Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanajuato and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,036 a month against $1,238 in Tulum, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tulum outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
Learn more

Tulum Living Index

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Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,036

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato and in Tulum actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Guanajuato versus $1,238 in Tulum.

Guanajuato $1,036
Tulum $1,238

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,584 in Guanajuato versus $2,052 in Tulum.

Guanajuato $1,584
Tulum $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,131 in Guanajuato versus $2,866 in Tulum.

Guanajuato $2,131
Tulum $2,866

Living in Guanajuato costs roughly 16% less than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guanajuato 24% lower, Tulum 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 MX$250

$7.91 MX$149

68.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.45 MX$817

$54.9 MX$1,031

-20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 MX$134

$8.28 MX$156

-14.01%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.8

$3.76 MX$70.7

-3.99%

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

$1.64 MX$30.87

$1.12 MX$21.08

46.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.71

$1.16 MX$21.80

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MX$49.48

$2.90 MX$54.6

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MX$93.5

$3.70 MX$69.6

34.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$1.58 MX$29.70

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 MX$46.84

$1.95 MX$36.60

27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.68

$1.71 MX$32.22

-14.04%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.98

$1.92 MX$36.11

24.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$5.42 MX$102

-12.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$175

$7.57 MX$142

23.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 MX$219

$8.70 MX$163

33.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$52.1

$2.56 MX$48.20

8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$29.12

$1.36 MX$25.49

13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$35.05

$1.43 MX$26.82

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.26

$1.52 MX$28.57

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.77

$2.18 MX$40.89

-7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.80

$1.82 MX$34.14

1.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.68

$1.47 MX$27.62

4.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.11

$0.81 MX$15.23

32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 MX$91.1

$4.32 MX$81.2

12.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 MX$189

$7.90 MX$148

27.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$34.65

$1.35 MX$25.41

36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$61.2

$1.31 MX$24.70

148.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$11.36

$1.33 MX$25.08

-54.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.83 MX$504

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 MX$39.70

$2.66 MX$49.94

-20.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 MX$28.18

$2.43 MX$45.68

-38.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 MX$161

$5.27 MX$99.0

63.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.41

$1.43 MX$26.80

2.10%

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

$19.6K MX$368.4K

$21.5K MX$404.5K

-8.93%

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

$23.0K MX$431.4K

$23.4K MX$439.8K

-1.92%

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

$48.45 MX$911

$102 MX$1,912

-52.38%

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

$19.35 MX$364

$16.11 MX$303

20.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.67 MX$520

$33.35 MX$627

-17.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.04 MX$565

$33.19 MX$624

-9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.18 MX$511

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 MX$112

$6.56 MX$123

-8.84%

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

$203 MX$3,815

$264 MX$4,953

-22.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,520 MX$103.7K

$2,955 MX$55.5K

86.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 MX$1,057

$41.07 MX$772

36.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.12 MX$679

$32.83 MX$617

10.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 MX$1,443

$93.6 MX$1,760

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 MX$1,061

$58.7 MX$1,103

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MX$9,607

$599 MX$11.3K

-14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MX$5,644

$539 MX$10.1K

-44.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 MX$14.4K

$1,511 MX$28.4K

-49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,199

$1,241 MX$23.3K

-69.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,317 MX$24.7K

$3,150 MX$59.2K

-58.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,091 MX$20.5K

$1,783 MX$33.5K

-38.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$704 MX$13.2K

$780 MX$14.7K

-9.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.8

4.63%

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

Last update for Guanajuato: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanajuato

$300 29%

Tulum

$539 43.6% 79.6% $239

Groceries & Markets

Guanajuato

$254 24.5%

Tulum

$215 17.4% 15.2% $39

Eating Out

Guanajuato

$204 19.7%

Tulum

$164 13.3% 19.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Guanajuato

$102 9.8%

Tulum

$102 8.2% 0.3% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanajuato

$95 9.2%

Tulum

$151 12.2% 58.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Guanajuato

$42 4.1%

Tulum

$46 3.7% 10.3% $4.3

Getting Around

Guanajuato

$39 3.8%

Tulum

$20 * 1.6% 48.1% $19

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 $511 in Guanajuato and $599 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43 in Guanajuato vs $55 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $215, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h ahead of Guanajuato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,068

46,721

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanajuato Tulum 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guanajuato
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

Guanajuato vs Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Tulum. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Guanajuato. 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: $511 in Guanajuato versus $599 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tulum pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,036 per month in Guanajuato versus $1,238 in Tulum – Guanajuato is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guanajuato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guanajuato wins on affordability, Tulum on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.