Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,273 a month against $1,405 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,405

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,405 in Queretaro versus $1,273 in Guadalajara.

Queretaro $1,405
Guadalajara $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,147 in Queretaro versus $2,041 in Guadalajara.

Queretaro $2,147
Guadalajara $2,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,890 in Queretaro versus $2,810 in Guadalajara.

Queretaro $2,890
Guadalajara $2,810

Living in Queretaro is roughly 10% more expensive than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Queretaro is 4% above, Guadalajara is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$201

$13.72 MX$254

-20.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 MX$1,180

$43.18 MX$798

47.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.32 MX$172

2.25%

Cappuccino

$3.56 MX$65.9

$3.76 MX$69.5

-5.32%

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

$1.63 MX$30.11

$1.66 MX$30.62

-1.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.00

$1.19 MX$22.08

-9.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 MX$59.8

$2.67 MX$49.31

21.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 MX$99.3

$4.80 MX$88.7

11.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MX$34.25

$1.75 MX$32.32

5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$2.54 MX$47.00

7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.55

$1.55 MX$28.68

27.74%

Eggs

$2.67 MX$49.30

$2.42 MX$44.71

10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 MX$158

$8.76 MX$162

-2.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 MX$158

$9.30 MX$172

-7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 MX$252

$11.53 MX$213

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MX$62.0

$2.71 MX$50.1

23.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.94

$1.62 MX$29.91

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.10

$1.89 MX$34.98

12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.71

$1.79 MX$33.14

5.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.60

$2.06 MX$38.08

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.01

$1.82 MX$33.62

-4.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.24

$1.51 MX$27.84

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.68

$1.05 MX$19.40

11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.2

$4.80 MX$88.6

-7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 MX$329

$10.43 MX$193

70.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 MX$38.92

$1.92 MX$35.51

9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 MX$72.8

$3.29 MX$60.8

19.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.89

$0.63 MX$11.61

-6.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.82 MX$459

$29.97 MX$554

-17.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 MX$59.4

$2.22 MX$41.06

44.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MX$46.88

$1.45 MX$26.71

75.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.77 MX$199

$9.54 MX$176

12.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.64

$1.53 MX$28.36

1.31%

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

$24.3K MX$449.9K

$21.4K MX$394.8K

13.95%

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

$23.1K MX$427.0K

$23.9K MX$440.8K

-3.15%

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

$56.6 MX$1,046

$49.71 MX$919

13.84%

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

$26.72 MX$494

$23.09 MX$427

15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.98 MX$462

$29.23 MX$540

-14.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$29.01 MX$536

91.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.62 MX$455

$10.94 MX$202

125.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 MX$134

$6.15 MX$114

17.89%

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

$260 MX$4,795

$237 MX$4,381

9.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 MX$92.7K

$10.6K MX$195.7K

-52.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$976

$56.6 MX$1,045

-6.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.61 MX$824

$40.02 MX$739

11.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 MX$1,836

$105 MX$1,943

-5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 MX$1,769

$80.0 MX$1,479

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 MX$15.8K

$811 MX$15.0K

5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MX$10.2K

$472 MX$8,725

17.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 MX$26.2K

$1,505 MX$27.8K

-5.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 MX$15.1K

$943 MX$17.4K

-13.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,176 MX$40.2K

$3,221 MX$59.5K

-32.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,246 MX$23.0K

$1,720 MX$31.8K

-27.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$929 MX$17.2K

$767 MX$14.2K

21.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.53

3.99%

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

Last update for Queretaro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$554 39.5%

Guadalajara

$472 37.1% 14.8% $82

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$301 21.4%

Guadalajara

$272 21.3% 9.9% $30

Eating Out

Queretaro

$196 14%

Guadalajara

$217 17.1% 10.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$132 9.4%

Guadalajara

$127 10% 3.7% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$108 7.7%

Guadalajara

$102 8% 5.8% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$70 5%

Guadalajara

$41 3.2% 41% $29

Getting Around

Queretaro

$43 3.1%

Guadalajara

$42 3.3% 2.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $854 in Queretaro and $811 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queretaro pays 21% 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: $64.0 in Queretaro vs $43.00 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $272 per month, with Guadalajara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

Same time as Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

1,385,629

💱 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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Queretaro Guadalajara 310 km

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Queretaro
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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

Queretaro vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Queretaro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Queretaro, 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: $854 in Queretaro versus $811 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Queretaro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $64.0 in Queretaro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Guadalajara versus $1,405 in Queretaro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Queretaro. 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 $1,273 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guadalajara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Queretaro and Guadalajara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Queretaro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.