In short
Guadalajara concentrates Mexico's technology industry — it is called the local Silicon Valley — and that translates into workspaces, bandwidth and a young population.
It is also the city of tequila, mariachi and charrería, three things born in the state of Jalisco. Tequila, the village, is an hour up the road.
What it really costs
Living costs are markedly lower than Mexico City for a city of five million with the same services. Housing in the Providencia or Lafayette districts stays affordable.
The altitude, fifteen hundred metres, gives a temperate climate all year: no heating and no air conditioning in the budget, which counts over a month.
What nobody tells you
The rainy season runs from June to September, with violent late-afternoon downpours that flood some streets. They last an hour and the rest of the day is clear.
Neighbourhoods vary sharply and the gap is real. The historic centre is walked by day; the western residential areas are where long-term residents live.
The folk ballet and the mariachis of Plaza Garibaldi are not a re-enactment for visitors: it is a living practice, and the best are heard in the evening in cantinas, not on the square.