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: $1,046 in Tulum versus $1,157 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,936 in Tulum versus $1,873 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,827 in Tulum versus $2,589 in Guadalajara.

Living in Tulum costs roughly 10% less than in Guadalajara, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tulum 22% lower, Guadalajara 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.40 MX$181

$10.55 MX$184

-1.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 MX$892

$38.56 MX$671

32.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 MX$142

$7.75 MX$135

5.29%

Cappuccino

$3.70 MX$64.4

$3.26 MX$56.7

13.50%

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

$1.21 MX$21.09

$1.33 MX$23.10

-9.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.26

$0.86 MX$14.89

29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 MX$48.04

$2.08 MX$36.11

32.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$69.2

$3.87 MX$67.4

2.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.93

$1.45 MX$25.22

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MX$20.60

$2.70 MX$47.06

-56.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$26.87

$1.69 MX$29.48

-8.88%

Eggs

$1.99 MX$34.57

$2.41 MX$41.88

-17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 MX$94.6

$9.26 MX$161

-41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 MX$122

$7.90 MX$137

-11.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.52 MX$114

$10.33 MX$180

-36.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.63

$2.61 MX$45.44

-17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$24.70

$1.45 MX$25.24

-2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 MX$24.34

$1.77 MX$30.77

-20.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 MX$23.72

$1.54 MX$26.75

-11.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.85

$1.71 MX$29.76

27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 MX$33.94

$1.98 MX$34.53

-1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.72

$1.39 MX$24.10

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$17.33

$1.12 MX$19.41

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$74.4

$4.38 MX$76.2

-2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 MX$153

$11.60 MX$202

-24.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$22.81

$1.58 MX$27.47

-17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$22.56

$3.24 MX$56.5

-59.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 MX$19.36

$0.55 MX$9.52

101.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.39 MX$459

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 MX$35.88

$2.61 MX$45.45

-21.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 MX$38.83

$1.54 MX$26.75

44.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 MX$89.7

$11.75 MX$204

-56.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$22.66

$1.28 MX$22.20

1.56%

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

$15.8K MX$274.9K

$24.0K MX$417.3K

-34.13%

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

$21.2K MX$369.2K

$24.5K MX$426.3K

-13.40%

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

$84.2 MX$1,466

$31.09 MX$541

170.96%

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

$22.28 MX$388

$23.67 MX$412

-5.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 MX$512

$26.68 MX$464

10.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.29 MX$579

$33.77 MX$588

-1.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 MX$275

$19.39 MX$337

-18.51%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MX$81.0

$4.82 MX$83.8

-3.53%

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

$204 MX$3,544

$189 MX$3,285

7.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,835 MX$49.3K

$6,386 MX$111.1K

-55.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.94 MX$451

$49.80 MX$867

-47.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.52 MX$548

$50.9 MX$885

-38.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 MX$1,406

$99.6 MX$1,734

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.62 MX$794

$92.9 MX$1,616

-50.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 MX$12.2K

$719 MX$12.5K

-2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 MX$6,905

$436 MX$7,587

-8.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 MX$24.9K

$1,344 MX$23.4K

6.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 MX$21.8K

$872 MX$15.2K

43.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,268 MX$56.9K

$3,252 MX$56.6K

0.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 MX$32.3K

$1,996 MX$34.7K

-7.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MX$13.6K

$755 MX$13.1K

3.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

-4.18%

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

Last update for Tulum: April 27, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Tulum and $719 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Tulum vs $39.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $258, 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 11% 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.

Tulum pays 3% more on average, 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: $699 in Tulum versus $719 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Tulum versus $189 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 $51.0 versus $39.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,046 in Tulum versus $1,157 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 $1,046 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 11% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.