The cost of a month in Baja

It has been a while since I did a “cost of” post detailing the finances of living a minimalist and nomadic life. Since we crossed the border deep into the month of January, I held off until February as it is the first full month of Baja spending. Unfortunately, it is also the month we have been in the more touristy areas so some things have been at a higher cost. I will give the exact numbers first, then provide a set of numbers that are a bit more generalized.

OK, first things first. The Peso to dollar exchange rate was just over 18 for the month. It fluctuated, but not by enough to make a huge difference

Unlike previous “cost-of” posts, this month is based on two people, not just myself. That doubles the amount spent on food, which normally comes at a much less expensive rate here in Baja. Many of our meals in the first few weeks were $2-$3 dollars per person, including a drink. The further south we traveled, the more expensive even a single taco became, and the more upper-scale places you can find. Included in the dining out figure is a week in Todos Santos were we made three visits to some upper-scale places for a sum of $180 (still very cheap by USA standards, but very expensive by Baja standards). Even with those 3 expensive meals, the average cost of dining out was $19, including drinks, for the pair of us.

Yes, we spent a lot of money on booze. In our defense, we brought only a few bottles of alcohol across the border with us, and all of the booze purchased are still nearly full at the end of the month. It was money spent, but not necessarily consumed… yet. Plus, you can’t come to Mexico without buying a bottle or two of Mezcal and Tequila, right?

Another area where we spent but not consumed is the groceries. We had to do a shopping trip in the final days of the month ($47). The food was purchased, but not yet consumed. Still, groceries are very inexpensive in Baja.

Lastly, the Gasoline costs were very low considering the $2.72 per gallon cost in Mexico, (more than double than South-West USA at this same time). They reason they are so low? We really did not get to drive many miles as once we were parked for a work-week. Once parked that is where the van stayed for 4 full days, without consuming an ounce of gas. The $181 is roughly one half the length down Baja along with the daily life and sightseeing done on the weekends… a total of 760 miles. And, of course, we ended the month with a mostly full fuel tank.

So, now I am going to filter out a few items to reflect the more minimalist spender that I am. I removed from the equation; the bottles of booze, the three high-priced meals, the big-ticket gifts that Kerri bought for herself, the fuel left in my tank, and a camping stove purchase as our stove broke during the month.

Again, this is for two people eating out regularly (23 times during the month), driving and exploring what Baja has to offer on our weekends (3-days per week) while staying put the other four days each week. We boondocked a lot during the month, saving the average $10 per night for a RV park or campground for two thirds of the month. The pets still had to be fed, clean water had to be purchased, and laundry had to be done, but two people having a great time in Baja can easily live it up for right around $1000 USD per month. It can be done for less, or more, but the figures above are a good representation of frugal-but-still-having-tons-of-fun budget for a couple in a van.