Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,099 a month against $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Rarotonga
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Rarotonga Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Rarotonga

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

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,099 in Rarotonga, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661
Rarotonga $1,099

A couple spends around $2,454 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,561 in Rarotonga, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454
Rarotonga $1,561

A family of three spends $3,248 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,023 in Rarotonga, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248
Rarotonga $2,023

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 51% more than Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sits 24% above the global median, while Rarotonga is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 MX$188

$14.15 NZ$25.24

-27.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.6 MX$920

$50.4 NZ$90.0

0.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 MX$185

$5.69 NZ$10.15

78.21%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$64.2

$3.48 NZ$6.20

1.44%

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

$1.49 MX$27.18

$2.24 NZ$4.00

-33.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.99

$2.31 NZ$4.12

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$45.60

$5.02 NZ$8.96

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MX$81.3

$4.96 NZ$8.85

-9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.19

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-38.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 MX$57.8

$2.77 NZ$4.94

14.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 MX$46.61

Eggs

$2.35 MX$42.81

$6.19 NZ$11.03

-62.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 MX$211

$7.48 NZ$13.33

55.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 MX$184

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 MX$249

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$49.60

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.14

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.97

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.52

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 MX$22.88

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.58

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$50.5

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 MX$92.1

$11.18 NZ$19.94

-54.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 MX$204

$11.23 NZ$20.03

-0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.11

$3.48 NZ$6.21

-57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 MX$64.2

$5.08 NZ$9.07

-30.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.83

$2.80 NZ$5.00

-68.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 MX$967

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$79.4

$20.06 NZ$35.78

-78.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 MX$55.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 MX$193

$34.02 NZ$60.7

-68.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.53

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-16.09%

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

$21.5K MX$390.4K

$11.2K NZ$20.1K

90.91%

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

$24.4K MX$443.9K

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

$86.9 MX$1,580

$100 NZ$179

-13.50%

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

$25.56 MX$465

$47.47 NZ$84.7

-46.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.06 MX$583

$104 NZ$185

-69.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.89 MX$835

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.59 MX$557

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$77.1

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

$231 MX$4,207

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,373 MX$152.3K

$1,360 NZ$2,426

515.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MX$1,323

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 MX$970

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 MX$1,768

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.5 MX$1,229

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 MX$21.8K

$445 NZ$794

168.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 MX$13.8K

$452 NZ$807

67.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 MX$46.3K

$684 NZ$1,220

271.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 MX$22.1K

$624 NZ$1,113

94.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,814 MX$69.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.8K

$3,906 NZ$6,968

-80.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8%

Rarotonga

$452 40.6% 40.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4%

Rarotonga

$154 * 13.8% 49.5% $151

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3%

Rarotonga

$225 20.2% 20.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7%

Rarotonga

$251 22.6% 74.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6%

Rarotonga

$31 * 2.8% 59% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $445 in Rarotonga. 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 417% higher in Rarotonga, 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 $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $50.0 in Rarotonga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $154 – making Rarotonga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

23:59 11:59 PM

3 h behind Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

13,373

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Rarotonga 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Rarotonga

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 Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $1,649 in Rarotonga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 98% more in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $50.0 in Rarotonga. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rarotonga, where all-in costs run around $1,099, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,661. In Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rarotonga. 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.