Are there jobs in Tulum?” Here is my answer…Since this whole blog is about my experiences living here this information is based on how I live and how I know that some others live.

When I moved to Mexico a good friend of mine said 2 things that I have found to be pearls of wisdom here. 1) “If you go to Mexico and try to find ‘Rice-a-Roni’ and focus on the fact that you cannot find it -you will be miserable. But if you focus on the fact that just bought 3 pineapples for a dollar- then you will be thrilled.”
This is very true. Not in many of the big cities but in the smaller towns and villages it is very true. I in fact started a whole blog about my new cooking life here in Mexico because I cannot find the things that I am used to having around so I have to learn new ways to use things.

Now, for living in Tulum and what it is like to live in Tulum. The 2nd thing my friend said to me is also very true, “to live in Mexico is very inexpensive. But to buy anything in Mexico is expensive.” The cost of living here is very low but, especially in the touristy areas like Tulum, the cost of buying anything is near what you would pay in the states. A soda is a dollar, a cocktail is 4 or5 dollars and cloths are 15-30 bucks a piece. While things are cheaper than they are in the states, they are still pretty high, especially when you think about how much we make.

So here is the breakdown.
Housing: rents range from 2000 pesos for a room sometimes with a little furniture and small kitchen sink. You basic little house (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms) with a little yard is around 4000-6000 pesos per month depending on how nice people have made them. There are some nice apartments and condos and small houses that rent for 9,000+ pesos a month as well.

Utilities: Our utilities are internet, cable, water and electricity. The city takes care of garbage. There is currently no recycling pick up (we are all working on changing this) For cable and internet we pay 550 pesos for the higher speed internet and about 60 channels (5 or so in English) Water is about 150-200 pesos a month. And electric can range between 200-400 hundred pesos in the lower months but in the hot summer months when we are running our fans a lot it is about 800-1000 pesos a month. If you have air conditioning it can be upwards of 2,000 pesos.

Food and water: We cannot drink the water out of the tap here so we buy large 20 L. bottles for 23 pesos. We use about 3 or 4 a week. I would say we spend about 300 pesos a month on water. And for food- we budget 1000 pesos a week for food. ****There are some great fruiterias and meat stores in town and these are a great way to get fresh, local ingredients and support the local economy!!!****

If you do not have a car transportation is another thing to think about. Taxis are cheap and so are the collectives. Bikes are a very easy and fast way to get around Tulum as well.


As for jobs: Yes there are jobs- it gets really slow during certain times of the year but there is work to be found. Sept and Oct. are the best months to move and start looking for a job. Tulum is also a great place for people who want to start something of their own.

My husband has a good job. He speaks English and Spanish and makes around 10,000-13,000 pesos a month. There are better jobs and worse jobs as well and pay can fluctuate.

Well, I hope that this helps any of you that are interested in moving to Tulum. It is a wonderful place and I love living here. If you have more specific questions, feel free to email me.