Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Los Cabos Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Los Cabos

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,157 in Guadalajara versus $1,093 in Los Cabos.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,873 in Guadalajara versus $1,760 in Los Cabos.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Guadalajara versus $2,427 in Los Cabos.

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 6% more expensive than Los Cabos, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 14% lower, Los Cabos 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 MX$185

$10.62 MX$186

-0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.56 MX$675

$39.18 MX$686

-1.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 MX$136

$8.06 MX$141

-3.85%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$57.0

$3.29 MX$57.6

-0.91%

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

$1.33 MX$23.23

$1.23 MX$21.56

8.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$14.97

$0.99 MX$17.27

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 MX$36.32

$2.41 MX$42.19

-13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$67.8

$3.89 MX$68.0

-0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.36

$1.50 MX$26.23

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 MX$47.33

$2.60 MX$45.50

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$29.65

$1.63 MX$28.54

3.68%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$42.12

$2.36 MX$41.36

2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 MX$162

$7.89 MX$138

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 MX$138

$7.66 MX$134

3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 MX$181

$10.55 MX$185

-2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.70

$2.61 MX$45.59

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MX$25.39

$1.38 MX$24.13

5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.95

$1.80 MX$31.47

-1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$26.90

$1.64 MX$28.74

-6.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.94

$1.92 MX$33.69

-10.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.73

$1.94 MX$33.91

2.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$24.24

$1.19 MX$20.89

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.52

$1.01 MX$17.76

10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$76.6

$4.26 MX$74.6

2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 MX$203

$11.01 MX$193

5.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$27.63

$1.59 MX$27.91

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$56.8

$2.76 MX$48.21

17.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.57

$0.61 MX$10.69

-9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.39 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$45.72

$2.61 MX$45.59

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 MX$26.91

$1.59 MX$27.91

-3.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.75 MX$206

$8.21 MX$144

43.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 MX$22.33

$1.32 MX$23.07

-3.03%

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

$24.0K MX$419.7K

$21.5K MX$376.3K

11.52%

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

$24.5K MX$428.8K

$22.2K MX$387.9K

10.53%

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

$31.09 MX$544

$56.0 MX$981

-44.52%

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

$23.67 MX$414

$22.04 MX$386

7.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MX$467

$27.65 MX$484

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.77 MX$591

$35.87 MX$628

-5.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 MX$339

$15.92 MX$279

21.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MX$84.3

$4.52 MX$79.1

6.64%

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

$189 MX$3,304

$205 MX$3,592

-8.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,386 MX$111.8K

$3,627 MX$63.5K

76.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.80 MX$872

$52.4 MX$917

-4.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 MX$890

$40.06 MX$701

26.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 MX$1,744

$91.2 MX$1,597

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.9 MX$1,625

$80.0 MX$1,399

16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 MX$12.6K

$504 MX$8,826

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MX$7,631

$394 MX$6,897

10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 MX$23.5K

$949 MX$16.6K

41.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 MX$15.3K

$762 MX$13.3K

14.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 MX$56.9K

$1,992 MX$34.9K

63.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 MX$34.9K

$1,288 MX$22.5K

54.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$755 MX$13.2K

$854 MX$14.9K

-11.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

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

Last update for Guadalajara: April 26, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Guadalajara and $504 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Cabos pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Guadalajara vs $39.00 in Los Cabos. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $249, with Los Cabos cheaper for home cooking.

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 Los Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Los Cabos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Los Cabos earns 13% less. 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: $719 in Guadalajara versus $504 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $189 in Guadalajara versus $205 in Los Cabos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,093 in Los Cabos versus $1,157 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Cabos but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Los Cabos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Los Cabos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,093 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Los Cabos hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Los Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.