Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
Learn more

Guadalajara Living Index

Jump to prices

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acapulco and in Guadalajara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acapulco and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Guadalajara $1,297

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $2,086 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Guadalajara $2,086

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $2,875 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Guadalajara $2,875

Acapulco is about 34% cheaper than Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Acapulco and Guadalajara are more affordable than the global median – Acapulco 36% lower, Guadalajara 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$13.46 MX$249

-29.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$43.54 MX$805

-13.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$9.11 MX$168

31.39%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.83 MX$70.9

-1.83%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MX$30.10

$1.68 MX$31.01

-2.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$1.21 MX$22.44

37.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$2.67 MX$49.40

12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$4.90 MX$90.5

-2.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$1.80 MX$33.28

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.57 MX$47.53

12.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.63 MX$30.17

3.07%

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.47 MX$45.72

-27.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$8.84 MX$163

-24.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$9.61 MX$178

-16.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$11.43 MX$211

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$2.77 MX$51.2

65.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$1.66 MX$30.71

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.05 MX$37.89

64.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$1.84 MX$34.01

70.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$1.99 MX$36.84

74.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$1.78 MX$32.89

66.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.51 MX$27.95

-13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$1.08 MX$19.96

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$4.68 MX$86.5

74.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$10.63 MX$196

-37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.93 MX$35.70

-41.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$3.31 MX$61.1

-18.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$0.63 MX$11.62

39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$2.23 MX$41.17

117.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 MX$24.77

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 MX$227

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.51 MX$27.85

-2.65%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$21.6K MX$399.2K

-2.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$23.7K MX$437.2K

4.83%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$39.89 MX$737

$48.89 MX$903

-18.41%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.81 MX$274

$22.32 MX$413

-33.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$31.24 MX$577

-30.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$28.26 MX$522

-32.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$11.12 MX$205

24.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$6.73 MX$124

-42.50%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$258 MX$4,776

-37.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$201.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$57.9 MX$1,070

11.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$39.83 MX$736

11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$108 MX$1,989

-0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$82.3 MX$1,521

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$848 MX$15.7K

-38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$490 MX$9,049

-69.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$1,534 MX$28.3K

-37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$994 MX$18.4K

-66.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 MX$56.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,898 MX$35.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 MX$8,293

$750 MX$13.9K

-40.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.68

-0.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Guadalajara

$276 21.3% 2.9% $7.9

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Guadalajara

$216 16.6% 10.8% $21

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Guadalajara

$490 37.8% 228% $340

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Guadalajara

$129 10% 4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Guadalajara

$102 7.9% 34.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 55.9% $15

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 397% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco versus $848 in Guadalajara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 67% higher in Guadalajara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Acapulco versus $44.00 in Guadalajara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $276 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

Same time as Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

1,385,629

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acapulco Guadalajara 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
Guadalajara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Acapulco vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara costs about 51% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco and $1,945 in Guadalajara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Acapulco and $1,297 in Guadalajara. That's a gap of about 51%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $258 in Guadalajara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Guadalajara at $1,297. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalajara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,297 in Guadalajara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guadalajara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.