Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Tulum Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Tulum

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,157 in Guadalajara versus $1,046 in Tulum.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,873 in Guadalajara versus $1,936 in Tulum.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Guadalajara versus $2,827 in Tulum.

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 11% more expensive than Tulum, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 14% lower, Tulum 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.55 MX$185

$10.40 MX$182

1.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.56 MX$675

$51.2 MX$897

-24.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 MX$136

$8.16 MX$143

-5.02%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$57.0

$3.70 MX$64.7

-11.89%

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

$1.33 MX$23.23

$1.21 MX$21.21

9.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$14.97

$1.11 MX$19.37

-22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 MX$36.32

$2.76 MX$48.32

-24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$67.8

$3.98 MX$69.6

-2.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$25.36

$1.43 MX$25.08

1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 MX$47.33

$1.18 MX$20.72

128.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$29.65

$1.54 MX$27.02

9.74%

Eggs

$2.41 MX$42.12

$1.99 MX$34.77

21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 MX$162

$5.44 MX$95.2

70.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 MX$138

$7.00 MX$123

12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 MX$181

$6.52 MX$114

58.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$45.70

$2.16 MX$37.85

20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MX$25.39

$1.42 MX$24.85

2.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.95

$1.40 MX$24.48

26.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$26.90

$1.36 MX$23.86

13.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$29.94

$2.18 MX$38.07

-21.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.73

$1.95 MX$34.14

1.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$24.24

$1.08 MX$18.83

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.52

$1.00 MX$17.43

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$76.6

$4.28 MX$74.8

2.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 MX$203

$8.79 MX$154

31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$27.63

$1.31 MX$22.95

20.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$56.8

$1.30 MX$22.69

149.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.57

$1.11 MX$19.47

-50.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.39 MX$462

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$45.72

$2.06 MX$36.09

26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 MX$26.91

$2.23 MX$39.06

-30.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.75 MX$206

$5.16 MX$90.2

127.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 MX$22.33

$1.30 MX$22.79

-1.54%

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

$24.0K MX$419.7K

$15.8K MX$276.4K

51.82%

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

$24.5K MX$428.8K

$21.2K MX$371.3K

15.47%

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

$31.09 MX$544

$84.2 MX$1,474

-63.09%

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

$23.67 MX$414

$22.28 MX$390

6.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MX$467

$29.45 MX$515

-9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.77 MX$591

$33.29 MX$583

1.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 MX$339

$15.80 MX$277

22.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MX$84.3

$4.65 MX$81.5

3.66%

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

$189 MX$3,304

$204 MX$3,564

-7.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,386 MX$111.8K

$2,835 MX$49.6K

125.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.80 MX$872

$25.94 MX$454

91.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 MX$890

$31.52 MX$552

61.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 MX$1,744

$80.8 MX$1,414

23.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.9 MX$1,625

$45.62 MX$798

103.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 MX$12.6K

$699 MX$12.2K

2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 MX$7,631

$397 MX$6,945

9.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 MX$23.5K

$1,432 MX$25.1K

-6.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 MX$15.3K

$1,256 MX$22.0K

-30.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 MX$56.9K

$3,268 MX$57.2K

-0.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 MX$34.9K

$1,855 MX$32.5K

7.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$755 MX$13.2K

$781 MX$13.7K

-3.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

4.36%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: April 26, 2026

Last update for Tulum: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Guadalajara and $699 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 3% 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 $51.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $196, with Tulum 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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tulum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Tulum earns 3% 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 $699 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $189 in Guadalajara versus $204 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $39.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,046 in Tulum versus $1,157 in Guadalajara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tulum delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,046 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tulum hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.