Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,297 a month against $1,417 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
Learn more

Queretaro Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Queretaro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Guadalajara versus $1,417 in Queretaro.

Guadalajara $1,297
Queretaro $1,417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,086 in Guadalajara versus $2,165 in Queretaro.

Guadalajara $2,086
Queretaro $2,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,875 in Guadalajara versus $2,913 in Queretaro.

Guadalajara $2,875
Queretaro $2,913

Living in Guadalajara costs roughly 8% less than in Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guadalajara is 4% below, Queretaro is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 MX$249

$11.14 MX$206

20.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 MX$805

$62.1 MX$1,148

-29.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 MX$168

$9.50 MX$176

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.9

$3.66 MX$67.7

4.64%

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

$1.68 MX$31.01

$1.59 MX$29.35

5.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.44

$1.08 MX$19.97

12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.40

$3.28 MX$60.6

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$5.41 MX$100

-9.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.28

$1.96 MX$36.26

-8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.53

$2.74 MX$50.5

-6.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.17

$2.01 MX$37.11

-18.91%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$2.65 MX$48.95

-6.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 MX$163

$8.64 MX$160

2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 MX$178

$8.82 MX$163

8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 MX$211

$13.45 MX$249

-15.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$3.46 MX$64.0

-19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.71

$1.64 MX$30.31

1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.89

$2.19 MX$40.45

-6.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.01

$1.97 MX$36.36

-6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$1.86 MX$34.30

6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.74 MX$32.18

2.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.95

$1.48 MX$27.43

2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$1.20 MX$22.09

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$86.5

$4.45 MX$82.2

5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 MX$196

$17.98 MX$332

-40.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.70

$2.16 MX$39.99

-10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$3.82 MX$70.6

-13.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.62

$0.58 MX$10.70

8.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

$25.87 MX$478

16.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 MX$41.17

$3.20 MX$59.1

-30.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 MX$24.77

$2.54 MX$46.95

-47.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 MX$227

$10.92 MX$202

12.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.85

$1.55 MX$28.70

-2.58%

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

$21.6K MX$399.2K

$21.5K MX$397.5K

0.43%

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

$23.7K MX$437.2K

$23.6K MX$436.3K

0.21%

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

$48.89 MX$903

$57.2 MX$1,057

-14.50%

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

$22.32 MX$413

$26.92 MX$497

-17.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$577

$24.48 MX$452

27.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 MX$522

$57.5 MX$1,063

-50.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MX$205

$24.36 MX$450

-54.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$7.43 MX$137

-9.42%

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

$258 MX$4,776

$263 MX$4,869

-1.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$201.8K

$5,015 MX$92.7K

117.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 MX$1,070

$51.7 MX$956

11.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 MX$736

$44.24 MX$818

-9.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,989

$99.9 MX$1,847

7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MX$1,521

$99.7 MX$1,843

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 MX$15.7K

$836 MX$15.4K

1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MX$9,049

$554 MX$10.2K

-11.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 MX$28.3K

$1,463 MX$27.0K

4.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 MX$18.4K

$824 MX$15.2K

20.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 MX$56.7K

$2,253 MX$41.6K

36.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,898 MX$35.1K

$1,275 MX$23.6K

48.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

$910 MX$16.8K

-17.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.99

-2.59%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$490 37.8%

Queretaro

$554 39.1% 13.1% $64

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$276 21.3%

Queretaro

$305 21.6% 10.5% $29

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.6%

Queretaro

$199 14.1% 7.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$129 10%

Queretaro

$133 9.4% 2.8% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 7.9%

Queretaro

$109 7.7% 6% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Queretaro

$72 5.1% 73.4% $31

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Queretaro

$44 3.1% 6% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $848 in Guadalajara and $836 in Queretaro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queretaro pays 21% 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: $44.00 in Guadalajara vs $62.0 in Queretaro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $305 per month, with Guadalajara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

804,663

💱 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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Guadalajara Queretaro 310 km

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Guadalajara
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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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Queretaro. 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 21% lower in Queretaro. 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: $848 in Guadalajara versus $836 in Queretaro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Queretaro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $62.0 in Queretaro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,297 in Guadalajara versus $1,417 in Queretaro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Queretaro. 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 $1,297 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guadalajara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Guadalajara and Queretaro 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 Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Queretaro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.