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: $1,621 in Mazatlan versus $1,180 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Mazatlan versus $1,856 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,811 in Mazatlan versus $2,533 in Guadalajara.

Living in Mazatlan is roughly 37% more expensive than Guadalajara, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazatlan is 21% above, Guadalajara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 MX$181

$10.74 MX$184

-1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.84 MX$787

$38.89 MX$667

17.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 MX$145

$7.95 MX$136

6.16%

Cappuccino

$3.36 MX$57.7

$3.17 MX$54.4

5.99%

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

$1.39 MX$23.83

$1.37 MX$23.58

1.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$17.89

$0.87 MX$14.96

19.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 MX$34.96

$2.11 MX$36.19

-3.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 MX$44.43

$3.88 MX$66.6

-33.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$25.46

$1.43 MX$24.57

3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 MX$43.30

$2.59 MX$44.52

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 MX$36.94

$1.64 MX$28.09

31.10%

Eggs

$2.28 MX$39.13

$2.45 MX$42.00

-6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 MX$135

$9.60 MX$165

-18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 MX$113

$8.06 MX$138

-18.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 MX$129

$10.07 MX$173

-25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 MX$44.64

$2.61 MX$44.73

-0.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$26.98

$1.44 MX$24.74

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$30.49

$1.84 MX$31.57

-3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 MX$13.41

$1.59 MX$27.35

-50.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$36.99

$1.71 MX$29.33

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 MX$44.43

$2.01 MX$34.49

28.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$21.56

$1.31 MX$22.54

-3.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.55

$1.08 MX$18.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 MX$68.5

$4.39 MX$75.3

-9.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.36 MX$281

$11.06 MX$190

47.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 MX$34.51

$1.59 MX$27.27

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 MX$50.7

$3.24 MX$55.7

-8.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.29

$0.51 MX$8.75

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.00 MX$669

$26.21 MX$450

48.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 MX$58.2

$2.66 MX$45.65

27.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 MX$31.38

$1.56 MX$26.73

17.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 MX$141

$11.83 MX$203

-30.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.82

$1.32 MX$22.68

-3.79%

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

$21.0K MX$360.6K

$23.6K MX$405.7K

-11.12%

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

$22.3K MX$383.5K

$24.2K MX$414.6K

-7.50%

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

$54.9 MX$942

$30.68 MX$527

78.98%

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

$20.85 MX$358

$24.03 MX$412

-13.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.00 MX$704

$26.77 MX$459

53.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 MX$723

$33.29 MX$571

26.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 MX$268

$19.53 MX$335

-19.92%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$66.5

$4.81 MX$82.5

-19.54%

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

$85.4 MX$1,466

$189 MX$3,243

-54.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,908 MX$32.7K

$6,258 MX$107.4K

-69.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 MX$1,073

$49.66 MX$852

25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.08 MX$448

$51.6 MX$885

-49.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,784

$101 MX$1,729

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 MX$1,347

$93.1 MX$1,598

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 MX$15.4K

$697 MX$12.0K

28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 MX$14.8K

$452 MX$7,750

91.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 MX$23.8K

$1,326 MX$22.8K

4.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 MX$18.9K

$847 MX$14.5K

29.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,655 MX$28.4K

$3,268 MX$56.1K

-49.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,105 MX$19.0K

$2,003 MX$34.4K

-44.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$9,406

$788 MX$13.5K

-30.48%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Mazatlan and $697 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Mazatlan vs $39.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $257, 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 37% 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 44% 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: $897 in Mazatlan versus $697 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mazatlan pay roughly 3% 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 $46.00 in Mazatlan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,180 in Guadalajara versus $1,621 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 $1,180 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 37% less than in Mazatlan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.