Mexico travel budget
Taco stands at midnight, mezcal at noon, and colonial plazas between.
How much per day?
Typical daily spend per person, everything included. Local amounts at the latest available rate (1 USD = 18.47 MXN).
Backpacker
$35–60
MXN 646–1,110
Dorms, street food, buses
Mid-range
$80–140
MXN 1,480–2,590
Private rooms, restaurants, some tours
Comfort
$170–300
MXN 3,140–5,540
Hotels, taxis, nicer dinners
What things cost
| Item | USD | MXN |
|---|---|---|
| Street tacos meal (3-5 tacos + drink) | $3–7 | |
| Sit-down restaurant meal | $8–16 | |
| Cappuccino or latte | $2–4 | |
| Local beer (store to bar) | $1–3.5 | |
| Bottled water (1.5 L) | $0.6–1.2 | |
| Uber/DiDi ride, ~5 km in a city | $3.5–8 | |
| ADO intercity bus, Mexico City to Oaxaca (~6.5 hrs) | $25–60 | |
| Hostel dorm bed | $12–25 | |
| Private double, budget hotel/guesthouse | $20–55 | |
| Mid-range hotel double | $60–135 | |
| Telcel prepaid SIM, 2-20 GB / 28-30 days | $8–27 | |
| Museum or ruins entry (e.g. Teotihuacán, Monte Albán) | $4–7 |
Cash or card?
Cards work at hotels, chains and most city restaurants. Markets, street stalls, colectivos and small towns still run on cash, so carry small peso bills and coins.
ATMs
Use ATMs run by banks, ideally inside a branch: BBVA, Banorte, Santander and Banamex typically charge 30-65 MXN per withdrawal. Unbranded tourist ATMs like Euronet can charge 150-200 MXN. When the screen offers to charge you in USD, always choose pesos, because the machine's conversion rate adds 3-7%.
Tipping
Tip 10-15% at restaurants, in cash where you can. In beach resort towns and upscale places in Mexico City, Tulum and Los Cabos, 15-20% is now normal. Round up for taxis, and leave about 20-50 MXN for guides and hotel staff.
Watch out for
Look over the bill before paying. Some tourist restaurants, especially in Cancún's Hotel Zone, quietly add a 15% "servicio" or "propina" and then ask for another tip on the card terminal. Mandatory tips are illegal under PROFECO rules, so ask for that charge to be removed.
Make your MXN go further
- ✓Eat the comida corrida, a set lunch of soup, main and agua fresca at family-run fondas, for about $3-6.
- ✓Use DiDi over Uber in big cities. It usually runs 10-20% cheaper, and the gap widens at surge times. Skip street taxis that don't use a meter.
- ✓Spend more of your trip inland in places like Oaxaca, Puebla, Guanajuato and Chiapas, which run 30-50% cheaper than the Caribbean coast.
- ✓Book ADO buses online a few days ahead for advance-purchase discounts, or take overnight buses to save a night's accommodation.
- ✓Buy beer and mezcal at OXXO or the market instead of bars, and refill water bottles from garrafones (big jugs) at hostels instead of buying single bottles.
When to go
November to April is dry and pleasant but brings peak prices at the beaches around Christmas and Semana Santa. Late April through early December is low season and offers the best value, if you can handle rain and the Caribbean hurricane risk from August to October.
Where people are heading
Oaxaca City
Market food, mezcal country and Monte Albán at inland prices.
San Miguel de Allende
A colonial hill town that more travelers find every year.
Loreto
A quiet Sea of Cortez town surrounded by protected islands.
Heading to Mexico? Know what you can spend each day.
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