One of the many reasons that owning a home in Puerto Vallarta is so attractive to foreign buyers is the affordable cost of living. One of the things that Americans and Canadians discover is much less costly about living in Puerto Vallarta is the monthly expense for their Mexican cell phone.
There are two major providers of cell phone service in Puerto Vallarta – Telcel and AT&T – though Telcel is probably the most widely used as it offers the largest number of cell phone towers in the region, therefore providing the most seamless 4G coverage.
If you are bringing an “unlocked” phone from the USA, you can simply slip a new SIM card from your Puerto Vallarta cell service provider. You can also purchase a new phone as part of a package plan or individually, with everything on offer from the latest iPhones and Samsung models to basic flip phones, depending on your budget.
If you are using a tourist visa when visiting your Puerto Vallarta property, you can purchase prepaid cell phone packages, like the Amigo packages from Telcel which can be purchased at their offices or convenience stores like OXXO and Kiosko and come in different denominations starting as low as just 20 pesos for one day use, but which generally run from 200 to 500 pesos ($10 to $25 USD) and are valid for up to 33 days before they need to be reloaded. If you are living in Puerto Vallarta with a residency visa, you can purchase a monthly plan, starting as low as 299 pesos per month, though most people find that for everyday use, a plan around 500 pesos is about right.
With either a pay-as-you-go plan or a monthly contract, your Puerto Vallarta cell phone package will include unlimited data for social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp, unlimited free SMS texts, and unlimited phone calls. Better yet, there are no North American roaming charges, meaning that you can use your Puerto Vallarta phone in Canada or the USA with no additional charges. Even better? Most plans don’t even charge data to use Uber.
Affordable cell phone service – just another reason why owning a second home in Puerto Vallarta for vacation, full time or retirement living is so appealing.
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