[jscholes]

There's no denying that money can go further in Mexico. But there are two aspects of nuance missing from this article.

First: there are often options that cost more than $5, in some cases significantly more. Some of these will cater to tourists, and/or locals with deep pockets who will pay more as a status symbol/reputational thing, and hence may not be worth the extra outlay from a quality perspective. Other times, paying more really does get you better service. Determining the difference between the two can be a challenge.

Second: because of the low local wages mentioned in the post, that $5 service may be executed by someone wishing to save you money in whatever way possible. This is completely well-meaning, of course. But when the electrician, plumber or whoever else comes up with the cheapest possible solution to your problem, you end up spending $5 over and over again, rather than just paying more upfront. In the worst case scenarios, the cheaper solutions may be unsafe or otherwise suboptimal.

Do your research, and gain good local contacts. You'll be fine, if not sometimes exhausted at the amount of specialist knowledge you're taking on just to increase the chances of having a job done well. But $5 is not always going to buy you what $50 or $500 would in the US.

Source: I live in Central Mexico.