Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,297 a month against $1,398 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Guadalajara $1,297

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,086 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Guadalajara $2,086

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $2,875 in Guadalajara, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Guadalajara $2,875

Cancun costs about 8% more than Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cancun sits 4% above the global median, while Guadalajara is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$13.46 MX$249

-19.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$43.54 MX$805

23.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$9.11 MX$168

26.78%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.83 MX$70.9

0.78%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$1.68 MX$31.01

-20.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$1.21 MX$22.44

-30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.67 MX$49.40

14.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$4.90 MX$90.5

-15.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.80 MX$33.28

-8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$2.57 MX$47.53

0.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.63 MX$30.17

3.07%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.47 MX$45.72

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$8.84 MX$163

11.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$9.61 MX$178

-8.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$11.43 MX$211

24.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.77 MX$51.2

5.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.66 MX$30.71

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.05 MX$37.89

46.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$1.84 MX$34.01

19.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.99 MX$36.84

-2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$1.78 MX$32.89

10.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.51 MX$27.95

-23.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$1.08 MX$19.96

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$4.68 MX$86.5

-7.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$10.63 MX$196

-5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.93 MX$35.70

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$3.31 MX$61.1

-15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$0.63 MX$11.62

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$30.17 MX$558

-3.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$2.23 MX$41.17

94.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$1.34 MX$24.77

110.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$12.26 MX$227

11.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.51 MX$27.85

1.32%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$21.6K MX$399.2K

-1.24%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$23.7K MX$437.2K

0.59%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$48.89 MX$903

248.56%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$22.32 MX$413

5.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$31.24 MX$577

24.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$28.26 MX$522

14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$11.12 MX$205

18.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$6.73 MX$124

8.32%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$258 MX$4,776

-21.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$10.9K MX$201.8K

-50.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$57.9 MX$1,070

-6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$39.83 MX$736

38.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$108 MX$1,989

-31.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$82.3 MX$1,521

14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$848 MX$15.7K

-22.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$490 MX$9,049

-6.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$1,534 MX$28.3K

-8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$994 MX$18.4K

6.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$3,068 MX$56.7K

-58.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$1,898 MX$35.1K

2.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$750 MX$13.9K

6.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.68

-1.97%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Guadalajara

$490 37.8% 7.1% $33

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Guadalajara

$276 21.3% 3.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Guadalajara

$102 7.9% 56% $130

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Guadalajara

$216 16.6% 7.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Guadalajara

$129 10% 3.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 17.2% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 10.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun versus $848 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 7% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cancun versus $44.00 in Guadalajara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $276 – making Guadalajara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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

Cancun Guadalajara 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,297 in Guadalajara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun and $1,945 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.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $258 in Guadalajara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guadalajara, where all-in costs run around $1,297, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Guadalajara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,297 in Guadalajara to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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