Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colima and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $952 a month against $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$952

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Colima versus $1,297 in Guadalajara.

Colima $952
Guadalajara $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,562 in Colima versus $2,086 in Guadalajara.

Colima $1,562
Guadalajara $2,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,173 in Colima versus $2,875 in Guadalajara.

Colima $2,173
Guadalajara $2,875

Living in Colima costs roughly 27% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colima 29% lower, Guadalajara 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 MX$140

$13.46 MX$249

-43.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.52 MX$619

$43.54 MX$805

-23.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 MX$132

$9.11 MX$168

-21.41%

Cappuccino

$2.24 MX$41.33

$3.83 MX$70.9

-41.51%

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

$1.00 MX$18.48

$1.68 MX$31.01

-40.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.45

$1.21 MX$22.44

-30.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 MX$41.16

$2.67 MX$49.40

-16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 MX$45.24

$4.90 MX$90.5

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.57

$1.80 MX$33.28

-13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.76

$2.57 MX$47.53

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MX$22.40

$1.63 MX$30.17

-25.77%

Eggs

$2.76 MX$51.0

$2.47 MX$45.72

11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 MX$148

$8.84 MX$163

-9.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 MX$154

$9.61 MX$178

-13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MX$182

$11.43 MX$211

-13.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 MX$52.7

$2.77 MX$51.2

2.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.63

$1.66 MX$30.71

-13.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.82

$2.05 MX$37.89

-13.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.70

$1.84 MX$34.01

22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.50

$1.99 MX$36.84

15.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.58

$1.78 MX$32.89

29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.36

$1.51 MX$27.95

-5.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$1.08 MX$19.96

0.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.61 MX$66.8

$4.68 MX$86.5

-22.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 MX$125

$10.63 MX$196

-36.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.83

$1.93 MX$35.70

-19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$32.64

$3.31 MX$61.1

-46.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.73

$0.63 MX$11.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.51 MX$361

$30.17 MX$558

-35.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 MX$44.35

$2.23 MX$41.17

7.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$1.34 MX$24.77

110.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.41 MX$174

$12.26 MX$227

-23.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.45

$1.51 MX$27.85

-5.30%

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

$20.9K MX$386.3K

$21.6K MX$399.2K

-3.25%

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

$22.7K MX$419.1K

$23.7K MX$437.2K

-4.15%

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

$64.9 MX$1,198

$48.89 MX$903

32.67%

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

$20.24 MX$374

$22.32 MX$413

-9.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.71 MX$549

$31.24 MX$577

-4.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 MX$652

$28.26 MX$522

24.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.72 MX$401

$11.12 MX$205

95.32%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 MX$85.6

$6.73 MX$124

-31.20%

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

$147 MX$2,712

$258 MX$4,776

-43.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,496 MX$46.1K

$10.9K MX$201.8K

-77.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 MX$833

$57.9 MX$1,070

-22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.11 MX$464

$39.83 MX$736

-36.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 MX$1,369

$108 MX$1,989

-31.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 MX$1,884

$82.3 MX$1,521

23.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 MX$4,849

$848 MX$15.7K

-69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 MX$4,831

$490 MX$9,049

-46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,826

$1,534 MX$28.3K

-75.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MX$10.9K

$994 MX$18.4K

-40.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 MX$56.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,898 MX$35.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$287 MX$5,301

$750 MX$13.9K

-61.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Colima: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colima

$261 27.5%

Guadalajara

$490 37.8% 87.3% $228

Groceries & Markets

Colima

$250 26.2%

Guadalajara

$276 21.3% 10.8% $27

Eating Out

Colima

$132 13.9%

Guadalajara

$216 16.6% 63% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colima

$115 12.1%

Guadalajara

$102 7.9% 10.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Colima

$111 11.6%

Guadalajara

$129 10% 16.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Colima

$45 4.7%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 6.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Colima

$39 4.1%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 7.9% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $262 in Colima and $848 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 161% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Colima vs $44.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $276 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Colima

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

Same time as Colima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

146,965

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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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

Colima vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colima and Guadalajara differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($952 vs $1,297 including rent). Colima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 161% lower in Guadalajara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $262 in Colima versus $848 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 55% less than in Guadalajara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $147 in Colima versus $258 in Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $952 in Colima versus $1,297 in Guadalajara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Colima 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.

Safety-wise, Colima and Guadalajara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.