Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,103 a month against $1,273 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,103

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Isla Mujeres and in Guadalajara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Isla Mujeres and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,273 in Guadalajara.

Isla Mujeres $1,103
Guadalajara $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,041 in Guadalajara.

Isla Mujeres $1,760
Guadalajara $2,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,416 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,810 in Guadalajara.

Isla Mujeres $2,416
Guadalajara $2,810

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 13% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Isla Mujeres 19% lower, Guadalajara 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$196

$13.72 MX$254

-22.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.10 MX$722

$43.18 MX$798

-9.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.70 MX$142

$9.32 MX$172

-17.38%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$60.2

$3.76 MX$69.5

-13.30%

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

$1.24 MX$22.93

$1.66 MX$30.62

-25.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.04

$1.19 MX$22.08

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MX$40.08

$2.67 MX$49.31

-18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.9

$4.80 MX$88.7

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.58

$1.75 MX$32.32

-17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 MX$46.64

$2.54 MX$47.00

-0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.75

$1.55 MX$28.68

0.65%

Eggs

$2.33 MX$43.08

$2.42 MX$44.71

-3.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 MX$147

$8.76 MX$162

-9.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 MX$148

$9.30 MX$172

-13.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 MX$192

$11.53 MX$213

-9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.09

$2.71 MX$50.1

-4.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.02

$1.62 MX$29.91

-12.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.68

$1.89 MX$34.98

-9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$1.79 MX$33.14

-5.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.19

$2.06 MX$38.08

-7.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.63

$1.82 MX$33.62

6.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.35

$1.51 MX$27.84

-16.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.14

$1.05 MX$19.40

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$77.7

$4.80 MX$88.6

-12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 MX$203

$10.43 MX$193

5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.54

$1.92 MX$35.51

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.29 MX$60.8

-15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.45

$0.63 MX$11.61

-1.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 MX$554

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MX$46.85

$2.22 MX$41.06

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 MX$29.42

$1.45 MX$26.71

9.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 MX$157

$9.54 MX$176

-11.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$23.31

$1.53 MX$28.36

-17.65%

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

$21.4K MX$396.2K

$21.4K MX$394.8K

0.35%

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

$22.1K MX$408.2K

$23.9K MX$440.8K

-7.39%

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

$56.3 MX$1,041

$49.71 MX$919

13.32%

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

$22.23 MX$411

$23.09 MX$427

-3.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.99 MX$517

$29.23 MX$540

-4.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.29 MX$671

$29.01 MX$536

25.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.00 MX$296

$10.94 MX$202

46.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 MX$85.8

$6.15 MX$114

-24.55%

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

$210 MX$3,888

$237 MX$4,381

-11.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,607 MX$66.6K

$10.6K MX$195.7K

-65.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 MX$961

$56.6 MX$1,045

-8.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$40.02 MX$739

0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 MX$1,678

$105 MX$1,943

-13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MX$1,492

$80.0 MX$1,479

0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MX$9,338

$811 MX$15.0K

-37.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,304

$472 MX$8,725

-16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 MX$17.0K

$1,505 MX$27.8K

-38.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$943 MX$17.4K

-18.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,779 MX$32.9K

$3,221 MX$59.5K

-44.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MX$21.7K

$1,720 MX$31.8K

-31.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 MX$14.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

11.53

-0.43%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 19, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$395 35.9%

Guadalajara

$472 37.1% 19.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$249 22.6%

Guadalajara

$272 21.3% 9% $22

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$175 15.8%

Guadalajara

$217 17.1% 24.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$119 10.8%

Guadalajara

$127 10% 6.8% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.7%

Guadalajara

$102 8% 4.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.1%

Guadalajara

$41 3.2% 9.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Guadalajara

$42 3.3% 223% $29

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 $505 in Isla Mujeres and $811 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $43.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $272 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h behind Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

1,385,629

💱 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

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Isla Mujeres Guadalajara 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
Guadalajara

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

Isla Mujeres vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Isla Mujeres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,654 in Isla Mujeres and $1,909 in Guadalajara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $505 in Isla Mujeres versus $811 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Isla Mujeres versus $237 in Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isla Mujeres – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $43.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,273 in Guadalajara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Isla Mujeres delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,103 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Isla Mujeres hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Isla Mujeres and Guadalajara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.