Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Guadalajara Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Guadalajara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,136 in Celaya versus $1,157 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Celaya versus $1,873 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,537 in Celaya versus $2,589 in Guadalajara.

Living in Celaya costs roughly 2% less than in Guadalajara, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Celaya 15% lower, Guadalajara 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.50 MX$200

$10.55 MX$184

9.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 MX$735

$38.56 MX$671

9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 MX$136

$7.75 MX$135

0.65%

Cappuccino

$2.87 MX$49.86

$3.26 MX$56.7

-11.96%

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

$1.14 MX$19.87

$1.33 MX$23.10

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.48

$0.86 MX$14.89

10.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MX$45.68

$2.08 MX$36.11

26.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MX$78.9

$3.87 MX$67.4

17.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$28.80

$1.45 MX$25.22

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 MX$39.93

$2.70 MX$47.06

-15.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 MX$25.44

$1.69 MX$29.48

-13.61%

Eggs

$2.03 MX$35.30

$2.41 MX$41.88

-15.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 MX$165

$9.26 MX$161

2.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 MX$151

$7.90 MX$137

10.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 MX$190

$10.33 MX$180

5.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MX$51.2

$2.61 MX$45.44

12.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$27.66

$1.45 MX$25.24

9.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.73

$1.77 MX$30.77

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.47

$1.54 MX$26.75

21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.86

$1.71 MX$29.76

27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.23

$1.98 MX$34.53

13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MX$23.27

$1.39 MX$24.10

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$17.35

$1.12 MX$19.41

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 MX$69.5

$4.38 MX$76.2

-8.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 MX$246

$11.60 MX$202

21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$30.46

$1.58 MX$27.47

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MX$60.9

$3.24 MX$56.5

8.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.48

$0.55 MX$9.52

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 MX$453

$26.39 MX$459

-1.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 MX$13.11

$2.61 MX$45.45

-71.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 MX$27.73

$1.54 MX$26.75

3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 MX$154

$11.75 MX$204

-24.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.83

$1.28 MX$22.20

2.34%

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

$26.1K MX$453.7K

$24.0K MX$417.3K

8.72%

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

$21.8K MX$379.1K

$24.5K MX$426.3K

-11.08%

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

$45.46 MX$791

$31.09 MX$541

46.22%

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

$22.17 MX$386

$23.67 MX$412

-6.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.03 MX$366

$26.68 MX$464

-21.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.14 MX$629

$33.77 MX$588

7.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 MX$271

$19.39 MX$337

-19.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MX$83.8

$4.82 MX$83.8

-0.21%

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

$221 MX$3,843

$189 MX$3,285

16.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,370 MX$58.6K

$6,386 MX$111.1K

-47.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 MX$1,010

$49.80 MX$867

16.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 MX$732

$50.9 MX$885

-17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,754

$99.6 MX$1,734

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 MX$1,292

$92.9 MX$1,616

-20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 MX$8,940

$719 MX$12.5K

-28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 MX$6,896

$436 MX$7,587

-9.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$925 MX$16.1K

$1,344 MX$23.4K

-31.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 MX$13.0K

$872 MX$15.2K

-14.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 MX$56.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 MX$34.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$848 MX$14.8K

$755 MX$13.1K

12.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.48

0.17%

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

Last update for Celaya: April 27, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $514 in Celaya and $719 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celaya pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Celaya vs $39.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $258 per month, with Guadalajara cheaper across the board.

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

Celaya vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Celaya and Guadalajara differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,136 vs $1,157 including rent). Celaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Celaya pays 12% more on average, 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: $514 in Celaya versus $719 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $39.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,136 per month in Celaya versus $1,157 in Guadalajara – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,136 in Celaya versus $1,157 in Guadalajara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.