Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maui, HI and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,311 a month against $4,792 in Maui, HI, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

231

Cost of Living Index in Maui, HI
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Maui, HI Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index

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Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,792

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maui, HI and in Tijuana

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

A single person spends $4,792 per month in Maui, HI vs $1,311 in Tijuana, rent included.

Maui, HI $4,792
Tijuana $1,311

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Maui, HI vs $2,035 in Tijuana, rent included.

Maui, HI $6,666
Tijuana $2,035

A family of three spends $8,540 per month in Maui, HI vs $2,759 in Tijuana, rent included.

Maui, HI $8,540
Tijuana $2,759

Maui, HI costs about 265% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maui, HI sits 255% above the global median, while Tijuana is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.44 $35.44

$12.10 MX$224

192.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$34.47 MX$637

253.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.78 $14.78

$9.60 MX$177

53.96%

Cappuccino

$6.86 $6.86

$4.17 MX$77.0

64.51%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.37 MX$25.31

133.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.20 MX$22.13

132.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.38 MX$62.5

140.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.84 $8.84

$6.52 MX$120

35.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.79 MX$33.06

29.05%

White Bread (500g)

$8.86 $8.86

$2.97 MX$54.9

198.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$1.71 MX$31.56

428.65%

Eggs

$8.75 $8.75

$3.17 MX$58.7

176.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.07 $27.07

$8.50 MX$157

218.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.53 $15.53

$7.58 MX$140

104.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.33 $22.33

$11.76 MX$217

89.88%

Apples (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$2.89 MX$53.5

252.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.66 MX$30.69

34.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.83 $9.83

$1.95 MX$35.95

404.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.02 $8.02

$1.56 MX$28.89

414.10%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$1.55 MX$28.60

332.26%

Onion (1kg)

$7.59 $7.59

$1.80 MX$33.26

321.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.46 MX$27.03

234.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.02 MX$18.83

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.30 $17.30

$4.27 MX$79.0

305.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.36 $20.36

$8.38 MX$155

142.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.18 MX$40.25

-21.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.86 MX$71.3

112.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.09 MX$20.05

150.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$30.36 MX$561

232.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.94 $9.94

$2.93 MX$54.2

239.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.16 MX$39.92

-56.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.31 MX$357

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.46 MX$27.06

-6.85%

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

$36.9K $36.9K

$21.2K MX$391.5K

73.95%

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

$33.1K $33.1K

$23.8K MX$440.5K

39.04%

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

$384 $384

$47.74 MX$882

703.50%

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

$62.8 $62.8

$33.23 MX$614

89.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.7 $72.7

$29.24 MX$540

148.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.98 $29.98

$39.96 MX$738

-24.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.02 MX$148

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$6.53 MX$121

133.69%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$205 MX$3,784

703.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K $16.5K

$4,670 MX$86.3K

253.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 $88.5

$54.0 MX$997

63.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 $54.4

$45.01 MX$832

20.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$101 MX$1,865

28.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 $202

$68.3 MX$1,263

195.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 $2,216

$862 MX$15.9K

157.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,664 $2,664

$496 MX$9,157

437.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,650 $4,650

$1,507 MX$27.9K

208.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,827 $3,827

$911 MX$16.8K

320.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K $14.4K

$3,142 MX$58.1K

357.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,152 $9,152

$2,704 MX$50.0K

238.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,757 $5,757

$915 MX$16.9K

529.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.52

12.07

-45.98%

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

Last update for Maui, HI: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tijuana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maui, HI

$2.7K 55.6%

Tijuana

$496 37.8% 81.4% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Maui, HI

$716 14.9%

Tijuana

$268 20.4% 62.6% $448

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maui, HI

$519 10.8%

Tijuana

$110 8.4% 78.8% $409

Eating Out

Maui, HI

$492 10.3%

Tijuana

$216 16.5% 56.2% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Maui, HI

$214 4.5%

Tijuana

$121 9.2% 43.5% $93

Getting Around

Maui, HI

$127 2.6%

Tijuana

$48 3.7% 61.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Maui, HI

$61 1.3%

Tijuana

$53 4% 12.4% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,216 in Maui, HI versus $862 in Tijuana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 529% higher in Maui, HI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Maui, HI versus $34.00 in Tijuana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $716 vs $268 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Maui, HI

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

3 h ahead of Maui, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,452

1,810,645

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maui, HI Tijuana 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Maui, HI
Tijuana

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

Maui, HI vs Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,792 in Maui, HI, $1,311 in Tijuana – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,188 per month in Maui, HI and $1,967 in Tijuana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tijuana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,646 per month in Maui, HI and $205 in Tijuana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 168% more in Maui, HI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,311, than in Maui, HI at $4,792. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maui, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tijuana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tijuana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maui, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.