Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapala and Macaé Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapala and Macaé

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,007 per month in Chapala vs $824 in Macaé, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,493 per month in Chapala vs $1,343 in Macaé, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chapala vs $1,862 in Macaé, rent included.

Chapala costs about 22% more than Macaé, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both Chapala and Macaé are more affordable than the global median – Chapala 25% lower, Macaé 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 MX$140

$5.70 R$29.13

40.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.48 MX$605

$33.80 R$173

2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.79 MX$119

$6.42 R$32.79

5.76%

Cappuccino

$3.24 MX$56.8

$1.92 R$9.82

68.75%

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

$2.05 MX$36.00

$1.28 R$6.55

60.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$17.25

$0.82 R$4.21

19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 MX$35.64

$1.78 R$9.09

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$55.1

$2.19 R$11.21

43.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$27.46

$1.06 R$5.42

48.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 MX$45.94

$1.59 R$8.14

64.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.05

$1.28 R$6.55

20.31%

Eggs

$2.16 MX$37.82

$1.94 R$9.92

11.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$145

$8.08 R$41.30

2.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.13 MX$125

$3.55 R$18.14

100.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 MX$134

$6.37 R$32.57

19.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 MX$37.57

$2.30 R$11.75

-6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 MX$17.09

$1.27 R$6.49

-23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 MX$14.62

$1.18 R$6.05

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MX$24.79

$1.39 R$7.09

1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 MX$23.94

$1.09 R$5.58

24.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MX$18.15

$1.16 R$5.95

-11.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MX$16.41

$0.67 R$3.42

40.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$14.63

$0.47 R$2.40

76.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 MX$69.8

$2.01 R$10.25

98.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.19 MX$161

$5.81 R$29.67

58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$23.65

$0.92 R$4.68

46.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 MX$28.98

$1.14 R$5.84

44.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.56

$0.75 R$3.85

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 R$377

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MX$18.16

$1.13 R$5.78

-7.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 MX$25.86

$0.71 R$3.61

107.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.6

$7.49 R$38.26

-56.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.11

$1.07 R$5.45

17.76%

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

$18.4K MX$322.7K

$17.8K R$90.8K

3.50%

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

$18.4K MX$322.5K

$27.0K R$138.2K

-32.00%

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

$47.56 MX$834

$58.4 R$298

-18.49%

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

$17.14 MX$301

$10.03 R$51.3

70.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 MX$444

$18.88 R$96.5

34.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.12 MX$441

$38.50 R$197

-34.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 MX$280

$26.80 R$137

-40.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.16 MX$73.0

$6.17 R$31.53

-32.58%

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

$180 MX$3,163

$541 R$2,764

-66.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,672 MX$46.9K

$6,587 R$33.7K

-59.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 MX$740

$44.81 R$229

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.16 MX$283

$29.33 R$150

-44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 MX$1,175

$71.6 R$366

-6.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 MX$971

$60.8 R$311

-8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 MX$7,945

$357 R$1,823

26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 MX$7,412

$234 R$1,198

80.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$784 MX$13.8K

$661 R$3,379

18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$11.3K

$508 R$2,597

26.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$742 MX$13.0K

$1,231 R$6,291

-39.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$728 MX$12.8K

$762 R$3,892

-4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$761 R$3,890

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.24

11.25

-0.09%

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

Last update for Chapala: July 11, 2026

Last update for Macaé: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Chapala versus $357 in Macaé. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Chapala versus $34.00 in Macaé. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Chapala vs $164 in Macaé – so Macaé wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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

Chapala vs Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapala costs about 22% more than Macaé, with the gap driven mainly by Getting Around. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,511 per month in Chapala and $1,236 in Macaé. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Chapala and $34.00 in Macaé. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chapala, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,007 in Chapala and $824 in Macaé, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Macaé costs $824 versus $1,007 in Chapala. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Macaé. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chapala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.