Friday, August 14, 2009

driving the budget


About three months ago, someone asked me what it cost to drive to Mexico from Salem.


Darrel and I kept very good records on the drive down. I could have answered the question at the end of April. I have no idea why I did not do it.


But -- here they are.


Of course, like all expenses, these are very idiomatic. We had a dog with us -- an additional lodging expense.


We also drove rather erratically. The first day we drove for 15 hours -- and covered the entire west coast. The next day we merely drove into Arizona.


But this was our experience. The raw numbers in Mexico are in pesos. I added US Dollar approximations below the pesos.


Just a reminder, our itinerary was:


Day 1: Salem, Oregon to Ontario, California

Day 2: Ontario to Gila Bend, Arizona

Day 3: Gila Bend to Guaymas, Sonora

Day 4: Guaymas to Mazatlán, Sinaloa

Day 5: Mazatlán to Rincón de Guayabitos, Nayarit

Day 6: Rincón de Guayabitos to La Manzanilla, Jalisco

Day 7: La Manzanilla to Villa Obregon, Jalisco


Here are the totals:




What strikes me most -- and I did not notice it at the time -- is that our lodging and fuel costs in Mexico were about the same for 4 days as they were for 2 days in The States. The food in Mexico appears to be expensive because we had a tendency to eat in tourist restaurants.


Overall, though, it was not bad for a six-day road trip: just over $800.


If I am feeling better tomorrow, I will tackle that old chestnut: How much does it cost to live in Mexico?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your road trip seems rather inexpensive (for traveling such a long distance).
I drove from Detroit to Monterrey Mexico in Oct. 2005, but I was hauling a boat behind my F-350 full size cab with an eight ft. bed (a 48 ft. rig). Needless to say I say I saw a LOT of gas stations....I still have the receipts..I don't dare add them up.
Steve, perhaps a post regarding the music scene....I've heard of the Redneck Mothers..but is there other talent that you may have seen?
Saludos,
Francisco

Anonymous said...

That would be very interesting!
Mean time,Hope you feel better real soon.. min

1st Mate said...

It was probably a good idea, even if a little costlier, to eat in tourist-oriented restaurants on your way down. You needed to give your intestinal flora a chance to adapt. Being sick on the road is muy malo. And even though the tolls are expensive for that stretch south of Mazatlan, I'm sure the road was better and safer than the toll-free. All that planning seems to have paid off, amigo.

Steve Cotton said...

Francisco -- There is not much of a muisic scene right now. The Redneck Mothers are playing at Ricky's on Saturdays. And there is an Elvis tribute there tomorrow. I will get some details. But I miss a lot of that staying around the house for Jiggs.

1st Mate -- I cannot say enough good things about the toll roads. For we freeway drivers, the booths were a bit too close together. But the cost was not as bad as I anticipated. I would rate the roads as better than most of the highways we drove on in The States -- probably, four or five times better than California's once glorious road system.

Steve Cotton said...

Min -- Thanks.