Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,273 a month against $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,273 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611
Guadalajara $1,273

A couple spends around $2,409 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,041 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409
Guadalajara $2,041

A family of three spends $3,207 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,810 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207
Guadalajara $2,810

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 27% more than Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sits 19% above the global median, while Guadalajara is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.35 MX$191

$13.72 MX$254

-24.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.09 MX$889

$43.18 MX$798

11.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 MX$182

$9.32 MX$172

6.01%

Cappuccino

$3.37 MX$62.2

$3.76 MX$69.5

-10.37%

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

$1.44 MX$26.54

$1.66 MX$30.62

-13.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.86

$1.19 MX$22.08

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$44.20

$2.67 MX$49.31

-10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$81.5

$4.80 MX$88.7

-8.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.84

$1.75 MX$32.32

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 MX$55.9

$2.54 MX$47.00

19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$43.92

$1.55 MX$28.68

53.55%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$43.47

$2.42 MX$44.71

-2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 MX$212

$8.76 MX$162

30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 MX$178

$9.30 MX$172

3.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 MX$248

$11.53 MX$213

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MX$47.82

$2.71 MX$50.1

-4.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.94

$1.62 MX$29.91

-3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.98

$1.89 MX$34.98

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.57

$1.79 MX$33.14

-4.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MX$22.29

$2.06 MX$38.08

-41.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.99

$1.82 MX$33.62

1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$51.3

$1.51 MX$27.84

83.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.05 MX$19.40

15.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 MX$88.9

$4.80 MX$88.6

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$201

$10.43 MX$193

4.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.53

$1.92 MX$35.51

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MX$64.3

$3.29 MX$60.8

5.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MX$16.59

$0.63 MX$11.61

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 MX$968

$29.97 MX$554

74.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$80.8

$2.22 MX$41.06

96.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 MX$54.9

$1.45 MX$26.71

104.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.43 MX$193

$9.54 MX$176

9.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.53 MX$28.36

-7.84%

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

$21.3K MX$394.1K

$21.4K MX$394.8K

-0.19%

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

$23.9K MX$441.5K

$23.9K MX$440.8K

0.15%

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

$84.4 MX$1,560

$49.71 MX$919

69.82%

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

$24.86 MX$459

$23.09 MX$427

7.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MX$581

$29.23 MX$540

7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 MX$833

$29.01 MX$536

55.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.06 MX$556

$10.94 MX$202

174.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 MX$76.3

$6.15 MX$114

-32.85%

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

$226 MX$4,180

$237 MX$4,381

-4.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 MX$153.0K

$10.6K MX$195.7K

-21.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 MX$1,317

$56.6 MX$1,045

26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 MX$970

$40.02 MX$739

31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 MX$1,759

$105 MX$1,943

-9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MX$1,257

$80.0 MX$1,479

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 MX$22.0K

$811 MX$15.0K

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MX$13.5K

$472 MX$8,725

55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 MX$46.4K

$1,505 MX$27.8K

66.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.8K

$943 MX$17.4K

24.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 MX$70.7K

$3,221 MX$59.5K

18.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 MX$40.8K

$1,720 MX$31.8K

28.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

$767 MX$14.2K

-2.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.53

0.61%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: 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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5%

Guadalajara

$472 37.1% 35.6% $261

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4%

Guadalajara

$272 21.3% 8.4% $25

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4%

Guadalajara

$217 17.1% 18.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7%

Guadalajara

$102 8% 27.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8%

Guadalajara

$127 10% 1.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7%

Guadalajara

$42 3.3% 44.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3%

Guadalajara

$41 3.2% 22.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $811 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 2% higher in Guadalajara, 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 $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $43.00 in Guadalajara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $272 – making Guadalajara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

1 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

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

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Between locations

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Guadalajara 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,416 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $1,909 in Guadalajara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Guadalajara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $237 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 Guadalajara, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Guadalajara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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