Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and San Fernando

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,130 a month against $1,273 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in San Fernando

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Guadalajara versus $1,130 in San Fernando.

Guadalajara $1,273
San Fernando $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,041 in Guadalajara versus $1,832 in San Fernando.

Guadalajara $2,041
San Fernando $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,810 in Guadalajara versus $2,534 in San Fernando.

Guadalajara $2,810
San Fernando $2,534

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 13% more expensive than in San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 6% lower, San Fernando 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 MX$254

$10.75 MX$199

27.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.18 MX$798

$43.30 MX$800

-0.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 MX$172

$8.42 MX$156

10.69%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.63 MX$67.0

3.58%

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

$1.66 MX$30.62

$1.42 MX$26.21

16.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.08

$1.06 MX$19.52

12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.31

$2.42 MX$44.65

10.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 MX$88.7

$4.15 MX$76.7

15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.32

$1.60 MX$29.59

9.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.00

$2.68 MX$49.57

-5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.68

$1.71 MX$31.53

-9.36%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$44.71

$2.53 MX$46.78

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 MX$162

$8.19 MX$151

6.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 MX$172

$8.27 MX$153

12.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.53 MX$213

$11.60 MX$214

-0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MX$50.1

$2.67 MX$49.25

1.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$1.60 MX$29.50

1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.98

$1.97 MX$36.32

-4.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.14

$1.84 MX$33.96

-2.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.08

$1.97 MX$36.36

4.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.62

$1.82 MX$33.57

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.84

$1.43 MX$26.41

5.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$1.14 MX$21.00

-7.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$88.6

$4.32 MX$79.9

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 MX$193

$10.48 MX$194

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.51

$1.79 MX$33.11

7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.20 MX$59.2

2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$0.64 MX$11.85

-1.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 MX$554

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 MX$41.06

$2.56 MX$47.39

-13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 MX$26.71

$2.01 MX$37.15

-27.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 MX$176

$10.82 MX$200

-11.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.36

$1.49 MX$27.45

2.68%

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

$21.4K MX$394.8K

$21.0K MX$387.5K

1.87%

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

$23.9K MX$440.8K

$23.7K MX$438.6K

0.50%

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

$49.71 MX$919

$57.0 MX$1,054

-12.82%

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

$23.09 MX$427

$22.91 MX$423

0.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.23 MX$540

$29.54 MX$546

-1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.01 MX$536

$33.60 MX$621

-13.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 MX$202

$20.12 MX$372

-45.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 MX$114

$5.23 MX$96.6

17.59%

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

$237 MX$4,381

$220 MX$4,060

7.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MX$195.7K

$4,534 MX$83.8K

133.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 MX$1,045

$54.3 MX$1,003

4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 MX$739

$40.69 MX$752

-1.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MX$1,943

$98.8 MX$1,825

6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MX$1,479

$90.3 MX$1,669

-11.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 MX$15.0K

$612 MX$11.3K

32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 MX$8,725

$383 MX$7,076

23.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 MX$27.8K

$1,030 MX$19.0K

46.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 MX$17.4K

$779 MX$14.4K

21.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 MX$59.5K

$1,910 MX$35.3K

68.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,720 MX$31.8K

$1,160 MX$21.4K

48.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 MX$14.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.3

2.04%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$472 37.1%

San Fernando

$383 33.9% 18.9% $89

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$272 21.3%

San Fernando

$266 23.5% 2.1% $5.8

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$217 17.1%

San Fernando

$185 16.4% 14.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$127 10%

San Fernando

$128 11.3% 0.8% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 8%

San Fernando

$109 9.7% 7.3% $7.5

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.3%

San Fernando

$15 * 1.3% 63.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$41 3.2%

San Fernando

$44 3.9% 6.7% $2.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $811 in Guadalajara and $612 in San Fernando. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Guadalajara vs $43.00 in San Fernando. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $266, with San Fernando cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

11,867

💱 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 San Fernando 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
San Fernando

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 San Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Fernando wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Fernando the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,909 in Guadalajara and $1,695 in San Fernando to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $811 in Guadalajara versus $612 in San Fernando. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $237 in Guadalajara versus $220 in San Fernando. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Fernando – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $43.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in San Fernando versus $1,273 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Fernando but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Fernando delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,130 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Fernando hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Fernando gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.