38,000 MXN a month in rent. 114,000 MXN needed to secure the home. For one American couple moving to Puerto Vallarta, those two figures capture why a monthly cost-of-living budget is only the starting point.
In this interview, Dez Kjolseth, Founder of My Deztination, walks through a client relocation to explain the deposits, setup expenses, payment timing and reserves that can shape the first year. Her central message: budget for the transition as carefully as the life you hope to lead afterward.
Before you begin
- Separate your regular monthly spending, relocation and setup costs, and contingency reserve.
- Advance rent and a refundable deposit still require accessible cash, even when they are not additional permanent expenses.
- This is one supported, multigenerational move to Puerto Vallarta in August 2026, not a typical or minimum Mexico budget.
Dez uses the names Tara and Derek for the couple. The amounts below are approximate figures she supplied. MXN means Mexican pesos; USD means U.S. dollars. The case does not provide a complete first-year total.
1. Start with the life your move needs to support
Q: Could you choose one move to walk us through?
Dez describes a married American couple preparing for a permanent life in Puerto Vallarta. They needed a furnished three-bedroom home, including a downstairs bedroom for an older family member who planned to join them. Access to healthcare, shopping and everyday necessities mattered, as did enough walkability to avoid complete dependence on a car.
After a scouting trip and housing search, they chose a home at approximately 38,000 MXN per month. Their planning also considered future family arrivals and changing healthcare, residency and administrative needs. These requirements help explain the scale of this particular move.
Knowing what you can afford to live on each month is only the beginning.
Dez Kjolseth, My Deztination
2. Monthly rent versus cash needed to get established
Q: What had they budgeted, and what did it take to get established?
Their 38,000 MXN figure was the rent budget, not their total monthly living budget. To secure the property, they committed the first month’s rent, last month’s rent and a refundable security deposit, each equal to 38,000 MXN.
| Item | Approximate amount | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | 38,000 MXN | Ongoing housing cost only. |
| First month + last month + refundable deposit | 114,000 MXN upfront | Includes the first month’s rent. Do not add it twice; the deposit is refundable subject to the lease. |
| VIP relocation planning and support | 10,000 USD | This family’s chosen service package, not a required moving fee. |
| Professional immigration assistance in Mexico | 5,000 MXN per person | A professional service charge, separate from government fees. |
| Initial grocery stocking | 4,658 MXN | An arrival purchase, not a monthly grocery estimate. |
| Drinking-water filtration | 7,000 MXN plus IVA | The selected system’s setup cost; VAT was additional. |
| House-call doctor and treatment | Under approximately 2,000 MXN | A reported episode of care, not a general healthcare or insurance budget. |
The 10,000 USD service package covered broader relocation coordination, including planning, scouting, housing, lease negotiation, arrival arrangements and household setup, with ongoing work around family needs. Readers choosing different levels of support will need their own quotes.
These rows are not a total. They mix recurring spending, advance payments, a refundable deposit and selected one-time expenses. They also exclude some travel, scouting, household purchases, government charges and ongoing living costs. Dez did not supply a complete annual budget or enough detail to calculate one without assumptions.
3. Setup costs and the surprise that could have meant moving twice
Q: Which expenses were predictable, and what caught them off guard?
Housing, relocation support, travel, residency and home setup were foreseeable. Even a furnished rental still needed groceries, drinking water, transportation and services organized. Residency preparation began before arrival and involved its own financial and documentation timeline.
The unexpected problem was nighttime noise. After moving in, the couple discovered that nearby late-night clubs produced enough bass and music to make sleep difficult. Leaving could have meant another housing search, another move, fresh deposits and advance rent, and possible losses under the original lease.
Dez says she worked with the realtor and owner to arrange window improvements that reduced the noise enough for the couple to stay. The account does not specify the window cost or who paid, so this article does not assign a savings figure. The useful lesson is to investigate whether a problem can be resolved before paying to repeat the move.
Soon after arrival, they also needed medical care. Dez reports that an English-speaking doctor’s house call cost around 1,000 MXN, with medication and additional treatment bringing that episode to under approximately 2,000 MXN. It illustrates an unplanned expense; it does not establish what another person’s care will cost.
Planning resource
Test the neighbourhood as well as the home. Visit at different times, including late evening, and investigate the routes, services and daily routines you will depend on.
4. Map when payments come due
Q: When did expenses overlap, and how did they manage the cash flow?
Dez’s point is that moving expenses do not arrive in twelve equal instalments. Scouting and residency preparation came first, followed by housing commitments, travel and arrival setup. Costs in the country of departure can continue while the new household begins spending in Mexico.
The couple kept reserves available, which meant the noise problem did not force an immediate decision based solely on cash. A home’s value or money in a retirement account is different from funds accessible when a deposit or unexpected bill is due.
MexPat Guide planning checklist, based on Dez’s advice:
- Six to twelve months before the move: map scouting, professional planning and residency preparation, as applicable to your route.
- When securing housing: list deposits and advance rent separately, including refund conditions and due dates.
- In the final thirty to sixty days: account for travel, temporary accommodation, transport and home setup.
- During the overlap: track rent or mortgage payments, insurance, utilities, storage and other commitments in both countries.
- After paying setup costs: check how much money remains readily accessible for unexpected needs.
5. Spend early on decisions that are hard to undo
Q: Which choices were worth the money, and what could wait?
Dez puts scouting, understanding the housing market and researching important healthcare or accessibility needs ahead of committing to a location. A place that works for a holiday may not support the household’s everyday life.
She describes this relocation as a sequence developed over roughly a year and a half: planning and scouting, residency preparation, housing, then arrival setup. Other administrative needs were addressed as the family’s circumstances became clearer.
Selling possessions rather than shipping them can also change the budget. The choice depends on what the household actually needs in Mexico and the cost of replacing or transporting it. Her broader approach is to ask whether a purchase is necessary, reasonably priced and needed now.
Sometimes the best way I save a client money isn’t negotiating a lower price. It’s preventing them from having to pay for the same stage of their relocation twice.
Dez Kjolseth, My Deztination
6. Build a first-year Mexico budget in three parts
Q: What should someone put into the budget before committing to a move?
Dez recommends three separate figures, tailored to the household rather than copied from another person’s spending.
- Monthly life: rent, utilities, groceries, transport, healthcare, entertainment and everyday spending.
- Relocation and setup: scouting, immigration, chosen professional support, travel, deposits, advance rent, shipping or pet transport, and getting the home operational. Record realistic proceeds from selling belongings separately.
- Contingency reserve: accessible money not already committed to getting established.
Instead of offering one reserve amount for everyone, she asks clients to price a serious but realistic disruption. Could they pay for temporary housing and another deposit if a rental did not work? Buy an unexpected flight home? Manage delayed belongings or additional time supporting households in both countries?
That exercise turns a vague emergency fund into a practical question about the options the household would have. It also prevents the monthly living budget from quietly absorbing every setup expense.
Your next step
Make a payment calendar alongside your monthly budget. Mark each amount’s currency, due date, refundability and whether it is a current quote or an estimate.
Residency fees: use the rate for your own route
Dez’s case included consular charges, professional assistance and resident-card fees in Mexico. These are different costs. Her historical figures should not be treated as a fee schedule for every applicant.
For current charges and applicable reductions, consult the INM procedure and fee information and the Mexican consular visa guidance, then confirm with the office handling your application. Our residency guide provides a planning starting point.
About Dez Kjolseth and My Deztination
Dez Kjolseth is the Founder of My Deztination, a Mexico relocation company helping people plan and manage moves throughout the country. She says she has lived in Mexico for more than ten years and that the company supports relocations in more than twenty cities.
Dez provided this case from her company’s work, including the price of its professional support. Her commercial role is relevant to the perspective she brings.
Based on Dez Kjolseth’s written interview responses supplied to MexPat Guide in September 2026. Answers are summarized in the third person; blockquotes are excerpts from her responses. The checklist and explanatory notes are by MexPat Guide. Costs are contributor-reported examples, not independently audited invoices or market averages.
More interviews about life in Mexico →
About the Author
Ken Gardner develops and curates MexPat Guide from Vancouver, Canada. He focuses on Mexico relocation research and practical comparison questions. This is educational planning information, not a claim of local residence or individual immigration advice.
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