Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guadalajara and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,297 per month in Guadalajara vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Guadalajara $1,297
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $2,086 per month in Guadalajara vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Guadalajara $2,086
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $2,875 per month in Guadalajara vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Guadalajara $2,875
Acapulco $2,012

Guadalajara costs about 51% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guadalajara and Acapulco are more affordable than the global median – Guadalajara 4% lower, Acapulco 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 MX$249

$9.48 MX$175

41.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 MX$805

$37.64 MX$696

15.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 MX$168

$11.97 MX$221

-23.89%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.9

$3.76 MX$69.5

1.86%

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

$1.68 MX$31.01

$1.63 MX$30.10

3.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.44

$1.66 MX$30.65

-27.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.40

$3.00 MX$55.4

-11.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$4.79 MX$88.4

2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.28

$1.59 MX$29.36

13.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.53

$2.89 MX$53.5

-11.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.17

$1.68 MX$31.11

-2.98%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$1.79 MX$33.06

37.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 MX$163

$6.64 MX$123

33.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 MX$178

$8.04 MX$149

19.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 MX$211

$10.78 MX$199

6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$4.58 MX$84.7

-39.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.71

$1.65 MX$30.46

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.89

$3.38 MX$62.5

-39.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.01

$3.13 MX$57.9

-41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$3.47 MX$64.2

-42.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$2.96 MX$54.7

-39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.95

$1.31 MX$24.12

15.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$0.78 MX$14.46

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$86.5

$8.16 MX$151

-42.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 MX$196

$6.66 MX$123

59.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.70

$1.12 MX$20.74

72.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$2.70 MX$49.94

22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.62

$0.88 MX$16.27

-28.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 MX$41.17

$4.85 MX$89.6

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 MX$24.77

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 MX$227

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.85

$1.47 MX$27.16

2.72%

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

$21.6K MX$399.2K

$21.1K MX$389.7K

2.43%

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

$23.7K MX$437.2K

$24.8K MX$458.4K

-4.61%

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

$48.89 MX$903

$39.89 MX$737

22.56%

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

$22.32 MX$413

$14.81 MX$274

50.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$577

$21.72 MX$401

43.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 MX$522

$19.02 MX$351

48.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MX$205

$13.85 MX$256

-19.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$3.87 MX$71.6

73.90%

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

$258 MX$4,776

$162 MX$2,994

59.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$201.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 MX$1,070

$64.4 MX$1,191

-10.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 MX$736

$44.58 MX$824

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,989

$107 MX$1,985

0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MX$1,521

$83.2 MX$1,538

-1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 MX$15.7K

$519 MX$9,593

63.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MX$9,049

$150 MX$2,763

227.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 MX$28.3K

$956 MX$17.7K

60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 MX$18.4K

$331 MX$6,118

200.22%

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)

$750 MX$13.9K

$449 MX$8,293

67.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.6

0.69%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$490 37.8%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 69.5% $340

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$276 21.3%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 2.8% $7.9

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.6%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 9.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$129 10%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 4.2% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 7.9%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 25.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 35.8% $15

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 79.9% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $848 in Guadalajara versus $519 in Acapulco. 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 67% higher in Guadalajara, 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 $44.00 in Guadalajara versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $269 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

658,609

💱 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

Guadalajara Acapulco 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
Acapulco

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

Guadalajara vs Acapulco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara costs about 51% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,945 per month in Guadalajara and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,297 in Guadalajara and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 51%.

Kindergarten costs $258 per month in Guadalajara and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Guadalajara at $1,297. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalajara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,297 in Guadalajara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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