Tepoztlan Mexico Retire Early Low Cost of Living
Things to do in Tepoztlan Mexico!
–>Best Tepoztlan Free Old Town Walking Tour and Map
–>Best (and) Cheap Hotels
–>Livability Factors
–>Cost of Living
Best Travel or Retire Cheap to Paradise Locations in the World
Tepoztlan Mexico Retire Early Low Cost of Living
This is Dan from Vagabond Buddha. This is my Tepoztlan Mexico retire early low cost of living guide. I am traveling around the world finding the best retire early low cost of living destinations in paradise. In the last 11 years, I have been to 65 countries.
Qiang Hui of Hoboventures.com is exploring the world with me. Check out Qiang Hui’s Instagram account. She is fun to watch.
This week we are exploring the livability of Cuernavaca and Taxco. I thought Tepoztlan would only be a day trip. I didn’t think it was large enough to consider as a retire early or live cheap destination because it has a small population. We are here today and I loved it. I could live here in Tepoztlan easier than Cuernavaca. In fact, I like Taxco more than Cuernavaca also.
So I created this quick and dirty retire early low cost of living post for Tepoztlan Mexico. This is my signal to you to consider this town if you like the intersection of a small, rural, and hippie atmosphere. I think it is a charming place for energy healers, hippies, and spiritual types.
If you would like to know where we go next, then please follow us. You can either subscribe at VagabondBuddha.com or our Youtube Channel.
Here are some interesting facts from Wikipedia about Tepoztlan Mexico:
- There are about 14,000 people living in the city and 42,000 if you include the surrounding burros.
- The town is famous because of the El Tepozteco Pyramid that hangs over the town from the mountain above.
- The El Tepozteco Pyramid (temple) celebrates the Aztec god of Pulque, an alcoholic beverage.
- Pulque is a wine made from agave that dates back to the Mesoamerican period. The drink was considered sacred and could only be consumed by approved classes of people. The Spanish later used another form of agave fermentation to create Tequila and Mezcal.
- The Mesoamerican period began in about 7000 BC and is the transition from hunter-gatherer cultures to sedentary agricultural villages. This occurred geographically in North America from about central Mexico down to and including Costa Rica.
- Tepoztlán is a Pueblo Mágico. This is a list of towns recognized to be a magical experience because of beauty, culture, traditions, history, hospitality, and cuisine.
- The economy of Tepoztlan is based upon tourism first, and agriculture second. Land ownership in Tepoztlan is communal, it is not regulated by law or financial institutions.
- Tepoztlan is said to have been the birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god. Evidence of the existence of Quetzalcoatl is documented as early as 100 BC.
- Conquistador Cortes ordered Tepoztlan demolished because the town’s leaders refused to meet with him upon arrival.
- Spanish Conquistadors were awarded indigenous Indians as slaves under “Encomiendas” law. By the Encomiendas law, the Spanish crown awarded a form of “communal” slavery to a specific person, a specified number of natives, from a specific community. Indigenous leaders were charged with selecting who from the community would be required to provide the labor under threat of death or starvation. Yet, slaves were allowed to stay in touch with their families.
If you are enjoying this, could you please like it, share it, comment below, or subscribe? That will rank us higher in search engines so we can keep making these travel guides.
Best Tepoztlan Free Old Town Walking Tour and Map
Here is the Youtube video of our Tepoztlan Free Old Town Walking Tour. Click the Google Map link below this Youtube video so it can direct you to each destination on the tour.
Click this Google Map to get started on this Tepoztlan free old town walking tour map:
If clicking the above map doesn’t work, then click ==>>this link<<== on your smartphone. Here are the individual stops on the above walking tour in case you only want to visit one or two.
Tepoztlan Mexico Things to Do (Pictures of each in the above walking tour)
Tianguis, De Los Miércoles En Tepoztlán Morelos: Enjoy this famous Sunday local arts and cuisines market. Make sure to try the local soups (mushroom or lentil) with plantains or the local Mexican vegetable, huauzontles.
Museo Tepoztlán Colección Carlos Pellicer: This museum houses a unique collection of artifacts including part of the statue of the ancient god Tepoztecatl from the nearby pyramid.
Ex Convento de Tepoztlán: I have been unable to determine whether or not the natives were forced to build it (without pay, possibly as slaves) based upon Encomiendas law. Make sure to see the original bells, crypts, and sacred murals dating back 500 years.
Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Natividad: The Church of the Nativity, the Church of Tepoztlán, and its Ex Convento (below) were completed in 25 years in 1580 by natives under the direction of Dominican monks.
Mercado Central; This is the central market right between the Church of the Nativity and Chinelo Tepozteco. There are fruits, vegetables, meats, arts, crafts, and local family-style restaurants in the market.
Chinelo Tepozteco: This is the main plaza of Tepoztlan México. Here you will see the locals enjoying the nice weather and food vendors along the sides. In Mexico, this is where people meet and enjoy their family and friends.
Tepoz Cuencos: The town of Tepoztlán is also famous for the unusual ice cream flavors prepared locally. This place has the highest rated ice cream in town. This stop is here mainly to get you on the right path towards the pyramid. Once you are walking towards this stop, just walk straight until you are on the rock steps to the pyramid.
El Tepozteco Pyramid: Steep trail leads to Aztec Tepozteco pyramid on a cliff over the town. The temple has a 6-meter high platform supporting a 3-meter base. A sculpture of Tecciztecatl was probably kept in one of the small rooms on top. Tezcatzontecatl was the god of drunkenness and fertility. The temple attracted pilgrims from as far south as Guatemala. Some estimate the temple was built in 1452 based on items found at the site. But the temple itself cannot be carbon dated because it is made of stone.
If you book my recommended flights, tours (Viator Tours or GetYourGuide Tours) or accommodations, you will pay nothing extra, but we will earn a small commission.
If you would like to learn how to make money online, or how to live internationally possibly with less money than you spend at home, please subscribe to Vagabond Buddha or get a free copy of my Ebook.
Best (and) Cheap Hotels in Tepoztlan
You should stay in the old town area of Tepoztlan. You can walk to most of the interesting things to do and see. You won’t need to get in a taxi or Uber.
The following are accommodations you should consider. They go from most to least expensive.
Hotel Las Puertas de Tepoztlán: This is sublime in the material world. Less to distract you from your spiritual journey.
Hostal de la Luz – Spa Holistic Resort: A high-end hostel with a private room and bathroom. It makes sense if you think about it. You want the energy of an enlightened society in a vortex location like Tepoztlan, don’t you? Check out the pictures, reviews. This was 1600 MX or $80 USD per night on the date we searched. It is 8km from the old town so grab a bike and enjoy the ride.
Hostels: We didn’t see any dorm type hostels here. Please let me know if you find ones. I will add it here. This place was 800 MX $40 USD for a private room with private bath on the day we searched. I didn’t find any $10 dorms when I checked.
I started living internationally over 11 years ago. If you would like to learn how to make money online, or how to live internationally possibly with less money than you spend at home, please subscribe to Vagabond Buddha or get a free copy of my Ebook.
Please click here for recommended flights, tours (Viator Tours, Get Your Guide Tours) or accommodations. .
Tepoztlan Mexico Livability Factors
This is Dan from Vagabond Buddha. This post has the Tepoztlan Mexico retire early low cost of living data. Normally I get pretty detailed on these livability factors. But I only spent a day here so I am just giving you first impressions.
If you would like to learn how to be a digital nomad, make money online, or how to live internationally possibly with less money than you spend at home, please subscribe to Vagabond Buddha or get a free copy of my Ebook.
Livability Factors: I consider the following factors when deciding if I could live somewhere. My factors include walkability, Internet reliability, weather, food choices, things to do, social considerations, expat opportunities, overall cost of living, and real estate prices in case I decide to buy later.
Tepoztlan Desirability Score: Medium. I love the hippie atmosphere here but it might be a little small for me.
Right now, if I consider only Mexico, I would put Queretaro in first place, Guanajuato in second place, and Mexico City (Roma Norte) in third place. But if I was totally into the hippie scene and wanted to set deep roots into a single small community, that didn’t need a car, this would be in the running for sure.
Subscribe at VagabondBuddha.com or at our Youtube Channel for the quality of life and cost of living updates as we travel.
Walkability: High. The historical old town center of Tepoztlan is completely walkable. I would not buy a car if I lived here.
Internet Reliability: High? The Internet was great where we had lunch, but I would need to upload a Youtube video to be sure.
Food: High. For a town this side, because of all the hippies and energy workers, the food choices were high for Veggie eaters like me.
If you are enjoying this, could you please like it, share on social media, comment below, or subscribe? Your interaction will rank us higher in search engines.
Weather: High. Because of Tepoztlan elevation of 1570 meters, the weather remains mild year round.
Things to Do: Medium. It is all about nature and nurture here. Plus there is a party scene here on weekends because of the proximity to Mexico and the international influence.
Social Considerations: Medium. You will need to learn Spanish to really feel like a part of this world. The international culture is not enough to sustain substantial humans.
Real Estate: There are limitations on ownership that you don’t find in other parts of Mexico. I would need to learn more.
If you book my recommended flights, tours (Viator Tours or GetYourGuide Tours) or accommodations, you will pay nothing extra, but we will earn a small commission.
Tepoztlan Mexico Cost of Living
This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Here is my cost of living estimates for Tepoztlan Mexico.
Tepoztlan Mexico Cost of Living: Here are my estimated costs of living one month in Tepoztlan Mexico, as a temporary visitor. These estimates might be lower if you rented an apartment or small house month to month. I like to be walking distance from my community. But if I bought a motorcycle or car, I found small houses outside the city center for as little as $13 USD on the date I searched on Airbnb.
Like most places in Mexico, there are Gringo prices and local prices. You are best to book a place for a month and then walk around and find the best deals. I am just guessing, but I think I could find my own close-in place here for less than $500 USD per month (Knocking doors*). This would probably require a long-term commitment to strike this bargain.
Monthly Cost of Living, Tepoztlan Mexico ($USD)
Expense |
Cost |
Low |
Medium |
High |
Apartment |
$28.00 |
0 |
14 |
30 |
*Knocking doors |
$20.00 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
Backpacker Hostel |
$40.00 |
30 |
3 |
0 |
High End Restaurant |
$7.00 |
1 |
4 |
8 |
Neighborhood Restaurant |
$4.00 |
30 |
44 |
48 |
Food Cart |
$2.00 |
30 |
12 |
4 |
Subway/Train/Metro |
$0.40 |
20 |
26 |
8 |
Bus |
$0.40 |
20 |
10 |
0 |
Taxi/Uber |
$2.00 |
6 |
10 |
20 |
Total |
Per Month |
$1,415.00 |
$1,014.40 |
$1,139.20 |
Total |
Per Day |
$47.17 |
$33.81 |
$37.97 |
The above table is just my notes from my time here. The above numbers are for one person and do not include alcohol, tours, or extras. I do not guarantee these prices for anyone.
For more information about how the above “Cost of Living Monthly Multiplier” works, please visit the bottom of this page at Vagabond Buddha.
Please subscribe here or on our Youtube Channel if you would like to receive the costs of living estimates for our next Mexico stop. We are heading to our next city in the morning. Are you curious where it will be?
Please book using my recommended flights, tours (Viator Tours or GetYourGuide Tours) or accommodations. You will pay nothing extra, but we will earn a small commission so we can keep making these travel guides.
This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?
Warning: I am not offering you these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different if significant inflation or deflation occurs or the market changes after this post. I will not update these numbers until I am on the ground again here, if ever.
Hi Gary,
I didn’t do any research on real estate costs while here.
Here are my thoughts on real estate ownership in foreign countries:
https://vagabondbuddha.com/why-retired-expats-should-not-buy-real-estate-overseas/
Thanks for your question, sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Dan
Thank you so much for the awesome information.. I am sharing your channel with friends. My wife and I live on 10 acres near Lake Tahoe California. Did you happen to see or know of small plots of land with small homes? Say half acre or so. Thank you.