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Compare cities โ€บ Los Cabos vs Puerto Vallarta

Los Cabos vs Puerto Vallarta cost of living 2026

Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026

Los Cabos๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Los CabosMexico
VS
Puerto Vallarta๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Puerto VallartaMexico
Puerto Vallarta is 11% cheaper than Los Cabos
Living on $3,771 a month in Los Cabos feels like about $3,577 in Puerto Vallarta โ€” same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Los Cabos 2tie 4Puerto Vallarta 14
One day's budget in Los Cabos ($201) lasts 1.2 days in Puerto Vallarta
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ€” see your real monthly difference ยท free
โ€บ
Per day
$201 vs $169
Per month
$3,771 vs $3,577
Local meal
MX$ 200 vs MX$ 200
$10.8 vs $10.8
Taxi 5 km
MX$ 200 vs MX$ 100
$10.8 vs $5.38

At a glance

FoodPuerto Vallarta 17% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksPuerto Vallarta 10% cheaper
TransportPuerto Vallarta 45% cheaper
StayPuerto Vallarta 6% cheaper
FunPuerto Vallarta 13% cheaper

By category

FoodPuerto Vallarta โˆ’17%
Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta
Cafรฉs & drinksPuerto Vallarta โˆ’14%
Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta
TransportPuerto Vallarta โˆ’51%
Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta
StayPuerto Vallarta โˆ’11%
Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta
FunPuerto Vallarta โˆ’5%
Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta

Salary equivalence

Enter a monthly income in Los Cabos to see what gives the same standard of living in Puerto Vallarta. Starts at the average Los Cabos salary.

Travel difficulty

Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta
Overall
Moderate2.8
Moderate2.4
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
2
2
Getting around
3
2
Payments
2
2
Safety
3
3

Puerto Vallarta is easier to travel (2.4 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ€” Los Cabos 4 vs Puerto Vallarta 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โ€บ

Item by item

ItemLos CabosPuerto VallartaCheaper
Local mealper personMX$ 200$10.8MX$ 200$10.8similar
Street food1 itemMX$ 100$5.38MX$ 70$3.76Puerto Vallarta โˆ’30%
Restaurant dinnerper personMX$ 600$32.3MX$ 480$25.8Puerto Vallarta โˆ’20%
Coffeeone cupMX$ 60$3.23MX$ 75$4.03Los Cabos โˆ’20%
Beerone bottleMX$ 80$4.3MX$ 50$2.69Puerto Vallarta โˆ’38%
Cocktail & wineone cupMX$ 180$9.68MX$ 150$8.06Puerto Vallarta โˆ’17%
Bottled waterMX$ 17$0.91MX$ 16$0.86Puerto Vallarta โˆ’6%
Convenience store1 snack or drinkMX$ 25$1.34MX$ 25$1.34similar
Taxi5 km in townMX$ 200$10.8MX$ 100$5.38Puerto Vallarta โˆ’50%
Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hopMX$ 150$8.06MX$ 70$3.76Puerto Vallarta โˆ’53%
Transitone rideMX$ 16$0.86MX$ 11$0.59Puerto Vallarta โˆ’31%
Scooter rentalper dayMX$ 800$43MX$ 600$32.3Puerto Vallarta โˆ’25%
Hotel night3-starMX$ 1,800$96.8MX$ 1,600$86Puerto Vallarta โˆ’11%
Studio rent (month)MX$ 16,000$860MX$ 16,000$860similar
LaundryMX$ 35$1.88MX$ 30$1.61Puerto Vallarta โˆ’14%
SIM card1 week dataMX$ 200$10.8MX$ 200$10.8similar
HaircutcutMX$ 200$10.8MX$ 180$9.68Puerto Vallarta โˆ’10%
Massage1 hourMX$ 900$48.4MX$ 650$34.9Puerto Vallarta โˆ’28%
Half-day tourper personMX$ 900$48.4MX$ 1,200$64.5Los Cabos โˆ’25%
Entry ticketTourist townMX$ 360$19.4MX$ 200$10.8Puerto Vallarta โˆ’44%

Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.

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FAQ

Which is cheaper, Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta is 11% cheaper than Los Cabos. Daily budget $201 vs $169; a month $3,771 vs $3,577.

Which is easier to travel, Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta is easier: Puerto Vallarta 2.4/5 vs Los Cabos 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).

How do monthly costs compare between Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta?

With a short-term studio and living costs, Los Cabos is about $3,771 and Puerto Vallarta about $3,577 per month.

Where do the numbers come from?

They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.

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