Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos, Portugal and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta: $1,579 a month against $2,044 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lagos, Portugal
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Lagos
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,044
/mo nomad
Puerto Vallarta
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,579
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lagos and in Puerto Vallarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,044 in Lagos versus $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta.

  • Lagos $2,044
  • Puerto Vallarta $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in Lagos versus $2,393 in Puerto Vallarta.

  • Lagos $3,081
  • Puerto Vallarta $2,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,117 in Lagos versus $3,208 in Puerto Vallarta.

  • Lagos $4,117
  • Puerto Vallarta $3,208

Living in Lagos is roughly 29% more expensive than in Puerto Vallarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lagos 50% above, Puerto Vallarta 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.18 €10.91
$13.45 MX$253
-9.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.5 €50.6
$55.8 MX$1,048
1.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.89 €7.07
$10.74 MX$202
-26.54%
Cappuccino
$2.65 €2.37
$4.13 MX$77.6
-35.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 €2.18
$1.88 MX$35.33
29.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.35 MX$25.37
27.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.98 €3.56
$3.00 MX$56.3
32.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 €3.93
$4.21 MX$79.0
4.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.78 MX$33.49
-42.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 €2.15
$3.34 MX$62.8
-28.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 €1.89
$1.94 MX$36.39
8.76%
Eggs
$3.54 €3.17
$2.25 MX$42.15
57.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.50 €15.67
$9.96 MX$187
75.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.21 €7.35
$10.96 MX$206
-25.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.28 €13.69
$15.95 MX$299
-4.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 €2.56
$2.74 MX$51.4
4.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 €1.23
$1.54 MX$28.88
-11.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 €1.59
$1.95 MX$36.56
-9.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.67 €2.39
$1.99 MX$37.28
34.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 €1.79
$2.35 MX$44.18
-14.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.09 €1.87
$3.01 MX$56.4
-30.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.43 MX$26.78
-8.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.38 €0.34
$1.08 MX$20.34
-64.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.74 €5.14
$4.16 MX$78.1
37.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.53 €4.06
$10.65 MX$200
-57.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 €0.82
$1.82 MX$34.20
-50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 €2.47
$2.65 MX$49.74
4.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 €1.52
$0.57 MX$10.75
198.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.85 €30.32
$26.39 MX$495
28.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 €5.12
$4.66 MX$87.4
22.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 €0.89
$3.00 MX$56.3
-67.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.21 MX$79.1
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 €1.80
$1.45 MX$27.19
38.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K €29.7K
$24.0K MX$451.0K
37.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.2K €31.5K
$23.7K MX$444.9K
48.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 €131
$85.7 MX$1,609
70.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.33 €19.10
$25.78 MX$484
-17.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.62 €39.07
$31.19 MX$586
39.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.4 €48.75
$35.29 MX$663
54.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.31 €25.36
$14.65 MX$275
93.24%
Cinema Ticket
$6.26 €5.60
$8.42 MX$158
-25.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$521 €466
$318 MX$5,974
63.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K €9,982
$6,284 MX$118.0K
77.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.7 €73.2
$54.2 MX$1,017
50.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.89 €43.78
$34.37 MX$645
42.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.9 €62.6
$101 MX$1,888
-30.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 €101
$94.5 MX$1,774
19.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,144 €1,024
$1,263 MX$23.7K
-9.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,098 €983
$674 MX$12.7K
62.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,395 €2,145
$2,028 MX$38.1K
18.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,959 €1,755
$1,089 MX$20.4K
79.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,962 €3,548
$5,115 MX$96.0K
-22.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,826 €4,322
$2,524 MX$47.4K
91.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lagos
Puerto Vallarta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,213 €1,086
$925 MX$17.4K
31.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.7
-67.09%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lagos
$1.1K
Puerto Vallarta
$674 38.6% $424
Groceries & Markets
Lagos
$278
Puerto Vallarta
$309 10.9% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lagos
$211
Puerto Vallarta
$143 32.3% $68
Eating Out
Lagos
$198
Puerto Vallarta
$226 13.9% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Lagos
$141
Puerto Vallarta
$128 9.6% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Lagos
$67
Puerto Vallarta
$52 22.1% $15
Getting Around
Lagos
$51
Puerto Vallarta
$48 5.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Lagos and $1,263 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 31% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lagos vs $56 in Puerto Vallarta. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $309, with Lagos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lagos
🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta
🕒 Local time
20:21 8:21 PM
14:21 2:21 PM
6 h behind Lagos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
33,500
224,166
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lagos Puerto Vallarta 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lagos
  • Puerto Vallarta

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
Lagos vs Puerto Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lagos and in Puerto Vallarta?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,044 in Lagos and $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta, so Puerto Vallarta is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lagos or Puerto Vallarta?
Average pay runs 31% higher in Lagos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lagos and in Puerto Vallarta?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,144 in Lagos versus $1,263 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lagos pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lagos or Puerto Vallarta?
All in, you’ll spend $2,044 per month in Lagos versus $1,579 in Puerto Vallarta – Puerto Vallarta is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is feasible on a $1,500 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Puerto Vallarta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lagos and Puerto Vallarta?
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.
Is Lagos or Puerto Vallarta safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lagos and Puerto Vallarta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Lagos and Puerto Vallarta?
It comes down to priorities – Puerto Vallarta wins on affordability, Lagos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Lagos vs other spots: cost of living compared

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