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: $1,375 in Guadalajara versus $1,419 in Los Cabos.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,241 in Guadalajara versus $2,325 in Los Cabos.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,107 in Guadalajara versus $3,232 in Los Cabos.

Living in Guadalajara costs roughly 3% less than in Los Cabos, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guadalajara 0% above, Los Cabos 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 MX$255

$24.08 MX$415

-38.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.81 MX$840

$46.22 MX$796

5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 MX$162

$13.68 MX$236

-31.29%

Cappuccino

$4.06 MX$70.0

$5.30 MX$91.3

-23.40%

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

$1.79 MX$30.89

$2.43 MX$41.88

-26.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$22.51

$2.11 MX$36.37

-37.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$50.6

$5.04 MX$86.7

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$93.6

$8.87 MX$153

-38.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$32.85

$1.70 MX$29.34

12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 MX$48.47

$3.14 MX$54.0

-10.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$29.76

$2.42 MX$41.71

-28.51%

Eggs

$2.58 MX$44.50

$2.45 MX$42.26

5.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 MX$177

$9.68 MX$167

6.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 MX$175

$10.35 MX$178

-1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 MX$214

$18.88 MX$325

-34.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MX$52.3

$4.44 MX$76.4

-31.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$29.90

$1.80 MX$31.04

-3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 MX$35.66

$3.00 MX$51.6

-31.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.81

$2.67 MX$45.99

-26.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.99

$2.50 MX$42.98

-14.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$32.39

$2.70 MX$46.53

-30.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$26.26

$1.40 MX$24.09

9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$19.39

$0.91 MX$15.61

24.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 MX$87.5

$4.77 MX$82.1

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.56 MX$199

$11.54 MX$199

0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$33.09

$1.66 MX$28.54

15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 MX$62.6

$3.27 MX$56.3

11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$10.54

$0.72 MX$12.33

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 MX$567

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 MX$39.35

$2.83 MX$48.72

-19.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 MX$25.31

$2.16 MX$37.12

-31.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.00 MX$224

$11.23 MX$193

15.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$28.09

$1.52 MX$26.20

7.24%

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

$22.2K MX$381.5K

$22.6K MX$390.0K

-2.18%

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

$25.4K MX$437.0K

$25.7K MX$443.0K

-1.35%

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

$54.0 MX$929

$62.7 MX$1,080

-13.92%

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

$24.30 MX$418

$29.37 MX$506

-17.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.34 MX$574

$26.32 MX$453

26.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.73 MX$564

$37.04 MX$638

-11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.01 MX$207

$21.47 MX$370

-44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 MX$123

$4.71 MX$81.1

51.17%

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

$276 MX$4,755

$242 MX$4,165

14.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$199.0K

$4,816 MX$82.9K

139.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 MX$1,090

$98.6 MX$1,698

-35.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 MX$784

$44.45 MX$765

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$1,933

$132 MX$2,271

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MX$1,586

$93.5 MX$1,609

-1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 MX$15.2K

$656 MX$11.3K

34.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MX$9,061

$421 MX$7,250

24.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 MX$30.3K

$1,117 MX$19.2K

57.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 MX$17.8K

$820 MX$14.1K

26.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,351 MX$57.7K

$1,923 MX$33.1K

74.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 MX$35.6K

$1,223 MX$21.1K

69.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$824 MX$14.2K

$878 MX$15.1K

-6.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.3

3.36%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: September 12, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $884 in Guadalajara and $656 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Cabos pays 7% 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: $49.00 in Guadalajara vs $46.00 in Los Cabos. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $331, with Guadalajara 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

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Los Cabos. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Los Cabos. 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: $884 in Guadalajara versus $656 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $276 in Guadalajara versus $242 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 Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $46.00 in Los Cabos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,375 in Guadalajara versus $1,419 in Los Cabos, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Los Cabos. The gap between the two cities makes Guadalajara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guadalajara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,375 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guadalajara hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Los Cabos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.