Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tijuana and Maui, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,311 a month against $4,792 in Maui, HI, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 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
231

Cost of Living Index in Maui, HI
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Maui, HI Living Index

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Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,311

/mo nomad

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tijuana and in Maui, 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 Maui, HI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,311 per month in Tijuana vs $4,792 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $1,311
Maui, HI $4,792

A couple spends around $2,035 per month in Tijuana vs $6,666 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $2,035
Maui, HI $6,666

A family of three spends $2,759 per month in Tijuana vs $8,540 in Maui, HI, rent included.

Tijuana $2,759
Maui, HI $8,540

Tijuana is about 73% cheaper than Maui, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tijuana sits 3% below the global median, while Maui, HI is 255% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 MX$224

$35.44 $35.44

-65.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.47 MX$637

$122 $122

-71.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 MX$177

$14.78 $14.78

-35.05%

Cappuccino

$4.17 MX$77.0

$6.86 $6.86

-39.21%

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

$1.37 MX$25.31

$3.20 $3.20

-57.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.13

$2.79 $2.79

-56.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$8.12 $8.12

-58.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 MX$120

$8.84 $8.84

-26.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.31 $2.31

-22.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$54.9

$8.86 $8.86

-66.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.56

$9.04 $9.04

-81.08%

Eggs

$3.17 MX$58.7

$8.75 $8.75

-63.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 MX$157

$27.07 $27.07

-68.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$15.53 $15.53

-51.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 MX$217

$22.33 $22.33

-47.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$10.20 $10.20

-71.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.69

$2.23 $2.23

-25.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.95

$9.83 $9.83

-80.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.89

$8.02 $8.02

-80.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.60

$6.70 $6.70

-76.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.26

$7.59 $7.59

-76.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$27.03

$4.88 $4.88

-70.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$18.83

$3.57 $3.57

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$17.30 $17.30

-75.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.38 MX$155

$20.36 $20.36

-58.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 MX$40.25

$1.72 $1.72

26.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MX$71.3

$8.22 $8.22

-53.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 MX$20.05

$2.73 $2.73

-60.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.36 MX$561

$101 $101

-69.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$9.94 $9.94

-70.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 MX$39.92

$0.95 $0.95

127.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.31 MX$357

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.06

$1.36 $1.36

7.35%

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

$21.2K MX$391.5K

$36.9K $36.9K

-42.51%

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

$23.8K MX$440.5K

$33.1K $33.1K

-28.08%

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

$47.74 MX$882

$384 $384

-87.55%

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

$33.23 MX$614

$62.8 $62.8

-47.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.24 MX$540

$72.7 $72.7

-59.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.96 MX$738

$29.98 $29.98

33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.02 MX$148

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 MX$121

$15.26 $15.26

-57.21%

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

$205 MX$3,784

$1,646 $1,646

-87.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,670 MX$86.3K

$16.5K $16.5K

-71.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 MX$997

$88.5 $88.5

-39.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.01 MX$832

$54.4 $54.4

-17.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,865

$129 $129

-22.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 MX$1,263

$202 $202

-66.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 MX$15.9K

$2,216 $2,216

-61.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 MX$9,157

$2,664 $2,664

-81.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 MX$27.9K

$4,650 $4,650

-67.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$911 MX$16.8K

$3,827 $3,827

-76.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,142 MX$58.1K

$14.4K $14.4K

-78.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,704 MX$50.0K

$9,152 $9,152

-70.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$915 MX$16.9K

$5,757 $5,757

-84.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

6.52

85.12%

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

Last update for Tijuana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maui, HI: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tijuana

$496 37.8%

Maui, HI

$2.7K 55.6% 438% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Tijuana

$268 20.4%

Maui, HI

$716 14.9% 168% $448

Eating Out

Tijuana

$216 16.5%

Maui, HI

$492 10.3% 128% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Tijuana

$121 9.2%

Maui, HI

$214 4.5% 76.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tijuana

$110 8.4%

Maui, HI

$519 10.8% 371% $409

Sport & Entertainment

Tijuana

$53 4%

Maui, HI

$61 1.3% 14.1% $7.5

Getting Around

Tijuana

$48 3.7%

Maui, HI

$127 2.6% 162% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Tijuana versus $2,216 in Maui, 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 529% higher in Maui, 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 $34.00 in Tijuana versus $122 in Maui, HI. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $716 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🇺🇸 Maui, HI

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

3 h behind Tijuana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,810,645

6,452

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tijuana Maui, HI 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tijuana
Maui, 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 Maui, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,311 in Tijuana, $4,792 in Maui, HI – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,967 per month in Tijuana and $7,188 in Maui, 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.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Tijuana and $1,646 in Maui, HI. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 168% more in Maui, 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 $1,311, than in Maui, HI at $4,792. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maui, 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, Maui, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.