When you’ve decided to travel through Mexico, you’re naturally curious about the costs in order to determine your budget. Mexico is an incredibly large country, so prices can vary greatly. Prices in inland areas are much lower than in tourist spots on the Caribbean coast. This article is based on our travels through the south of Mexico. In this article, you’ll read all about the costs for transportation, food, accommodations, activities, and we’ll explain how tipping works in Mexico. For convenience, we’ll list all amounts in dollars so you don’t have to keep converting Mexican pesos to dollars.
Withdrawing Money in Mexico
In Mexico, you pay with the Mexican peso and you can withdraw money from many ATMs with your Maestro debit card. You always pay a little extra because you have a foreign card, but one bank may charge more commission than another. The amount of commission is always clearly visible during the withdrawal process. Often, this is a fixed amount per transaction, so it’s best to withdraw as much money as possible at once. The maximum amount you can withdraw varies by bank. Additionally, you’ll always be asked whether you want to accept or decline the bank’s exchange rate. It’s almost always more advantageous to decline it and automatically use your own bank’s exchange rate. ATMs with low commission include HSBC and Citibanamex. It’s smart to withdraw money right away when you arrive at the airport to pay for a taxi or buy water. Many places only accept cash, so make sure you always have enough on you in Mexico.
Costs for Food and Drink in Mexico
The Mexican cuisine is definitely one of our favorite cuisines! Eating out in Mexico is a party because there’s so much delicious food to choose from. Think of tacos, tostadas, burritos, guacamole, quesadillas, and the list goes on. Prices for food and drink can vary greatly. The more touristy the destination, the more expensive the prices in restaurants are. In Tulum, you’ll pay double for a taco compared to tacos in a village a few kilometers away. At an average restaurant, you’ll pay around $6 for a burrito or a plate of fajitas. At a cheap local taco stand, small tacos cost around $1. If you go to a more expensive restaurant that scores high on TripAdvisor, you’ll pay between $11 and $17 for a main course. A sandwich at a deli costs around $4. There are many large supermarkets in Mexico, so you could also occasionally prepare your own breakfast or lunch if you have a kitchen in your hostel or apartment.
Costs of Hotels in Mexico
The cost of hotels in Mexico varies greatly depending on whether you want to stay in luxury, as cheaply as possible, or somewhere in between. For a double room in a good hostel, you can expect to pay between $25 and $45 per night. For a double room in a hotel, you will pay more than a room in a hostel. If you don’t want to splurge, the average cost is around $50 to $70 per night. A bed in a dormitory in a good hostel costs between $15 and $25 per night. The cost of hotels also depends on the destination. Hotels in Valladolid are much cheaper than hotels in Tulum. Interested in our recommended hotels in Mexico? Check out our favorite hotels in Mexico.
Update: during COVID, Mexico has suddenly become very popular because it was one of the few countries to keep its borders open. As a result, tourism has received a huge boost, and hotel prices have often doubled. Cheap places to sleep can still be found, but the fun places we recommend used to cost $50-$70 and are now more towards $80-$120. Hopefully, this is temporary, and prices will drop again when demand decreases.
Transportation Costs in Mexico
We have traveled twice through Yucatan in Mexico. The first time we did it by public transportation, and the second time we did a road trip with a rental car.
Costs with a rental car: Driving in southern Mexico is fortunately very easy, safe, and affordable. Between villages and cities are straight highways. These roads are incredibly wide, well-paved, and almost always quiet in terms of traffic. You can rent a car in Mexico starting at $54 per day, including full insurance. Of course, you save on the necessary taxi rides and the cost of public transportation. However, there are still costs for gasoline and toll roads, but it’s not that expensive. We spent $105 on gasoline and toll roads in 4 weeks. We have written all our tips and experiences about renting a car in Mexico in this article.
Costs with public transportation: Traveling by bus is well organized in Mexico. Between most destinations, there are luxury buses. A ride of 2.5 to 3 hours costs around $20 at ADO. You can check prices and departure times on this website. There, you can also reserve your tickets, and during the high season between November and April, it is definitely recommended because buses are often full. You can also go to the bus station and book a ticket last minute, but sometimes it is for a bus much later in the day because the next bus is already full. For shorter distances between cities, there are colectivos. These are small minibusses that are a bit cheaper.
Costs for activities in Mexico
As in any country, there are expensive and cheap activities. For example, Chitzen Itzá is very expensive compared to other Maya temples. The entrance fee for Chitzen Itzá is about $35 and if you want a guide, it can cost anywhere from $35 to $55 per group. In contrast, the entrance fee for the Coba temple complex is only $6. You also have to pay an entrance fee for cenotes, and as with anything, the more famous the cenote, the more expensive the entrance fee. For example, you’ll pay a whopping $25 for Gran Cenote in Tulum. Renting a bike in Tulum costs around $10 per day. Tours in Puerto Escondido are often quite expensive, ranging between $50 and $120.
Tipping in Mexico
Tipping is a significant part of the income of the local population in Mexico, and it is customary to give a tip. In restaurants, it is normal to give about 10% to 15% tip when you are satisfied with the service. Most restaurants will add an optional tip to the bill, but in some cases, the tip is added to the total amount without asking. It’s good to know that this is always a voluntary tip, so even if it’s on the bill, you don’t have to pay it if you don’t want to. Sometimes, the tips are excessively high (up to 25%) or they mention it very unclearly on the bill, so you think there’s no tip yet. Therefore, always check the bill carefully and don’t just look at the total amount. We have also experienced cases where the tip was mentioned in Spanish on the bill while the rest of the bill was in English. These costs make traveling in Mexico a bit more expensive, but it’s part of the experience.
Average daily budget in Mexico
Based on our expenses in Mexico, excluding airfare, the total cost per person per day comes out to $100. This includes rental car fees, food and drinks, hotel accommodations, activities, and entrance fees. We always stay in good hotels and often dine at restaurants with high ratings on Tripadvisor. Generally, we don’t worry too much about money, so if you have a lower budget, it’s definitely possible to travel cheaper in Mexico. Unfortunately, since COVID, prices have been high in Mexico, which is why we ended up with this relatively high daily budget.
