5 months on Pacific coast

Hi,  I currently live south of Vallarta about 4 hours in a town called La Manzanilla
It's a small town but during the months of Dec-March it swells with Canadian and US expats.

Many expats are artists or musicians.  It's only in the last 4-5 years (we've been there for 9-10month per year for the last 8 years) that you'll find locals speaking English.  It still has a very Mexican feel.  The beach is lovely, perfect for swimming, there are lots of art, yoga, dance, fitness classes during the winter months.

You can fly to Manzanillo airport and it's only 45 mins north.

There are no banks in town, nearest one is 20mins south in Melaque.  No credit cards are accepted.

You should come down and check it out this winter!

Mexico is primarily a cash and carry place. How do people in La Manzanilla manage paying rent, or shopping with the banks 20 minutes away ?   I have to go to the bank at least once a week and fortunately its an easy walk.

For long term stays rent is usually paid in advance.  We bring pesos with us from the States and then we travel to Melaque a couple of times a month to get cash from the bank machine.

There are 4 daily buses between La Manzanilla and Melaque. 

People always ask me about the cost of living and it's a hard one to predict.  If you are eating out at the expat owned restaurants every day your costs are going to be higher then eating at taco stands and buying most of our food from the local tiendas.  As a rule of thumb I've discovered on a monthly basis we spend about 1/3 of what we spend living in the US.  We own a house in La Manzanilla so our costs are higher then someone just coming for 4-5 months and renting a place.

By local stores do you mean Mega and Chedraui ? or much smaller ?  When you talk about the cost being a 1/3 of US costs does that include your house ? Are you talking about total cost of just everything except the house ?

Mega? No the nearest Mega is in Manzanillo- an hour or so south.  I'm talking small stores the size of a bedroom in a US or Canadian house that offer fresh fruits, vegetables- more variety during the winter months- dairy, dry goods and limited meat.  We have 2 meat markets in town.  One appliance store in town, 2 building supply stores.  It's a small town, only 2500 year round population. Recently we had a deli open up so now we can get cheddar and brie cheese without having to leave town.

Yes, total cost including the house maintenance, electricity, water, entertainment, car fuel and insurance, house insurance.

La Manzanilla is more like a 1/2 hour away from the bank in Melaque but there is a bus 4-5 times a day

One solution is to move to Melaque or Barra de Navidad which have better shopping, more rental options and a BANK

Living in Rosarito Beach, Baja Ca, Mex
Check out the above thread in "forum" about living in Baja California.  Perhaps this could give you the best of both worlds somehow.  Thx, Pax

Many thanks.  I think I still want to stay north of PV.  I'm hoping to find a fellow traveler to explore with me for a couple of months in the Fall of 2015.

There are many towns north of Puerto Vallarta that you might check out.  We currently live in Bucerias which is approximately 20 minutes north of the PVR airport.  There is a large English speaking community.  there are many homes, apartment or condos for rent.  there is a yahoo bucerias blog which you could join and get lots of information.
La Cruz is just around the corner.  It has a new marina.  the down is a bit quieter than Bucerias.

You do not have to go far to find you place near the beach.

As an expat, and fellow Northwesterner, you shoud check out my city of choice, Mazatlan. It is often called the colonial city by the sea, as parts of the old town date back 200 years.  If you want to go resort, its just up the malecon.  If youre into music, opera, or just a cold one by the sea, its all there. You can do the big box stores, or you can shop with the locals at the Mercado.  It has a very active expat community, with social activities. sponsored events, and myriads of volunteer opportunities.  The Mexican people are fantastically friendly, so is very easy to make friends, and you can blend as much as you want.  Much smaller than Seattle, about 450,000, but has been perfect for me the past 7 years.

Thank you IDGRESS so much for this information.  Yes, I've heard of Bucerias.   Being single I want to meet others and create a nice community - with expats - along with getting to know the local people. 
FUGAWIBILL:   how long have you been living in Mazatlan?  I was going to go there for xmas but finances are holding me back for another year or so.   My closest friend has been there and loves it but says it's too big for her.  Most likely, not for me, though.  I love to dance and swim and get involved.   Are the rentals nice?   I am now looking at 5 months in Mexico and the rest of my time in the states, not far from my daughter.   Once I get even older I will have to choose between the two, like most humans do!

Send me an email, and I can answer any questions without cluttering up the forum.  If you like you can also check out some pictures on my website, which I promise to update sometime in the near future.  Many are from Nogales to PV, so should give you some idea of what the cities are like.