the real cost of utilities and bills in acapulco de juárez (and why it feels like a scam)
so i moved to acapulco de juárez last year thinking "beach life, low cost, easy living" and yeah... i was half right. the rent's cheap if you avoid the tourist traps, but the utilities? bruh. they hit different here.
first off, electricity. cfe (the national electric company) is basically a roulette wheel. one month i paid 800 pesos, next month 2,200. no warning. no explanation. just "surprise, you used too much ac." and yeah, the heat here is no joke-acapulco gets hot enough to fry an egg on your forehead. but still, that bill jump felt personal.
water's another story. it's not included in most rents, and you're lucky if it runs 18 hours a day. i've got a tinaco (rooftop tank) and a bomba (pump), and even then, sometimes the pressure's so low i feel like i'm being misted by a polite ghost. average water bill? about 150-300 pesos/month, but don't forget the cost of the pump repairs when the power surges fry it.
internet is surprisingly decent if you go with totalplay or megacable. i pay around 550 pesos/month for 100mbps, which is solid for streaming and zoom calls. just don't expect customer service to care if it goes down during a storm-"es normal" is the only answer you'll get.
here's a quick breakdown of my monthly utility costs:
| utility | cost (mxn) | notes |
|---|---|---|
| electricity | 1,200 avg | wildly inconsistent |
| water | 200 avg | plus pump maintenance |
| internet | 550 | totalplay, reliable |
| gas (kitchen) | 180 | every 2 months |
| trash collection | 80 | sometimes they skip |
acapulco's not all bad though. if you're smart, you can live decently on 15k-20k pesos/month total, bills included. just don't expect the systems to be smooth. it's like the city's running on duct tape and good vibes.
and yeah, the weather-it's basically summer 11 months a year with a side of hurricane anxiety. but the beach is right there. zihuatanejo and taxco are just a short drive away if you need a break from the chaos.
overheard from a local at a taco stand: "the bills here don't make sense, but neither does anything else. just pay and keep swimming." sound advice.
if you're thinking of moving here, check out tripadvisor's acapulco guide for neighborhood tips, or browse reddit's mexico expats for real talk. and maybe keep a spare fan handy.
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