Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Tampico

For one person, living costs are similar in Guadalajara and in Tampico: $1,298 and $1,304 a month, rent and utilities included.

Guadalajara, Mexico
Tampico, Mexico
Guadalajara
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,298
/mo nomad
Tampico
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,304
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Tampico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,298 in Guadalajara versus $1,304 in Tampico.

  • Guadalajara $1,298
  • Tampico $1,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Guadalajara versus $2,065 in Tampico.

  • Guadalajara $2,082
  • Tampico $2,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,866 in Guadalajara versus $2,825 in Tampico.

  • Guadalajara $2,866
  • Tampico $2,825

Monthly costs are close between Guadalajara and Tampico; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 5% lower, Tampico 4% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.70 MX$257
$8.28 MX$155
65.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.79 MX$803
$54.0 MX$1,014
-20.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.10 MX$171
$9.58 MX$180
-5.01%
Cappuccino
$3.78 MX$71.0
$2.97 MX$55.8
27.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.61
$1.19 MX$22.41
32.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$20.33
$0.84 MX$15.81
28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.72 MX$51.0
$4.43 MX$83.3
-38.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.86 MX$91.3
$4.79 MX$90.0
1.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$31.87
$1.45 MX$27.26
17.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 MX$47.82
$3.98 MX$74.8
-35.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 MX$30.55
$1.37 MX$25.81
18.98%
Eggs
$2.39 MX$44.94
$3.98 MX$74.7
-39.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.94 MX$168
$4.94 MX$92.8
80.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.70 MX$182
$9.76 MX$183
-0.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.27 MX$212
$12.90 MX$242
-12.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MX$52.4
$3.41 MX$64.0
-18.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 MX$30.03
$1.10 MX$20.58
45.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$2.01 MX$37.68
-3.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 MX$34.14
$2.18 MX$40.91
-16.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$36.66
$2.04 MX$38.27
-4.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 MX$33.28
$2.69 MX$50.5
-34.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 MX$29.61
$2.08 MX$39.12
-24.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$20.20
$0.87 MX$16.27
24.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.84 MX$90.9
$4.68 MX$87.8
3.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.37 MX$195
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.71
$1.53 MX$28.69
28.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 MX$63.3
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.58 MX$10.88
$0.75 MX$14.04
-22.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.99 MX$563
$27.24 MX$511
10.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 MX$39.47
$2.65 MX$49.71
-20.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 MX$27.57
$2.68 MX$50.2
-45.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.54 MX$179
$5.10 MX$95.7
87.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$27.34
$1.38 MX$25.95
5.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K MX$385.0K
$32.1K MX$602.2K
-36.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K MX$430.8K
$23.9K MX$448.9K
-4.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.21 MX$905
$102 MX$1,914
-52.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.37 MX$420
$27.25 MX$512
-17.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.85 MX$560
$23.53 MX$442
26.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.25 MX$530
$43.28 MX$813
-34.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.00 MX$206
$16.27 MX$306
-32.39%
Cinema Ticket
$5.80 MX$109
$5.41 MX$102
7.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$234 MX$4,387
$269 MX$5,055
-13.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,974 MX$187.2K
$7,934 MX$148.9K
25.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 MX$1,044
$73.5 MX$1,379
-24.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.32 MX$738
$65.9 MX$1,236
-40.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,931
$161 MX$3,014
-35.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 MX$1,482
$239 MX$4,488
-66.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$921 MX$17.3K
$508 MX$9,536
81.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 MX$9,404
$380 MX$7,129
31.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 MX$29.1K
$932 MX$17.5K
66.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,009 MX$18.9K
$662 MX$12.4K
52.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,432 MX$64.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,142 MX$40.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guadalajara
Tampico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$760 MX$14.3K
$539 MX$10.1K
40.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.53
0
-

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tampico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guadalajara
$501
Tampico
$380 24.2% $121
Groceries & Markets
Guadalajara
$274
Tampico
$258 * 5.6% $15
Eating Out
Guadalajara
$216
Tampico
$171 21.1% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Guadalajara
$125
Tampico
$243 94.8% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guadalajara
$100
Tampico
$153 52.1% $52
Getting Around
Guadalajara
$42
Tampico
$46 10.8% $4.5
Sport & Entertainment
Guadalajara
$40
Tampico
$54 35.8% $14

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 $921 in Guadalajara and $508 in Tampico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Guadalajara vs $54 in Tampico. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $258, with Tampico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Guadalajara
🇲🇽 Tampico
🕒 Local time
06:48 6:48 AM
06:48 6:48 AM
Same time as Guadalajara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,385,629
297,562
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guadalajara Tampico 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guadalajara
  • Tampico

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 Tampico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Are salaries higher in Guadalajara or in Tampico?
Average pay runs 41% higher in Guadalajara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Guadalajara compared to Tampico?
Rent for a central apartment: $921 in Guadalajara versus $508 in Tampico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Guadalajara and in Tampico?
Childcare runs $234 in Guadalajara versus $269 in Tampico. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Guadalajara and in Tampico?
Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $43 versus $54 in Tampico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Guadalajara or in Tampico?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guadalajara is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Guadalajara or Tampico?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Guadalajara vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?