Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Aguascalientes

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,079 a month against $1,273 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Aguascalientes

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 Aguascalientes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Guadalajara versus $1,079 in Aguascalientes.

Guadalajara $1,273
Aguascalientes $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,041 in Guadalajara versus $1,721 in Aguascalientes.

Guadalajara $2,041
Aguascalientes $1,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,810 in Guadalajara versus $2,362 in Aguascalientes.

Guadalajara $2,810
Aguascalientes $2,362

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 18% more expensive than in Aguascalientes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 6% lower, Aguascalientes 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 MX$254

$12.28 MX$227

11.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.18 MX$798

$42.99 MX$794

0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 MX$172

$7.20 MX$133

29.44%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.74 MX$69.1

0.53%

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

$1.66 MX$30.62

$1.67 MX$30.85

-0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.08

$1.17 MX$21.70

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.31

$2.14 MX$39.62

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 MX$88.7

$3.29 MX$60.7

45.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.32

$1.48 MX$27.44

18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.00

$2.25 MX$41.49

12.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.68

$1.45 MX$26.73

6.90%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$44.71

$2.43 MX$44.86

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 MX$162

$7.75 MX$143

13.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 MX$172

$8.52 MX$157

9.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 MX$213

$11.26 MX$208

2.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$50.1

$2.26 MX$41.84

19.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$1.27 MX$23.43

27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.98

$1.48 MX$27.39

27.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.14

$1.70 MX$31.35

5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.08

$1.55 MX$28.62

32.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.62

$1.33 MX$24.51

36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.84

$0.98 MX$18.13

54.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$0.81 MX$14.93

29.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$88.6

$4.30 MX$79.4

11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$193

$8.45 MX$156

23.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.51

$1.79 MX$33.08

7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.31 MX$61.1

-0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$0.63 MX$11.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 MX$554

$24.32 MX$449

23.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 MX$41.06

$1.23 MX$22.78

80.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 MX$26.71

$1.13 MX$20.97

28.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 MX$176

$10.80 MX$200

-11.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.46 MX$26.90

4.79%

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

$21.4K MX$394.8K

$24.4K MX$450.0K

-12.26%

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

$23.9K MX$440.8K

$23.3K MX$430.4K

2.41%

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

$49.71 MX$919

$54.3 MX$1,004

-8.47%

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

$23.09 MX$427

$24.27 MX$448

-4.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MX$540

$23.89 MX$441

22.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.01 MX$536

$30.44 MX$562

-4.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 MX$202

$22.08 MX$408

-50.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 MX$114

$5.06 MX$93.4

21.54%

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

$237 MX$4,381

$214 MX$3,951

10.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MX$195.7K

$2,854 MX$52.7K

271.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MX$1,045

$54.1 MX$1,000

4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 MX$739

$37.52 MX$693

6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MX$1,943

$103 MX$1,899

2.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MX$1,479

$69.2 MX$1,278

15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 MX$15.0K

$510 MX$9,431

58.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 MX$8,725

$351 MX$6,489

34.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 MX$27.8K

$778 MX$14.4K

93.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 MX$17.4K

$640 MX$11.8K

47.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 MX$59.5K

$1,150 MX$21.2K

180.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,720 MX$31.8K

$1,165 MX$21.5K

47.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 MX$14.2K

$853 MX$15.8K

-10.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.2

2.95%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$472 37.1%

Aguascalientes

$351 32.5% 25.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$272 21.3%

Aguascalientes

$239 22.2% 11.9% $32

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$217 17.1%

Aguascalientes

$193 17.9% 11% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$127 10%

Aguascalientes

$119 11% 6.5% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 8%

Aguascalientes

$102 9.5% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.3%

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1% 19.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$41 3.2%

Aguascalientes

$41 3.8% 1.8% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $811 in Guadalajara and $510 in Aguascalientes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Guadalajara vs $43.00 in Aguascalientes. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $239, with Aguascalientes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

863,893

💱 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

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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

Guadalajara vs Aguascalientes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Aguascalientes. 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: $811 in Guadalajara versus $510 in Aguascalientes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 23% less than in Guadalajara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $237 in Guadalajara versus $214 in Aguascalientes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,079 in Aguascalientes versus $1,273 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Guadalajara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Guadalajara and Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.