Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Guadalajara Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Cabos and Guadalajara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,419 in Los Cabos versus $1,375 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,325 in Los Cabos versus $2,241 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,232 in Los Cabos versus $3,107 in Guadalajara.

Living in Los Cabos is roughly 3% more expensive than in Guadalajara, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Cabos 4% above, Guadalajara 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.08 MX$415

$14.83 MX$255

62.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.22 MX$796

$48.81 MX$840

-5.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.68 MX$236

$9.40 MX$162

45.53%

Cappuccino

$5.30 MX$91.3

$4.06 MX$70.0

30.54%

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

$2.43 MX$41.88

$1.79 MX$30.89

35.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 MX$36.37

$1.31 MX$22.51

61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 MX$86.7

$2.94 MX$50.6

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 MX$153

$5.44 MX$93.6

63.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$29.34

$1.91 MX$32.85

-10.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 MX$54.0

$2.81 MX$48.47

11.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 MX$41.71

$1.73 MX$29.76

39.88%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$42.26

$2.58 MX$44.50

-5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 MX$167

$10.27 MX$177

-5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 MX$178

$10.17 MX$175

1.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 MX$325

$12.43 MX$214

51.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 MX$76.4

$3.04 MX$52.3

46.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 MX$31.04

$1.74 MX$29.90

3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 MX$51.6

$2.07 MX$35.66

44.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 MX$45.99

$1.96 MX$33.81

36.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 MX$42.98

$2.15 MX$36.99

16.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 MX$46.53

$1.88 MX$32.39

43.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 MX$24.09

$1.53 MX$26.26

-8.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$15.61

$1.13 MX$19.39

-19.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.77 MX$82.1

$5.08 MX$87.5

-6.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.54 MX$199

$11.56 MX$199

-0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$28.54

$1.92 MX$33.09

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$56.3

$3.64 MX$62.6

-10.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MX$12.33

$0.61 MX$10.54

18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 MX$567

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 MX$48.72

$2.29 MX$39.35

23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 MX$37.12

$1.47 MX$25.31

46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 MX$193

$13.00 MX$224

-13.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$26.20

$1.63 MX$28.09

-6.75%

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

$22.6K MX$390.0K

$22.2K MX$381.5K

2.22%

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

$25.7K MX$443.0K

$25.4K MX$437.0K

1.37%

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

$62.7 MX$1,080

$54.0 MX$929

16.17%

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

$29.37 MX$506

$24.30 MX$418

20.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.32 MX$453

$33.34 MX$574

-21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.04 MX$638

$32.73 MX$564

13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 MX$370

$12.01 MX$207

78.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.71 MX$81.1

$7.12 MX$123

-33.85%

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

$242 MX$4,165

$276 MX$4,755

-12.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,816 MX$82.9K

$11.6K MX$199.0K

-58.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.6 MX$1,698

$63.3 MX$1,090

55.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.45 MX$765

$45.51 MX$784

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 MX$2,271

$112 MX$1,933

17.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 MX$1,609

$92.1 MX$1,586

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 MX$11.3K

$884 MX$15.2K

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 MX$7,250

$526 MX$9,061

-19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 MX$19.2K

$1,761 MX$30.3K

-36.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 MX$14.1K

$1,036 MX$17.8K

-20.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,923 MX$33.1K

$3,351 MX$57.7K

-42.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 MX$21.1K

$2,068 MX$35.6K

-40.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$878 MX$15.1K

$824 MX$14.2K

6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Los Cabos: September 12, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $656 in Los Cabos and $884 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Cabos pays 7% 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: $46.00 in Los Cabos vs $49.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $297, with Guadalajara 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

Los Cabos vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Los Cabos. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Los Cabos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $656 in Los Cabos versus $884 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $242 in Los Cabos versus $276 in Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $46.00 in Los Cabos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,375 in Guadalajara versus $1,419 in Los Cabos, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Los Cabos. The gap between the two cities makes Guadalajara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guadalajara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,375 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guadalajara hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Los Cabos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.