Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Guadalajara Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Guadalajara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Mazatlan versus $1,157 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,259 in Mazatlan versus $1,873 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,882 in Mazatlan versus $2,589 in Guadalajara.

Living in Mazatlan is roughly 41% more expensive than Guadalajara, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazatlan is 22% above, Guadalajara is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.49 MX$182

$10.55 MX$184

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.40 MX$790

$38.56 MX$671

17.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 MX$147

$7.75 MX$135

8.90%

Cappuccino

$3.39 MX$59.0

$3.26 MX$56.7

3.99%

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

$1.38 MX$24.03

$1.33 MX$23.10

3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$17.92

$0.86 MX$14.89

19.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 MX$34.67

$2.08 MX$36.11

-4.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MX$44.64

$3.87 MX$67.4

-33.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$25.50

$1.45 MX$25.22

1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$44.41

$2.70 MX$47.06

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.34

$1.69 MX$29.48

23.67%

Eggs

$2.32 MX$40.36

$2.41 MX$41.88

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$134

$9.26 MX$161

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.51 MX$113

$7.90 MX$137

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 MX$128

$10.33 MX$180

-28.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 MX$46.85

$2.61 MX$45.44

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$28.16

$1.45 MX$25.24

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.84

$1.77 MX$30.77

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 MX$12.92

$1.54 MX$26.75

-51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.93

$1.71 MX$29.76

27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 MX$44.30

$1.98 MX$34.53

28.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$21.98

$1.39 MX$24.10

-9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.73

$1.12 MX$19.41

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 MX$70.8

$4.38 MX$76.2

-7.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 MX$280

$11.60 MX$202

38.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MX$34.69

$1.58 MX$27.47

25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$54.3

$3.24 MX$56.5

-3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.51

$0.55 MX$9.52

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.44 MX$686

$26.39 MX$459

49.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 MX$58.2

$2.61 MX$45.45

27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 MX$31.87

$1.54 MX$26.75

18.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 MX$142

$11.75 MX$204

-30.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$22.62

$1.28 MX$22.20

1.56%

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

$21.3K MX$370.2K

$24.0K MX$417.3K

-11.28%

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

$22.3K MX$388.7K

$24.5K MX$426.3K

-8.84%

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

$56.0 MX$974

$31.09 MX$541

80.09%

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

$21.20 MX$369

$23.67 MX$412

-10.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 MX$721

$26.68 MX$464

55.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 MX$744

$33.77 MX$588

26.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 MX$278

$19.39 MX$337

-17.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.05 MX$70.5

$4.82 MX$83.8

-15.98%

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

$83.3 MX$1,449

$189 MX$3,285

-55.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,899 MX$33.0K

$6,386 MX$111.1K

-70.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 MX$1,053

$49.80 MX$867

21.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.06 MX$453

$50.9 MX$885

-48.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MX$1,824

$99.6 MX$1,734

5.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 MX$1,357

$92.9 MX$1,616

-16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$869 MX$15.1K

$719 MX$12.5K

20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 MX$15.2K

$436 MX$7,587

100.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$24.4K

$1,344 MX$23.4K

4.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 MX$18.7K

$872 MX$15.2K

23.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,633 MX$28.4K

$3,252 MX$56.6K

-49.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$18.9K

$1,996 MX$34.7K

-45.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$551 MX$9,586

$755 MX$13.1K

-27.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

11.48

-1.31%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: April 28, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $869 in Mazatlan and $719 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Mazatlan vs $39.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $258, with Mazatlan 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

Mazatlan vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Mazatlan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Guadalajara earns 37% less. 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: $869 in Mazatlan versus $719 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mazatlan pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $45.00 in Mazatlan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,157 in Guadalajara versus $1,635 in Mazatlan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Mazatlan. 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 $1,157 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 41% less than in Mazatlan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.