Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,241 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Tulum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,241 in Tulum.

Mexico City $1,567
Tulum $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,085 in Tulum.

Mexico City $2,450
Tulum $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,929 in Tulum.

Mexico City $3,333
Tulum $2,929

Living in Mexico City is roughly 26% more expensive than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Tulum is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$8.20 MX$152

31.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$55.1 MX$1,018

-8.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.25 MX$152

34.55%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.82 MX$70.5

-3.66%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.12 MX$20.74

47.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.17 MX$21.59

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.94 MX$54.4

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$3.87 MX$71.5

43.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.54 MX$28.54

14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.05 MX$37.87

48.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.71 MX$31.69

17.54%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.92 MX$35.49

44.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.37 MX$99.2

121.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.53 MX$139

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$9.09 MX$168

65.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.63 MX$48.60

17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.37 MX$25.35

42.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.51 MX$27.83

34.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.48 MX$27.32

49.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.23 MX$41.12

-9.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.76 MX$32.43

3.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.49 MX$27.58

2.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.85 MX$15.77

50.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$4.49 MX$83.0

17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$8.24 MX$152

95.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.32 MX$24.39

47.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.29 MX$23.76

229.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.40 MX$25.80

-77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.79 MX$51.6

-28.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.48 MX$45.88

-78.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$5.57 MX$103

0.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.45 MX$26.84

4.83%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.1K MX$389.5K

-0.22%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$23.5K MX$434.7K

7.04%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$106 MX$1,967

-41.31%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$16.36 MX$302

75.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$34.32 MX$634

0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$34.91 MX$645

63.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.71 MX$124

-0.60%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$265 MX$4,900

62.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$2,902 MX$53.6K

304.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$41.88 MX$774

69.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$32.57 MX$602

59.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$97.1 MX$1,794

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$58.0 MX$1,072

93.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$607 MX$11.2K

73.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$526 MX$9,714

26.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,498 MX$27.7K

56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-3.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$3,139 MX$58.0K

13.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,808 MX$33.4K

9.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$790 MX$14.6K

23.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.8

4.63%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Tulum

$526 42.4% 21% $139

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Tulum

$218 17.6% 32.3% $104

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Tulum

$168 13.5% 17.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Tulum

$103 8.3% 33.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Tulum

$157 12.7% 25% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Tulum

$48 3.9% 31.4% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Tulum

$21 * 1.7% 19.4% $5

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $607 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 23% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $55.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $218, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

46,721

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mexico City Tulum 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tulum

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

Mexico City vs Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tulum differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,241 including rent). Tulum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $607 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $265 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,241 in Tulum versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.