Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Guadalajara Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Guadalajara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,314 in Tulum versus $1,394 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,221 in Tulum versus $2,249 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,127 in Tulum versus $3,104 in Guadalajara.

Living in Tulum costs roughly 6% less than in Guadalajara, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tulum is 4% below, Guadalajara is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 MX$145

$14.93 MX$253

-42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.7 MX$995

$50.5 MX$856

16.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 MX$153

$9.57 MX$162

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$4.23 MX$71.7

$3.98 MX$67.5

6.28%

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

$1.19 MX$20.09

$1.88 MX$31.79

-36.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$21.03

$1.26 MX$21.27

-1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.3

$2.84 MX$48.18

6.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$64.9

$5.41 MX$91.7

-29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$28.73

$1.93 MX$32.72

-11.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 MX$36.65

$2.72 MX$46.14

-20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.44

$1.79 MX$30.35

3.91%

Eggs

$2.03 MX$34.33

$2.55 MX$43.16

-20.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 MX$98.4

$10.38 MX$176

-44.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 MX$141

$10.34 MX$175

-19.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 MX$159

$12.46 MX$211

-24.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$45.49

$3.13 MX$53.0

-14.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.36

$1.74 MX$29.50

-7.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.33

$2.19 MX$37.08

-26.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MX$27.11

$1.95 MX$33.07

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$41.93

$2.08 MX$35.17

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$32.04

$1.88 MX$31.81

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$24.75

$1.60 MX$27.14

-8.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$14.49

$1.20 MX$20.25

-28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$78.6

$5.05 MX$85.6

-8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.03 MX$153

$11.39 MX$193

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 MX$23.77

$1.98 MX$33.49

-29.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 MX$23.71

$3.71 MX$62.9

-62.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 MX$24.70

$0.64 MX$10.83

128.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.44 MX$567

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 MX$48.64

$2.31 MX$39.09

24.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 MX$43.52

$1.49 MX$25.30

72.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 MX$102

$12.70 MX$215

-52.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$25.54

$1.55 MX$26.33

-2.58%

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

$22.9K MX$388.8K

$22.6K MX$382.8K

1.58%

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

$26.0K MX$440.0K

$25.5K MX$432.2K

1.81%

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

$113 MX$1,912

$53.6 MX$908

110.66%

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

$17.77 MX$301

$24.65 MX$418

-27.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.96 MX$643

$32.97 MX$559

15.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.62 MX$621

$33.50 MX$568

9.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 MX$203

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 MX$119

$7.06 MX$120

-0.57%

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

$272 MX$4,615

$273 MX$4,620

-0.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,141 MX$53.2K

$11.6K MX$195.9K

-72.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.35 MX$752

$63.8 MX$1,080

-30.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 MX$586

$45.77 MX$776

-24.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,770

$117 MX$1,981

-10.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 MX$1,075

$92.1 MX$1,561

-31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 MX$10.8K

$933 MX$15.8K

-31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MX$9,541

$519 MX$8,788

8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 MX$27.6K

$1,736 MX$29.4K

-6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 MX$23.4K

$1,054 MX$17.9K

31.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,409 MX$57.8K

$3,279 MX$55.6K

3.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 MX$32.1K

$2,101 MX$35.6K

-9.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$830 MX$14.1K

$791 MX$13.4K

5.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

11.68

-7.53%

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

Last update for Tulum: August 18, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: August 18, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $638 in Tulum and $933 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Tulum vs $51.0 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $300, with Tulum cheaper for home cooking.

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

Tulum vs Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tulum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Tulum, 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: $638 in Tulum versus $933 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $272 in Tulum versus $273 in Guadalajara. 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 $59.0 versus $51.0 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,314 in Tulum versus $1,394 in Guadalajara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tulum delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,314 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tulum hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.