Where are you going to live in San Miguel de Allende?

Will you rent? Or buy? In either case the costs can range from very little to, well, millions! And long term rentals will give you a better deal than short or vacation rentals.

Rentals can range from a room, sharing a kitchen and a garden. To a seven bedroom home with pool, gardens, gazebos, and a large staff. Maybe $40 a day to $12,000 USDollars a week. There are seasonal, weekly and annual rentals.

Let’s settle down here, and look at an average rental. You probably won’t find any apartment for less than $400 a month, nor any house for less than $1,200 a month, long or short term.

In Los Frailes, a close-in and well developed suburb of San Miguel, you can probably rent a very nice, two or three bedroom home with lawn and gardens, for $1,200 to $2,000 or more a month with an annual contract. But you’ll need a car or have to wait for the bus to get into San Miguel.

In San Miguel itself (El Centro, Guadiana, San Antonio and other close colonias), there are rentals of apartments for as little as $400 or $450 a month for long or short term rentals.
How do you find a rental? If you’re in San Miguel, ask around. Talk to everyone you see, because some of the best rentals are never advertised (their owners might be trying to avoid buying a permit to rent).

Pick up the English language Atencion newspaper (it comes out on Fridays) and check the want ads and real estate ads. Buy the “Insiders Guide to San Miguel” and you’ll find a list of several apartments for rent.

Watch the public bulletin boards, like those at the Biblioteca, Saint Paul’s Church and Espino’s Market and you’re likely to find some available rentals.

There are always webpages, like VRBO, to check. And, in San Miguel itself Joanne and Jennifer Rockett have been renting houses longer than almost anyone else (www.vacation-homes-san-miguel.com). Another site is www.san-miguel-house-rentals.com

And don’t for get B&B’s. There are a few in San Miguel and rates are fairly reasonable at $75 to $200 a room. Again, the “Insiders Guide” lists several including a few that the author terms “even less expensive.”

Finally, google “San Miguel de allende rental” and you’ll come up with pages of ideas.

A few reminders.

If you want to live in-town, to be close to the action, check out the location in relation to the Jardin. Some folks have a rather broad definition of “Centro” or “only a five-minute walk.”

And, you might want to check out the property, or have a trusted friend do it, before you make a deposit.

Generally, repairs are up to the renter, not the owner, and seldom do you get reimbursed for any improvements.

Find out if the apartment has a telephone and who pays for it. Also, who pays for water and electricity?