Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papeete and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: $1,661 a month against $2,321 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index

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Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,321

/mo nomad

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papeete and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Papeete and in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,321 per month in Papeete vs $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Papeete $2,321
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661

A couple spends around $3,432 per month in Papeete vs $2,454 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Papeete $3,432
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454

A family of three spends $4,544 per month in Papeete vs $3,248 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent included.

Papeete $4,544
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248

Papeete costs about 40% more than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Papeete and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sit above the global median – Papeete by 73%, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 CFPF 1,983

$10.31 MX$189

80.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 CFPF 9,917

$50.6 MX$929

84.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.59 CFPF 1,554

$10.14 MX$186

43.89%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CFPF 354

$3.53 MX$64.8

-5.95%

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

$2.71 CFPF 289

$1.49 MX$27.43

81.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 CFPF 359

$0.99 MX$18.15

240.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 CFPF 356

$2.51 MX$46.03

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 CFPF 412

$4.47 MX$82.0

-13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 CFPF 152

$1.77 MX$32.49

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CFPF 291

$3.18 MX$58.3

-13.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 CFPF 176

$2.56 MX$47.04

-35.55%

Eggs

$6.42 CFPF 684

$2.35 MX$43.21

173.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.71 CFPF 2,951

$11.62 MX$213

138.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.09 CFPF 1,607

$10.11 MX$186

49.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.13 CFPF 2,783

$13.70 MX$252

90.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 CFPF 513

$2.73 MX$50.1

76.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 CFPF 270

$1.55 MX$28.40

63.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.64 CFPF 707

$1.59 MX$29.24

317.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.90 CFPF 841

$1.73 MX$31.81

356.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CFPF 282

$1.26 MX$23.09

109.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CFPF 236

$1.85 MX$33.89

19.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.76 CFPF 401

$2.77 MX$50.9

35.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CFPF 118

$1.27 MX$23.38

-12.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 CFPF 1,376

$5.06 MX$92.9

155.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.89 CFPF 2,225

$11.19 MX$205

86.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 CFPF 298

$1.49 MX$27.37

87.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CFPF 339

$3.53 MX$64.8

-9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 CFPF 205

$0.87 MX$15.98

120.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 MX$976

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.22 CFPF 982

$4.37 MX$80.2

110.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 MX$56.1

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 MX$194

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 CFPF 156

$1.46 MX$26.78

0.68%

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

$18.6K CFPF 2.0M

$21.5K MX$394.1K

-13.12%

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

$28.4K CFPF 3.0M

$24.4K MX$448.0K

16.51%

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

$184 CFPF 19.6K

$86.9 MX$1,595

111.84%

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

$19.80 CFPF 2,109

$25.56 MX$469

-22.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 CFPF 7,344

$32.06 MX$589

115.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.2 CFPF 8,967

$45.89 MX$843

83.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.59 MX$562

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 CFPF 1,517

$4.24 MX$77.8

235.85%

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

$467 CFPF 49.7K

$231 MX$4,246

101.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,465 CFPF 1.0M

$8,373 MX$153.7K

13.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 CFPF 7,388

$72.7 MX$1,335

-4.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.9 CFPF 7,763

$53.3 MX$979

36.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 CFPF 8,290

$97.2 MX$1,785

-19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 CFPF 9,410

$67.5 MX$1,240

30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CFPF 142.9K

$1,197 MX$22.0K

12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 CFPF 99.7K

$758 MX$13.9K

23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 CFPF 195.4K

$2,543 MX$46.7K

-27.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 CFPF 158.9K

$1,215 MX$22.3K

22.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,135 CFPF 759.9K

$3,814 MX$70.0K

87.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,632 CFPF 812.9K

$2,196 MX$40.3K

247.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,195 CFPF 233.8K

$756 MX$13.9K

190.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.6

-61.21%

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

Last update for Papeete: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papeete

$936 41.1%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$758 45.8% 19% $178

Groceries & Markets

Papeete

$519 22.8%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$304 18.4% 41.4% $215

Eating Out

Papeete

$281 12.4%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$187 11.3% 33.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papeete

$273 12%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$144 8.7% 47% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Papeete

$139 6.1%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$131 7.9% 5.7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Papeete

$113 5%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$54 3.3% 51.7% $58

Getting Around

Papeete

$17 * 0.7%

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$76 4.6% 351% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,342 in Papeete versus $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 190% higher in Papeete, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Papeete versus $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $519 vs $304 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇫 Papeete

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

3 h ahead of Papeete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,050 Capital

202,694

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papeete Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Papeete
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

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

Papeete vs Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Papeete is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,481 per month in Papeete and $2,491 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Papeete and $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Papeete, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,661, than in Papeete at $2,321. In Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Papeete it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Papeete makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.