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: $1,394 in Guadalajara versus $1,314 in Tulum.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,249 in Guadalajara versus $2,221 in Tulum.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,104 in Guadalajara versus $3,127 in Tulum.

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 6% more expensive than in Tulum, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guadalajara is 2% above, Tulum is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 MX$253

$8.57 MX$145

74.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 MX$856

$58.7 MX$995

-13.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$162

$9.02 MX$153

6.10%

Cappuccino

$3.98 MX$67.5

$4.23 MX$71.7

-5.91%

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

$1.88 MX$31.79

$1.19 MX$20.09

57.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$21.27

$1.24 MX$21.03

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 MX$48.18

$3.03 MX$51.3

-6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MX$91.7

$3.83 MX$64.9

41.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MX$32.72

$1.70 MX$28.73

13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 MX$46.14

$2.16 MX$36.65

25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 MX$30.35

$1.86 MX$31.44

-3.76%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$43.16

$2.03 MX$34.33

25.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 MX$176

$5.81 MX$98.4

78.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 MX$175

$8.31 MX$141

24.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.46 MX$211

$9.41 MX$159

32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 MX$53.0

$2.68 MX$45.49

16.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$29.50

$1.61 MX$27.36

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$37.08

$1.61 MX$27.33

36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$33.07

$1.60 MX$27.11

21.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$35.17

$2.47 MX$41.93

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$31.81

$1.89 MX$32.04

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 MX$27.14

$1.46 MX$24.75

9.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$20.25

$0.86 MX$14.49

39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.05 MX$85.6

$4.64 MX$78.6

8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.39 MX$193

$9.03 MX$153

26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$33.49

$1.40 MX$23.77

41.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 MX$62.9

$1.40 MX$23.71

165.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$10.83

$1.46 MX$24.70

-56.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 MX$567

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 MX$39.09

$2.87 MX$48.64

-19.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 MX$25.30

$2.57 MX$43.52

-42.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.70 MX$215

$6.05 MX$102

109.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$26.33

$1.51 MX$25.54

2.65%

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

$22.6K MX$382.8K

$22.9K MX$388.8K

-1.55%

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

$25.5K MX$432.2K

$26.0K MX$440.0K

-1.78%

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

$53.6 MX$908

$113 MX$1,912

-52.53%

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

$24.65 MX$418

$17.77 MX$301

38.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.97 MX$559

$37.96 MX$643

-13.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.50 MX$568

$36.62 MX$621

-8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 MX$203

Cinema Ticket

$7.06 MX$120

$7.02 MX$119

0.57%

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

$273 MX$4,620

$272 MX$4,615

0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$195.9K

$3,141 MX$53.2K

267.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 MX$1,080

$44.35 MX$752

43.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.77 MX$776

$34.57 MX$586

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 MX$1,981

$104 MX$1,770

11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MX$1,561

$63.4 MX$1,075

45.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 MX$15.8K

$638 MX$10.8K

46.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$8,788

$563 MX$9,541

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 MX$29.4K

$1,628 MX$27.6K

6.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 MX$17.9K

$1,381 MX$23.4K

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 MX$55.6K

$3,409 MX$57.8K

-3.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,101 MX$35.6K

$1,892 MX$32.1K

11.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 MX$13.4K

$830 MX$14.1K

-4.76%

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: August 18, 2026

Last update for Tulum: August 18, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Guadalajara and $638 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: $51.0 in Guadalajara vs $59.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $300 vs $234, 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 6% 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: $933 in Guadalajara versus $638 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Guadalajara versus $272 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 $59.0 versus $51.0 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,314 in Tulum versus $1,394 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 $1,314 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 6% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.