Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tijuana and Hilo, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,303 a month against $2,966 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index

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Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tijuana and in Hilo, HI

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

A single person spends $1,303 per month in Tijuana vs $2,966 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $1,303
Hilo, HI $2,966

A couple spends around $2,067 per month in Tijuana vs $4,340 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $2,067
Hilo, HI $4,340

A family of three spends $2,831 per month in Tijuana vs $5,713 in Hilo, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $2,831
Hilo, HI $5,713

Tijuana is about 56% cheaper than Hilo, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tijuana sits 3% below the global median, while Hilo, HI is 121% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$218

$19.26 $19.26

-37.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 MX$641

$76.1 $76.1

-53.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 MX$176

$12.21 $12.21

-20.64%

Cappuccino

$4.34 MX$78.9

$5.72 $5.72

-24.13%

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

$1.42 MX$25.91

$2.69 $2.69

-47.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.12

$2.20 $2.20

-44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 MX$61.3

$6.12 $6.12

-44.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 MX$118

$7.07 $7.07

-7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.32

$1.76 $1.76

1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 MX$52.3

$9.55 $9.55

-69.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 MX$32.83

$4.28 $4.28

-57.71%

Eggs

$3.25 MX$59.2

$6.72 $6.72

-51.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 MX$148

$19.71 $19.71

-58.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 MX$137

$17.73 $17.73

-57.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 MX$219

$30.34 $30.34

-60.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.3

$8.58 $8.58

-66.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.47

$2.48 $2.48

-32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.47

$10.21 $10.21

-81.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.31

$11.90 $11.90

-85.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.96

$8.87 $8.87

-82.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.10

$7.58 $7.58

-75.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$27.59

$5.52 $5.52

-72.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.73

$3.06 $3.06

-66.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$80.3

$12.04 $12.04

-63.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 MX$150

$21.62 $21.62

-61.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MX$39.55

$1.76 $1.76

23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$74.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 MX$20.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.84 MX$561

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$51.6

$4.15 $4.15

-31.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$41.05

$1.23 $1.23

83.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.42 MX$353

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.44 $1.44

6.94%

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

$21.5K MX$391.6K

$30.3K $30.3K

-28.96%

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

$24.7K MX$449.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

-4.36%

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

$46.78 MX$851

$297 $297

-84.25%

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

$34.62 MX$630

$65.7 $65.7

-47.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.93 MX$544

$126 $126

-76.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 MX$748

$43.55 $43.55

-5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.05 MX$147

$24.52 $24.52

-67.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 MX$126

$13.14 $13.14

-47.41%

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

$209 MX$3,803

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,606 MX$83.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MX$987

$37.10 $37.10

46.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 MX$855

$30.30 $30.30

55.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,885

$66.8 $66.8

55.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 MX$1,274

$83.8 $83.8

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 MX$15.8K

$1,682 $1,682

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MX$8,746

$1,255 $1,255

-61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 MX$28.2K

$2,187 $2,187

-28.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 MX$16.5K

$2,093 $2,093

-56.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 MX$56.3K

$5,484 $5,484

-43.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,713 MX$49.3K

$5,339 $5,339

-49.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 MX$17.3K

$4,434 $4,434

-78.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

6.62

82.33%

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

Last update for Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hilo, HI: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tijuana

$481 36.8%

Hilo, HI

$1.3K 42.5% 161% $775

Groceries & Markets

Tijuana

$268 20.5%

Hilo, HI

$707 * 23.9% 164% $439

Eating Out

Tijuana

$217 16.7%

Hilo, HI

$324 11% 48.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Tijuana

$124 9.5%

Hilo, HI

$98 3.3% 20.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tijuana

$111 8.5%

Hilo, HI

$489 16.6% 339% $377

Sport & Entertainment

Tijuana

$55 4.2%

Hilo, HI

$70 2.4% 27.1% $15

Getting Around

Tijuana

$49 3.8%

Hilo, HI

$10 * 0.4% 79.2% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Tijuana versus $1,682 in Hilo, HI. 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 366% higher in Hilo, HI, 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 $35.00 in Tijuana versus $76.0 in Hilo, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $707 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

3 h behind Tijuana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,810,645

44,186

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tijuana Hilo, HI 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tijuana
Hilo, HI

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

Tijuana vs Hilo, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 128% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Tijuana and $4,450 in Hilo, HI. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tijuana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,303 in Tijuana and $2,966 in Hilo, HI. That's a gap of about 128%.

Groceries cost about 164% more in Hilo, HI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Hilo, HI at $2,966. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hilo, HI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tijuana – 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 Tijuana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hilo, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.