$300 USD Apartment in PV + Lifestyle
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In this episode of Living Overseas TV by video creator Jim Kellett, he stops by for a tour of my $300 USD a month apartment nestled in the jungle, overlooking a river and is walking distance to downtown Puerto Vallarta.
We also talk about my budget expenses and lifestyle as a travel blogger and guide living in Mexico.
About the Jungle-style Condo
Everything that you seeing in my building was handmade by the owner, a former Canadian and now retired expat living in Puerto Vallarta.
Visitors can stay overnight, per week, per month or per year.
I love this particular apartment because it's so close to downtown and I'm right on the Rio Cuale river and can walk to the Los Muertos pier within 10 minutes. Plus, I'm just far enough outside of town where I'm not dealing with a lot of tourists and not a lot of traffic - that's great for me!
Most rentals in Puerto Vallarta are fully furnished apartments, so you don't need to worry about bringing a lot of your stuff here. My apartment came fully furnished with the stove, the fridge, the bed, furniture, air conditioner, the dishes, forks and knives.
When people first move to Puerto Vallarta, they typically want to live right in the tourist areas or right next to the beach. However, Vallarta has so many hidden gems within 10, 15 or even 20 minutes away from the beach that offers more privacy, lower cost living and a jungle-lifestyle.
Some great neighborhoods that are also very inexpensive in Puerto Vallarta would be Pitillal, Fluvial, Versailles and Paso Ancho.
budget & lifestyle
For me, budget was really important when I moved here and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on rent. I'm more of an experiences-over-things kind of gal, so I was lucky when I found this particular apartment.
I only pay $6,000 pesos per month which is about $300 US dollars.
All of my utilities are included which is even better so I don't have to pay anything extra for electric - a very rare opportunity in Vallarta.
I live off of about $2,000 US dollars per month, but that's a little bit more than the average person does around here. I love to travel a lot, and as a travel blogger I always need a little bit extra to get to the little fishing villages and great beaches that are to the south or north of Vallarta.
I also love to eat out at all the beautiful restaurants that we have here in PV, so that's where most of my money goes. Meals vary in price here - I can get tacos for 20 pesos each or I can go get a beautiful seafood dinner for roughly 250-300 pesos per meal. I eat fresh seafood every single day!
You can live in Vallarta very easily on $1,200 to $1,500 US dollars per month, all expenses included and still enjoy a nice margarita on the beach.
Driving in Puerto Vallarta
I rented a car for a few months, but I found it to be an unnecessary expense when walking or taking Uber or the bus is so convenient. I prefer to walk as the weather is great year-round and it's totally safe for me as a solo female traveler.
About the wifi
Here in the jungle the wi-fi is a little bit more spotty than it would be closer to town but it's good enough for me to work on my travel blog with not many issues.
Medical Insurance In Mexico
I don't have medical insurance here in Mexico and personally I don't think that I need it; I'm young, healthy, an avid hiker, I exercise often and I eat really well. In the past, any time that I have had to go to the hospital I just pay 500 pesos (equivalent to about 25 US dollars) at the emergency room and the doctors see me. I've never walked out with a bill over 100 US dollars for any of my past medical expenses.
Every year I get my general health profile and my blood work done, so I just walk into the laboratories here and they do it for roughly 80 US dollars - very inexpensive.
For more information on Medical Insurance in Mexico, you may want to check out Jim’s other videos on his YouTube channel Living Overseas TV:
Safety In Puerto Vallarta
As a solo female traveler, I find the whole city of Puerto Vallarta to be very safe.
In areas like Colonia Buenos Aires and Paso Ancho it's very local family-style neighborhoods, and many of the people that work down in the romantic zone live in my neighborhood.
For some folks, living a little farther away from the romantic zone causes concern about safety, but the locals here really watch out for each other.
Most people in Puerto Vallarta have bars on their windows, locks on the doors or a large dog as a convenient alarm system.
For more information on safety in Puerto Vallarta, check out my interview on Jim’s YouTube channel - Living Overseas TV:
Is Puerto Vallarta Safe? Solo Female Travelers Tell + Yelapa & Los Arcos.
rainy season lifestyle
My apartment is nestled above a river, so when rainy season comes the river is huge and there are some considerations you need to take during the hot rainy season if living in the jungle.
Outside of downtown, living in the jungle can be very interesting especially during rainy season because the water will flood into your apartment. We get a lot of mosquitoes here but we all use mosquito nets and bug repellents.
Dengue virus is common here in Puerto Vallarta and all over Mexico, so we try to avoid having standing water in any of the plant pots.
The humidity is really strong here, but living in Colonia Buenos Aires the air is so much cooler and much nicer for me.
The rainy season goes from the end of July through the end of October, so it's a good four or five months of rainy season.
A lot of expats don't like to go out too much or live in Puerto Vallarta during the rainy season because of the heat and humidity, but I love it because it makes the most fantastic sunsets, lush jungles and less tourists, so more space to enjoy the city as a local.
The amenities
In my kitchen I have a gas stove which is really convenient because occasionally in rainy season the power goes out, so I can still cook. Refrigerators in Mexico are typically very small, but that works for me because I can keep all my produce fresh.
Drinking the water
Here in Puerto Vallarta all of our water comes in large garafones (5 gallon water jug), and we hire local people to bring them up for us two or three times a week for 50 pesos plus a tip for the help.
Puerto Vallarta During covid-19
With lower rates of COVID cases than the US, a less dense population than most cities & most restaurants & activities taking place outside, Jim & other expats like myself feel safer in Puerto Vallarta than in their home base USA.
For more information about living or visiting Puerto Vallarta since the Covid-19 pandemic, check out my article and video collaboration with Jim from Living Overseas TV here:
Rent an Apartment in Puerto Vallarta
Contact my realtor in Puerto Vallarta to rent an apartment similar to mine. Be sure to use my promo code for the best deals:
Luis Orozco, Realtor
Menta Vacations
Website: www.mentavacations.com
Email: menta.vacations@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +52 (322) 302-9066
PROMO CODE: MYDEZTINATION
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Current COVID-19 Safety Protocol in Puerto Vallarta
Masks are required in all public places & social distancing is enforced. Public beaches are open & groups are limited to 10 or less, with mask use optional once you are on the beach & distanced from others.
Restaurants & bars have limited capacity, but isn’t much of a problem since tourism is so low right now since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Wearing a mask or not wearing a mask is not a political statement here as it is in the US, but from my observation, most seem to follow the protocol.” - Jim Kellett.
“As of January 26th, 2021, all passengers on international flights bound for the United States will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, PCR or rapid antigen, or written documentation of recovery following a COVID-19 infection. Canada only requires the PCR test.”
Testing requirements for both countries must be within 72 hours prior to departure.
COVID Testing locations and prices in Puerto Vallarta: https://visitpuertovallarta.com/covid-19
Yelapa Waterfall Tour by horseback - Book now!
What is the weather like in Puerto Vallarta?
From December through April, the average daily high temperature is about 81 degrees, with a low at night hovering around 65 degrees, so not too hot during the day & no air conditioner needed!
Where is Puerto Vallarta?
Puerto Vallarta follows the coast of the Pacific Ocean & shares the same latitude line as Hawaii, making it the best year around weather in the world. Most tourists visit the East coast of Mexico first because they assume that the Caribbean Sea will provide a better ambiance, but once those same people come to Vallarta they realize it’s the only place in Mexico where the tropical ocean is lined with the lush jungle of the Sierra Madre Mountain range.
