Guanajuato Retirement

[Lisa Andrews]

The locals live here on much less then the budget you are looking at so I think it is definitely doable if you give up the car and the cable and find a cheap place to rent. You can go to the symphony for 80 pesos, there are lots of free shows during cervantes festival and great culture in the centre just to walk around, free stuff all the time. (You could even rent out a spare room if you have one during the festivals to get a bit of extra cash, since everywhere is sold out!) If you are sensible with money and don't want to be going to fancy dinners every week and expensive events then you could live here comfortably and still afford great fresh fruit and veg at the markets.
The only reason I go to leon is because I like their cinema better and they have a bigger selection of gluten free food there and cheap shoes, besides that I buy everything here, if I didn't have a car I would be fine and have more money but I like visiting other towns on my days off which is why I got it, but I know people who don't have them and they are fine.
When in town I can spend very little (but I do work 6 days a week so not much time to spend it), people backpack on budgets of $12/day so it all depends on what you are looking for. I definitely think starting with a short term rental wherever you decide is the best idea, to see what the people are like, get a feel for the place and the area you want to live and what you want to be doing there, takes at least a few months to decide on a place.
Good luck with what you decide, Guanajuato is a beautiful town, with some really nice people!