The Big Picture

If you’re renting the house where you’re staying and/or you have a property manager, it’s possible that your utilities are included in your rent, and you won’t have to worry about paying any utility bills.

In other instances, however, you may be responsible for certain utilities, such as gas and electricity. When signing your rental contract, find out from the rental agent or landlord which utilities you are responsible for paying, and of those, which you'll have to set up yourself, and which you can pay under the landlord's name.

Generally speaking, electricity and water will have already been set up in the landlord's name and will stay that way, even if you rent for an extended period. The phone, internet, and cable vary from agreement to agreement. Gas is not in anyone's name, but someone at your residence (you, your maid) will need to be in charge of keeping your tank full.

If you’ve purchased a new house, you’ll probably need to set up accounts with all of the utility companies. And now, in no particular order, the five major utilities you’ll need to know about.

Electricity

CFE is the electric company that powers all of your devices. Pay your bill on time and it’s unlikely you’ll have any issues. If you fail to pay and your power is cut, it can be a slow and difficult process to get it reinstated.

The most convenient way to get that bill paid on time is definitely by using an app. If you’ve not used an app before, not to worry. It’s pretty easy once you’ve gotten everything set up. You can download the following apps at the Google Play store. Just think - you won’t even need to leave the house!

The best app options are:

• UnDosTres, which you can download to your phone, or use online.

• the official CFE app, called CFE contigo. Download or use online.

• your Mexican bank app. Most have an option within pagos (payments) called servicios (services). From there you can add CFE. (Just fyi, on my app, you can also add AT&T, Izzi, Telmex, and Telcel, among others.)

The first time you have to set up your account, but after that all you have to do is use your phone to scan the QR code on your bill (the square bar code) and indicate which account you want to pay from.

Personally, I like the third option best because I already have my bank app on my phone.

No matter how you pay, I suggest you create an account with CFE. That way, if you don’t receive your (paper) bill, you can log into your CFE account and either pay your bill directly or download it and pay in whatever way you wish.

NOTE: You’ll need to be able to read some Spanish to use these apps. If you’re not yet fluent, I encourage you to take it as an opportunity to improve your vocab. Think of how proud of yourself you’re going to be when you’ve successfully made your first payment, all in Spanish!

Alternatively, if you need an excuse to leave the house, you can also pay at any OXXO, Farmacia Ahorra, and most banks. Make sure you take your bill to these alternative pay stations three days or more before it's due, and be prepared with some pesos for the service charge, which is around $15 MXN.

You’ll receive your bill in one of various ways. If you are one of the chosen few, it will be delivered directly into your mailbox by a CFE employee. However, it’s just as likely to be slipped under that crack in your door or on the window sill in the front of your house or even under the windshield wiper of your car, all of which are considered close enough for government work.

Residential bills come every two months, rural bills monthly.

What happens if you don't receive your bill? You are still expected to pay it! And if you don't, it's quite possible that an electrician will be sent to your house to disconnect your line, and pronto!

To avoid that fiasco, note on your calendar the approximate due date of your next bill. If it doesn’t arrive, you have a few options:

• take an old bill to the machine at the CFE on Cjon. de Loreto 42 in Centro. Type in your account number (numero de servicio), and your current bill will be displayed, which you can then pay in pesos.

• log into the CFE website with your account number, and either download your bill to pay in another way or pay it directly on the CFE site. (See how having an account might come in very handy?).

Water

Water comes from the government owned company called SAPASMA. Their main office is an orange building located on the Caracol (the highway leading from La Comer to La Luciernaga) on the left side of the road just before you reach the mall. Their number is 415.152.4429, and hours are M-F, 8 a.m. -3:15 p.m.

You can pay your bill there, or at a number of other places listed on the back of the bill, including (among others) Bancomer, Banorte, Coppel, Scotiabank and various cajas populares (credit unions). If you are paying at a location other than the main office, however, you must do so three days before the due date.

To set up an account, go to the main office; it’s likely there will be someone there who can help you in English.

You might want to visit them in advance to find out what paperwork you'll need, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have to return multiple times. In fact, you probably will, so just factor that into your plans.

Landlines, Cellphones and Internet Service

If you’d like to get a landline, TelMex (just off Salida a Celaya at Guadalupe 56) is your main provider. They also offer packages that include internet.

For cell phone service, your best options are TelCel and AT&T. Some US providers like TMobile include calls to Mexico, but you’ll want to check the roaming charges should you go that route.

If it’s internet you’re after, check out MegaCable, TelMex, TotalPlay, or Starlink. I suggest you ask people in your area which service works best for them, as performance seems to vary by neighborhood (with the exception of Starlink, which generally works anywhere). The “fiber” options also tend to be more reliable.

Gas

Having gas (liquid propane) delivered to your house might seem strange at first, but soon you will get used to it and even be extraordinarily grateful to see the gas truck when you’ve run out.

To order gas for your stove and/or hot water heater, you’ll want to first determine if you have a large stationary tank or a smaller cylinder canister. Then call one of the local gas companies, no account necessary.

A couple San Miguel favorites are Gas Providencia (415) 109-5357‬ and Sonigas 415-188-3648.

They’ll ask you for your address, as well as if you have a stationary tank (tanque estacionario) or if you want the smaller canister (cilindro).

If you have the stationary type, they will connect a hose from their truck to your tank and fill it up. Note that these tanks often don’t fill all the way up to 100% - that’s normal. If you need a canister, a guy will bring you a full one, hook it up, and haul away the empty one.

When they’re done they will give you your bill. Pay your bill and throw in a tip - it’s customary. Do note that most of these guys don’t speak English, so do your best with the Spanish you have.