Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,079 a month against $1,273 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,079

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,079 in Aguascalientes versus $1,273 in Guadalajara.

Aguascalientes $1,079
Guadalajara $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,721 in Aguascalientes versus $2,041 in Guadalajara.

Aguascalientes $1,721
Guadalajara $2,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Aguascalientes versus $2,810 in Guadalajara.

Aguascalientes $2,362
Guadalajara $2,810

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 15% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguascalientes 20% lower, Guadalajara 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 MX$227

$13.72 MX$254

-10.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.99 MX$794

$43.18 MX$798

-0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 MX$133

$9.32 MX$172

-22.75%

Cappuccino

$3.74 MX$69.1

$3.76 MX$69.5

-0.53%

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

$1.67 MX$30.85

$1.66 MX$30.62

0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.70

$1.19 MX$22.08

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.62

$2.67 MX$49.31

-19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.7

$4.80 MX$88.7

-31.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.44

$1.75 MX$32.32

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$2.54 MX$47.00

-11.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MX$26.73

$1.55 MX$28.68

-6.45%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.86

$2.42 MX$44.71

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 MX$143

$8.76 MX$162

-11.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$157

$9.30 MX$172

-8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 MX$208

$11.53 MX$213

-2.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.84

$2.71 MX$50.1

-16.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 MX$23.43

$1.62 MX$29.91

-21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.39

$1.89 MX$34.98

-21.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.35

$1.79 MX$33.14

-5.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.62

$2.06 MX$38.08

-24.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.51

$1.82 MX$33.62

-26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MX$18.13

$1.51 MX$27.84

-35.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$14.93

$1.05 MX$19.40

-22.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.4

$4.80 MX$88.6

-10.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 MX$156

$10.43 MX$193

-18.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.08

$1.92 MX$35.51

-6.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$3.29 MX$60.8

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.58

$0.63 MX$11.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.32 MX$449

$29.97 MX$554

-18.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MX$22.78

$2.22 MX$41.06

-44.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.97

$1.45 MX$26.71

-22.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$9.54 MX$176

13.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.53 MX$28.36

-4.58%

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

$24.4K MX$450.0K

$21.4K MX$394.8K

13.98%

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

$23.3K MX$430.4K

$23.9K MX$440.8K

-2.36%

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

$54.3 MX$1,004

$49.71 MX$919

9.25%

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

$24.27 MX$448

$23.09 MX$427

5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 MX$441

$29.23 MX$540

-18.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.44 MX$562

$29.01 MX$536

4.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.08 MX$408

$10.94 MX$202

101.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MX$93.4

$6.15 MX$114

-17.72%

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

$214 MX$3,951

$237 MX$4,381

-9.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,854 MX$52.7K

$10.6K MX$195.7K

-73.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,000

$56.6 MX$1,045

-4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MX$693

$40.02 MX$739

-6.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,899

$105 MX$1,943

-2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 MX$1,278

$80.0 MX$1,479

-13.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 MX$9,431

$811 MX$15.0K

-37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 MX$6,489

$472 MX$8,725

-25.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,505 MX$27.8K

-48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 MX$11.8K

$943 MX$17.4K

-32.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,150 MX$21.2K

$3,221 MX$59.5K

-64.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MX$21.5K

$1,720 MX$31.8K

-32.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$853 MX$15.8K

$767 MX$14.2K

11.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

11.53

-2.86%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aguascalientes

$351 32.5%

Guadalajara

$472 37.1% 34.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Aguascalientes

$239 22.2%

Guadalajara

$272 21.3% 13.5% $32

Eating Out

Aguascalientes

$193 17.9%

Guadalajara

$217 17.1% 12.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Aguascalientes

$119 11%

Guadalajara

$127 10% 6.9% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguascalientes

$102 9.5%

Guadalajara

$102 8% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Aguascalientes

$41 3.8%

Guadalajara

$41 3.2% 1.8% $0.8

Getting Around

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1%

Guadalajara

$42 3.3% 24.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $510 in Aguascalientes and $811 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Aguascalientes vs $43.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $272 per month, with Aguascalientes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

Same time as Aguascalientes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

863,893

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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aguascalientes vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Aguascalientes, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $510 in Aguascalientes versus $811 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 23% less than in Guadalajara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $214 in Aguascalientes versus $237 in Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,079 in Aguascalientes versus $1,273 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Guadalajara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aguascalientes and Guadalajara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.