Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,298 a month against $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mazatlan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Mazatlan, Mexico
Guadalajara, Mexico
Mazatlan
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,392
/mo nomad
Guadalajara
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,298
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mazatlan 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 Mazatlan and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Mazatlan versus $1,298 in Guadalajara.

  • Mazatlan $1,392
  • Guadalajara $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,002 in Mazatlan versus $2,082 in Guadalajara.

  • Mazatlan $2,002
  • Guadalajara $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,612 in Mazatlan versus $2,866 in Guadalajara.

  • Mazatlan $2,612
  • Guadalajara $2,866

Living in Mazatlan is roughly 7% more expensive than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazatlan is 2% above, Guadalajara is 5% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.56 MX$198
$13.70 MX$257
-22.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.04 MX$846
$42.79 MX$804
5.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.26 MX$155
$9.10 MX$171
-9.23%
Cappuccino
$3.34 MX$62.8
$3.78 MX$71.0
-11.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 MX$26.57
$1.58 MX$29.64
-10.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$20.07
$1.08 MX$20.35
-0.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.98 MX$37.21
$2.72 MX$51.0
-27.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 MX$49.36
$4.86 MX$91.4
-45.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 MX$30.25
$1.70 MX$31.91
-5.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.49 MX$46.87
$2.55 MX$47.87
-2.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.34 MX$25.26
$1.63 MX$30.59
-17.79%
Eggs
$2.65 MX$49.87
$2.39 MX$44.99
10.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.85 MX$147
$8.94 MX$168
-12.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.78 MX$127
$9.70 MX$182
-30.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.75 MX$146
$11.27 MX$212
-31.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MX$50.0
$2.79 MX$52.5
-4.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.60 MX$30.06
-1.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 MX$29.98
$1.94 MX$36.47
-17.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.46 MX$8.65
$1.82 MX$34.17
-74.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 MX$30.88
$1.95 MX$36.70
-15.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 MX$24.49
$1.77 MX$33.31
-26.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.84
$1.58 MX$29.64
-6.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.08 MX$20.22
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.94 MX$74.1
$4.84 MX$91.0
-18.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.55 MX$292
$10.37 MX$195
49.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 MX$38.62
$1.96 MX$36.75
4.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 MX$58.8
$3.37 MX$63.4
-7.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 MX$13.65
$0.58 MX$10.90
25.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.65 MX$745
$29.99 MX$564
32.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.46 MX$65.0
$2.10 MX$39.52
64.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.82
$1.47 MX$27.60
61.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$9.54 MX$179
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$27.50
$1.46 MX$27.37
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K MX$397.0K
$20.5K MX$385.4K
3.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$450.2K
$22.9K MX$431.2K
4.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.5 MX$1,081
$48.21 MX$906
19.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.40 MX$853
$22.37 MX$420
102.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.54 MX$781
$29.85 MX$561
39.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.74 MX$803
$28.25 MX$531
51.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.00 MX$207
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.44 MX$83.4
$5.80 MX$109
-23.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$87.0 MX$1,636
$234 MX$4,391
-62.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,967 MX$37.0K
$9,974 MX$187.4K
-80.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 MX$1,160
$55.6 MX$1,045
10.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.92 MX$506
$39.32 MX$739
-31.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,050
$103 MX$1,933
6.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.9 MX$1,539
$78.9 MX$1,483
3.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 MX$15.1K
$921 MX$17.3K
-12.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$607 MX$11.4K
$501 MX$9,414
21.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,247 MX$23.4K
$1,549 MX$29.1K
-19.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$826 MX$15.5K
$1,009 MX$19.0K
-18.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,520 MX$28.6K
$3,432 MX$64.5K
-55.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,028 MX$19.3K
$2,142 MX$40.2K
-52.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mazatlan
Guadalajara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$520 MX$9,782
$760 MX$14.3K
-31.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
11.53
0.61%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mazatlan
$607
Guadalajara
$501 17.5% $107
Groceries & Markets
Mazatlan
$230 *
Guadalajara
$274 18.9% $44
Eating Out
Mazatlan
$174
Guadalajara
$216 23.9% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mazatlan
$144
Guadalajara
$100 30.5% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Mazatlan
$126
Guadalajara
$125 1% $1.3
Getting Around
Mazatlan
$58
Guadalajara
$42 27.9% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Mazatlan
$52
Guadalajara
$40 22.8% $12

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 $802 in Mazatlan and $921 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Mazatlan vs $43 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $274, with Mazatlan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mazatlan
🇲🇽 Guadalajara
🕒 Local time
19:04 7:04 PM
20:04 8:04 PM
1 h ahead of Mazatlan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
441,975
1,385,629
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mazatlan Guadalajara 420 km
From you
  • Mazatlan
  • 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
Mazatlan vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mazatlan or Guadalajara?
Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 7% 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.
Are salaries higher in Mazatlan or in Guadalajara?
On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Mazatlan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mazatlan compared to Guadalajara?
Rent for a central apartment: $802 in Mazatlan versus $921 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Mazatlan or in Guadalajara?
Shoppers in Mazatlan pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How do dining costs compare in Mazatlan and in Guadalajara?
Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $43 versus $45 in Mazatlan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mazatlan or in Guadalajara?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guadalajara is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Mazatlan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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