Mexico Travel Guide

Accommodation – In Mexico, the lowest price you’ll find for hostels is about 125 MXN per night for a bed in a dorm. In bigger cities, like Mexico City and Cancun, expect to pay around 140-200 MXN. Private rooms in hostels start around 400 MXN per night. Many hostels offer free WiFi and breakfast. As for budget hotels, expect to pay at least 300 MXN for a basic room in a 2-star hotel that sleeps two. Airbnb is also an option in Mexico, with shared rooms starting at 210 MXN and entire homes (including studio apartments) starting at 640 MXN. In the larger resort towns (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, etc), accommodation costs are going to start around 600 MXN and go up from there!

Food – Food in Mexico is super affordable. You’ll find a lot of rice, beans, fruits, and veggies like tomatoes, corn, avocado, and peppers in Mexican cuisine. Some typical Mexican dishes are tacos, mole (a sauce with lots of ingredients, many include chocolate), salsa, enchiladas, tamales (stuffed corn pockets), guacamole. By purchasing food on street stalls or in markets you can expect to spend around 240 MXN per day or less, with a less restrictive budget coming in at around 400 MXN if you choose to eat at reasonably priced sit-down restaurants. A combo meal at McDonald’s costs around 75-85 MXN. A meal at a nicer sit-down restaurant is around 300-600 MXN. You can get some pretty bad-ass tequila for as cheap as 240 MXN. If you cook your meals, expect to pay 500-585 MXN per week for groceries that will include rice, vegetables, chicken, and other basic foods.

Transportation – Most of Mexico is served by buses. On longer journeys, make sure to take an express bus (called a “directo”) if you can as they are much faster and stop less. A bus from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara (5.5 hours) costs around 480 MXN. For very long journeys, consider taking a budget airline. For instance, a bus from Cancun to Mexico city (15 hours) costs around 1,450 MXN but a flight starts around 720 MXN and only takes 2.5 hours. As for transportation within the cities, buses are common in all cities but some bigger cities have subway (metro) systems. Taxi fares start from 16 MXN in most cities. Uber operates in 30 cities in Mexico.

Activities – Diving is likely to be the most expensive activity you choose to do here, with day trips usually costing over 2,400 MXN. Entrance to the many Mayan sites in the country is around 160 MXN.