Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $851 a month against $1,219 in Puerto Escondido, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index

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Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$851

/mo nomad

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acapulco and in Puerto Escondido

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 Puerto Escondido actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $851 per month in Acapulco vs $1,219 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Acapulco $851
Puerto Escondido $1,219

A couple spends around $1,422 per month in Acapulco vs $1,895 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Acapulco $1,422
Puerto Escondido $1,895

A family of three spends $1,992 per month in Acapulco vs $2,572 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Acapulco $1,992
Puerto Escondido $2,572

Acapulco is about 30% cheaper than Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Acapulco and Puerto Escondido are more affordable than the global median – Acapulco 37% lower, Puerto Escondido 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.42 MX$176

$10.04 MX$187

-6.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$702

$42.27 MX$788

-10.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 MX$225

$8.37 MX$156

44.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.49 MX$65.0

5.73%

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

$1.55 MX$28.82

$1.32 MX$24.70

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.01 MX$18.78

56.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 MX$53.9

$2.98 MX$55.5

-3.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 MX$91.5

$4.11 MX$76.7

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.30

$1.80 MX$33.60

-9.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 MX$54.6

$2.81 MX$52.4

4.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.70

$1.55 MX$28.83

2.58%

Eggs

$1.74 MX$32.45

$2.69 MX$50.2

-35.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 MX$123

$8.00 MX$149

-17.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 MX$147

$10.93 MX$204

-28.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.88 MX$203

$11.46 MX$214

-5.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 MX$85.7

$2.75 MX$51.3

67.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.50

$1.65 MX$30.70

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 MX$60.4

$1.87 MX$34.86

73.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 MX$57.4

$1.77 MX$33.04

74.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 MX$63.7

$1.61 MX$29.97

112.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.1

$2.05 MX$38.15

41.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$1.47 MX$27.36

-13.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.45

$1.13 MX$21.14

-30.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 MX$150

$4.42 MX$82.5

81.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 MX$120

$10.36 MX$193

-38.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.84

$2.32 MX$43.16

-54.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 MX$49.92

$3.03 MX$56.5

-11.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MX$16.85

$0.79 MX$14.68

13.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.45 MX$586

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.9

$2.61 MX$48.59

90.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 MX$32.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 MX$209

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.83

$1.35 MX$25.12

6.67%

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

$20.9K MX$388.9K

$21.2K MX$394.5K

-1.43%

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

$23.7K MX$441.0K

$21.8K MX$405.7K

8.68%

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

$38.78 MX$723

$51.7 MX$964

-25.03%

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

$14.73 MX$275

$22.32 MX$416

-34.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.60 MX$403

$35.63 MX$664

-39.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.91 MX$353

$27.21 MX$507

-30.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.42 MX$250

$20.22 MX$377

-33.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$72.1

$5.02 MX$93.5

-22.91%

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

$160 MX$2,986

$216 MX$4,018

-25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,627 MX$86.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 MX$1,223

$50.7 MX$945

29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 MX$814

$43.62 MX$813

0.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,044

$85.1 MX$1,586

28.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 MX$1,518

$97.7 MX$1,820

-16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 MX$9,806

$598 MX$11.1K

-11.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 MX$2,738

$439 MX$8,175

-66.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$953 MX$17.8K

$938 MX$17.5K

1.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 MX$5,973

$753 MX$14.0K

-57.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 MX$37.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 MX$22.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 MX$8,516

$329 MX$6,130

38.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.31

2.56%

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

Last update for Acapulco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$266 31.3%

Puerto Escondido

$283 23.2% 6.3% $17

Eating Out

Acapulco

$193 22.6%

Puerto Escondido

$180 14.8% 6.7% $13

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$147 17.3%

Puerto Escondido

$439 36% 199% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.9%

Puerto Escondido

$125 10.2% 7.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$75 8.8%

Puerto Escondido

$110 9% 46% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.1% 39.8% $11

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.6 * 1%

Puerto Escondido

$46 3.8% 436% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Acapulco versus $598 in Puerto Escondido. 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 39% higher in Acapulco, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Acapulco versus $42 in Puerto Escondido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $283 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

25,902

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Acapulco Puerto Escondido 320 km

From you

Acapulco
Puerto Escondido

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 Puerto Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Escondido costs about 43% 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 $1,277 per month in Acapulco and $1,828 in Puerto Escondido. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $598 in Puerto Escondido.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $851 in Acapulco and $1,219 in Puerto Escondido. That makes Acapulco about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $160 per month in Acapulco and $216 in Puerto Escondido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $851 in Acapulco and $1,219 in Puerto Escondido. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Acapulco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.