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: $1,631 in Mazatlan versus $1,187 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,235 in Mazatlan versus $1,864 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,838 in Mazatlan versus $2,541 in Guadalajara.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Mazatlan is 23% above, Guadalajara is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$182

$10.38 MX$181

0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.32 MX$773

$38.82 MX$677

14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 MX$146

$7.94 MX$139

5.67%

Cappuccino

$3.41 MX$59.5

$3.31 MX$57.7

3.02%

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

$1.38 MX$24.13

$1.32 MX$23.09

4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$18.29

$0.87 MX$15.11

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 MX$33.54

$2.06 MX$35.91

-6.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 MX$45.29

$3.78 MX$66.0

-31.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$25.73

$1.45 MX$25.22

2.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 MX$45.76

$2.70 MX$47.17

-2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 MX$36.81

$1.66 MX$28.95

27.11%

Eggs

$2.31 MX$40.27

$2.46 MX$42.86

-6.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MX$135

$9.60 MX$167

-19.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 MX$116

$7.83 MX$137

-15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.36 MX$128

$10.08 MX$176

-26.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 MX$44.76

$2.65 MX$46.23

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MX$28.15

$1.50 MX$26.24

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.95

$1.80 MX$31.41

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 MX$13.68

$1.51 MX$26.38

-48.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$38.44

$1.73 MX$30.24

27.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 MX$44.53

$1.95 MX$33.95

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MX$21.15

$1.33 MX$23.17

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$18.91

$1.12 MX$19.53

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 MX$69.6

$4.47 MX$77.9

-10.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$282

$11.39 MX$199

42.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 MX$35.53

$1.64 MX$28.53

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 MX$53.8

$3.15 MX$54.9

-2.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$11.69

$0.54 MX$9.43

24.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.26 MX$702

$26.18 MX$457

53.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 MX$61.0

$2.59 MX$45.16

35.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 MX$31.84

$1.55 MX$26.96

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 MX$146

$11.66 MX$203

-28.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$22.73

$1.27 MX$22.19

2.36%

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

$21.4K MX$373.3K

$23.3K MX$407.0K

-8.26%

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

$22.6K MX$395.0K

$24.0K MX$418.8K

-5.67%

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

$56.5 MX$985

$31.27 MX$545

80.68%

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

$20.70 MX$361

$23.78 MX$415

-12.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.52 MX$707

$27.22 MX$475

48.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.14 MX$752

$33.40 MX$582

29.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.62 MX$272

$19.66 MX$343

-20.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.91 MX$68.2

$4.76 MX$83.0

-17.86%

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

$83.5 MX$1,457

$193 MX$3,360

-56.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,911 MX$33.3K

$6,278 MX$109.5K

-69.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 MX$1,091

$50.5 MX$881

23.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.46 MX$462

$51.1 MX$892

-48.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MX$1,834

$99.7 MX$1,738

5.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 MX$1,360

$92.6 MX$1,615

-15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$869 MX$15.2K

$720 MX$12.6K

20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 MX$15.5K

$447 MX$7,796

99.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 MX$24.3K

$1,340 MX$23.4K

4.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$18.8K

$859 MX$15.0K

25.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,662 MX$29.0K

$3,210 MX$56.0K

-48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,067 MX$18.6K

$2,062 MX$36.0K

-48.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 MX$9,863

$783 MX$13.6K

-27.73%

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: July 28, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $869 in Mazatlan and $720 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Mazatlan vs $39.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 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 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, salaries run 38% lower in Guadalajara. 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 $720 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 $44.00 in Mazatlan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,187 in Guadalajara versus $1,631 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 $1,187 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.