During the first ten days or so of the month we start receiving our utility bills. They don't come through the mail - they are just dropped through our front gate - usually delivered by someone walking along with a huge stack of bills.

We thought it might be interesting to reveal what a few things cost here in Mazatlán. All amounts are in pesos - about 10 pesos to the dollar.

Water & Sewer - less than 45 pesos per month. We allow Cuauhtémoc to use our water so our bill may be a bit higher than most. We have a dishwasher and laundry equipment.

Cable - We have cable with HBO and the rest for 475 pesos per month.

Phone & Internet - Between 475 and 500 pesos per month.

Electricity - Our electricity use is lower than it had been up North. During the non-air conditioned periods it has been running around 250 pesos per month. The hottest month we have bills for was less than 2,000 pesos. There is a government subsidy on electricity here from May through November.

Propane - We use propane for cooking, heating our hot water, and our clothes drying. We spend about 1,000 pesos every two months having our tank filled.

Food - I don't keep track of our grocery store and mercado expenses very well, but I think we spend about the same as we did up North. It really depends how much we eat at home and how often we go to Sam's Club! I think we spend about 3,000 pesos per month. This is everything at the grocery store and mercado, including cleaning supplies, alcohol, dog food, and my gomita habit! (Gomitas will probably be another blog post someday...)

Eating out - This varies a lot. We eat lunch out frequently at a cocina economica for 35 pesos each, but some of the more touristy places the prices are similar to up North. Beer - 15 pesos, Glass of wine 25-40 pesos, Entrees from 50 to 80 pesos. Wood fired pizza for 100 pesos. Quesadillas 35 pesos.

Clothing - It seems to be pretty expensive here but we haven't bought that much.

Annual House taxes - 1,456 pesos per year.

House Insurance - Of course insurance can vary depending on value, deductable, and coverage but between 2,500 to 10,000 pesos per year.

Gasoline - After converting liters to gallons and pesos to dollars it comes to around $2.65 US per gallon.

Health Insurance - I have a policy with good coverage in Mexico only for 13,000 pesos per year. Paul isn't covered yet since he has some pre-existing conditions that complicate things.

Doctor - Doctor visits are 200 pesos. Drugs are cheaper here than our co-pays were up North.

Vet - Booster shots were 200 pesos, bordetella 160 pesos. Office visit/consulation 200 pesos.

Dog grooming - Henry's schnauzer haircut & bath 140 pesos.