Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tirana: $1,376 a month against $1,611 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,611
/mo nomad
Tirana
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,376
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Tirana 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 $1,376 in Tirana, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611
  • Tirana $1,376

A couple spends around $2,409 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,174 in Tirana, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409
  • Tirana $2,174

A family of three spends $3,207 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,972 in Tirana, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207
  • Tirana $2,972

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 17% more than Tirana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Tirana sit above the global median – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 19%, Tirana by 2%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.35 MX$191
$10.16 ALL 818
1.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.09 MX$889
$54.8 ALL 4,412
-12.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 MX$182
$11.03 ALL 889
-10.43%
Cappuccino
$3.37 MX$62.2
$2.33 ALL 188
44.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$26.54
$2.39 ALL 192
-39.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.86
$1.30 ALL 105
-30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 MX$44.20
$3.51 ALL 283
-31.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 MX$81.5
$4.18 ALL 337
5.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 MX$32.84
$2.19 ALL 176
-18.72%
White Bread (500g)
$3.03 MX$55.9
$1.20 ALL 96.8
152.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.38 MX$43.92
$2.43 ALL 196
-2.06%
Eggs
$2.35 MX$43.47
$3.85 ALL 310
-38.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 MX$212
$12.83 ALL 1,033
-10.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 MX$178
$9.21 ALL 741
4.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 MX$248
$16.78 ALL 1,351
-20.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 MX$47.82
$1.98 ALL 160
30.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 MX$28.94
$2.41 ALL 194
-34.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 MX$29.98
$2.20 ALL 177
-26.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.57
$1.92 ALL 154
-10.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 MX$22.29
$1.07 ALL 86.0
13.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 MX$33.99
$1.26 ALL 101
46.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.77 MX$51.3
$1.49 ALL 120
85.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.31
$0.76 ALL 60.9
59.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.81 MX$88.9
$4.87 ALL 392
-1.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.87 MX$201
$10.30 ALL 829
5.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.53
$1.58 ALL 127
-2.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 MX$64.3
$2.10 ALL 169
65.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 MX$16.59
$0.50 ALL 40.35
80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.4 MX$968
$19.46 ALL 1,567
169.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 MX$80.8
$3.64 ALL 293
20.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.97 MX$54.9
$3.61 ALL 291
-17.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.43 MX$193
$18.34 ALL 1,477
-43.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.14
$2.40 ALL 193
-41.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$394.1K
$34.1K ALL 2.7M
-37.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.5K
$29.1K ALL 2.3M
-17.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.4 MX$1,560
$98.6 ALL 7,939
-14.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.86 MX$459
$18.42 ALL 1,483
34.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.45 MX$581
$19.69 ALL 1,585
59.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.08 MX$833
$57.2 ALL 4,609
-21.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.06 MX$556
$19.39 ALL 1,561
55.03%
Cinema Ticket
$4.13 MX$76.3
$9.80 ALL 790
-57.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$226 MX$4,180
$352 ALL 28.4K
-35.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,280 MX$153.0K
$8,420 ALL 678.1K
-1.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.3 MX$1,317
$72.5 ALL 5,836
-1.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.5 MX$970
$47.39 ALL 3,817
10.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 MX$1,759
$120 ALL 9,652
-20.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.0 MX$1,257
$113 ALL 9,102
-39.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 MX$22.0K
$828 ALL 66.7K
43.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 MX$13.5K
$488 ALL 39.3K
50.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,509 MX$46.4K
$1,539 ALL 123.9K
63.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.8K
$888 ALL 71.5K
32.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,827 MX$70.7K
$4,405 ALL 354.8K
-13.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,210 MX$40.8K
$2,097 ALL 168.9K
5.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Tirana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$750 MX$13.9K
$865 ALL 69.7K
-13.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
5.16
124.81%

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 Tirana: 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
Tirana
$488 33.5% $245
Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$297
Tirana
$290 2.2% $6.5
Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$183
Tirana
$183 0% $0
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$141
Tirana
$137 2.9% $4
Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$129
Tirana
$159 22.9% $30
Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$75
Tirana
$43 42.6% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$53
Tirana
$77 44.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $828 in Tirana. 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 15% higher in Tirana, 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 $55.0 in Tirana. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $290 in Tirana – so Tirana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇦🇱 Tirana
🕒 Local time
19:31 7:31 PM
04:31 4:31 AM
9 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
202,694
418,495 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Tirana 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
  • Tirana

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 Tirana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tirana cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur?
Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,416 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $2,064 in Tirana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tirana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 169% less in Tirana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $352 in Tirana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or in Tirana?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tirana, where all-in costs run around $1,376, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Tirana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or Tirana more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tirana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Tirana. 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.

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