What is the minimum wage in Puerto Vallarta?

Question

We had a tour guide tell us that people who worked at our resort made about 50 pesos or around $5.00 a day. Was he trying to make us feel bad to get more tips or is this true? If it is true, is it hard to live off of that wage there and if so, why doesn't the government do something about it? :) Thanks

Answer 1

It is the truth. That is the Federal Minimum wage in Mexico

Raising  would cause more unemployment as some businesses simply would go out of business.

Monthly rent can start at $30.00 dollars a month.

Many that work at minimum also rely on tips and likely have  a husband or wife for additional income.

I know a Mexican that has a shoeshine spot in the Zocalo in Acapulco that he got 25 years ago through Government assistance "Syndicato" and his monthly rent for that spot is $50.00 pesos.

Mike made a "typo" $50.00 Pesos a day is NOT the Average

Answer 2

The $5-6 a day is what is required a worker be paid by his employer .... but very few people work for that.   An employer may declare the minimum wage to stay legal and pay less taxes.  Construction workers minimum pay is $20 pesos an hour as a helper (equals about $15)

People that working in the services industry do rely on tips but that is common world wide

Tip everyone that helps you with a smile ... in a resort or hotel

Answer 3

The minimum wage is 5 usd a day, it is true,  

But the only jobs that pays that low are the janitors,  people with very low education, that can hardly  read, in most cases with less than 6 grades of schooling,

If they mean waiters or the enterteiners,  they earn a lot more than that, but still pretty low... a waiter  who speaks english can earn like 150 pesos daily in salary plus tips, that will probably raise to 300 pesos daily and they make much more in the high season..

Enterteiners will earn a base salary of something like 800 usd a month plus tips.

A scuba instructor can earn like 1500 usd a month not working 8 hr straight.

So yes! he was trying to fool you but not enterely.

Answer 4

I see Sonya has travelled and learned something and she is a better person for it. I travelled all over the world. Africa , Israel , was in the first Gulf war. Hard to comprehend how other people view things until you see it from thier point of view.

Yes , 50 pesos is the average pay. Sad but the cost of living is substantially lower here.

There are so many other things about Mexico you did not see on the "tour". Poverty , education, corruption. Now do you understand why the Mexicans are leaving in record numbers ? Good.

Travelling is the only way to gain certain knowledge