Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Tulum

For one person, living costs are similar in Guadalajara and in Tulum: $1,297 and $1,241 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Tulum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Guadalajara versus $1,241 in Tulum.

Guadalajara $1,297
Tulum $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,086 in Guadalajara versus $2,085 in Tulum.

Guadalajara $2,086
Tulum $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,875 in Guadalajara versus $2,929 in Tulum.

Guadalajara $2,875
Tulum $2,929

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 4% more expensive than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 4% lower, Tulum 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 MX$249

$8.20 MX$152

64.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 MX$805

$55.1 MX$1,018

-20.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 MX$168

$8.25 MX$152

10.42%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.9

$3.82 MX$70.5

0.26%

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

$1.68 MX$31.01

$1.12 MX$20.74

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.44

$1.17 MX$21.59

3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.40

$2.94 MX$54.4

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$3.87 MX$71.5

26.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.28

$1.54 MX$28.54

16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.53

$2.05 MX$37.87

25.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.17

$1.71 MX$31.69

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$1.92 MX$35.49

28.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 MX$163

$5.37 MX$99.2

64.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 MX$178

$7.53 MX$139

27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 MX$211

$9.09 MX$168

25.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$2.63 MX$48.60

5.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.71

$1.37 MX$25.35

21.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.89

$1.51 MX$27.83

35.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.01

$1.48 MX$27.32

24.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$2.23 MX$41.12

-10.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.76 MX$32.43

1.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.95

$1.49 MX$27.58

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$0.85 MX$15.77

27.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$86.5

$4.49 MX$83.0

4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 MX$196

$8.24 MX$152

29.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.70

$1.32 MX$24.39

46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$1.29 MX$23.76

156.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.62

$1.40 MX$25.80

-55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 MX$41.17

$2.79 MX$51.6

-20.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 MX$24.77

$2.48 MX$45.88

-45.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 MX$227

$5.57 MX$103

120.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.85

$1.45 MX$26.84

4.14%

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

$21.6K MX$399.2K

$21.1K MX$389.5K

2.49%

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

$23.7K MX$437.2K

$23.5K MX$434.7K

0.58%

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

$48.89 MX$903

$106 MX$1,967

-54.08%

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

$22.32 MX$413

$16.36 MX$302

36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$577

$34.32 MX$634

-8.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 MX$522

$34.91 MX$645

-19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MX$205

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$6.71 MX$124

0.30%

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

$258 MX$4,776

$265 MX$4,900

-2.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$201.8K

$2,902 MX$53.6K

276.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 MX$1,070

$41.88 MX$774

38.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 MX$736

$32.57 MX$602

22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,989

$97.1 MX$1,794

10.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MX$1,521

$58.0 MX$1,072

41.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 MX$15.7K

$607 MX$11.2K

39.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MX$9,049

$526 MX$9,714

-6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 MX$28.3K

$1,498 MX$27.7K

2.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 MX$18.4K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-21.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 MX$56.7K

$3,139 MX$58.0K

-2.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,898 MX$35.1K

$1,808 MX$33.4K

5.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

$790 MX$14.6K

-5.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

10.8

8.15%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$490 37.8%

Tulum

$526 42.4% 7.3% $36

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$276 21.3%

Tulum

$218 17.6% 21% $58

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.6%

Tulum

$168 13.5% 22.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$129 10%

Tulum

$103 8.3% 20.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 7.9%

Tulum

$157 12.7% 53.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Tulum

$48 3.9% 15.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Tulum

$21 * 1.7% 50% $21

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 $848 in Guadalajara and $607 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Guadalajara vs $55.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $276 vs $218, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

1 h ahead of Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

46,721

💱 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 Tulum 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum wins on cost – living expenses run 4% 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, salaries run 5% lower in Tulum. 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 $607 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $258 in Guadalajara versus $265 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 $55.0 versus $44.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,241 in Tulum versus $1,297 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 $1,241 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 4% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.