Mexico budget guide: how much we spent during 40 days of travel throughout the country

Now that our Mexican adventure is coming to its end, we can sum up the costs of these 40 interesting and wonderful days spent here. We came here with no expectations and had not much information on the prices of basic goods and services, but somehow expected to find a cheap destination. We will tell you below everything about what we spent, the prices found here and some important practical information, hoping that it will help you make an idea on the budget you might need.

Mexico during the rainy season

We came to Mexico at the middle of June and left at the end of July, which means we were here during the rainy season. Luckily enough, during this time it rained for only one day straight and there were an additional 4-5 evenings when it rained for 1-2 hours. However, especially in the Yucatan Peninsula, the temperatures were very high and so was the humidity, which might not make your vacation a very comfortable one. On the contrary, Mexico City and its surroundings were quite cold in the morning and afternoon, but this might be also blamed on the high altitude.

Cash related info

There is a good ATM machines coverage throughout the country, in both big and small cities. However, be aware that you will have some fees for money withdrawals, about which we wrote more here.

The most useful advice we can give you regarding this matter: use Revolut. It was easily accepted everywhere and saved us a lot of time and money. Be aware that banks do not offer currency exchange services and it is not so easy to find a foreign exchange office, not even in big cities such as Mexico City.

Safety

While Mexico is not by far the safest country on earth, there are places in which you should not worry and places in which it would be better not to find yourself. For us the cities that we perceived as being the most dangerous from what we visited were Tapachula and Mexico City (some parts of it).

However, all in all, if you follow some common sense guidelines you will not have any issues. Some important points here:

• do not expose your valuables: there were areas in which we decided that not having our camera/phone stolen is more important that an Instagram photo, thus be careful with this. If it feels shady to you do not risk it;
• clothing and accessories: we tried not to draw unwanted attention and always wore neutral and modest clothing, no jewelries or accessories except for our wedding rings;
• try not to be out after dark: in CDMX we were advised by the hotel staff not to get out after dark because the streets in the area are empty at night and might be dangerous. However, in Playa del Carmen and Cancun we walked at night and it was ok.
• try to look like you know where you are going and blend in: we felt very safe all the time when doing what locals did, from eating with them to traveling with colectivos (not with lots of valuables on you though).

The language barrier

If you plan to have a DIY vacation rather than an all-inclusive resort one, try to learn some Spanish words before heading to Mexico. English is not widely spoken here, not even in many hotels and restaurants, so do not count on it.

Our budget for 40 days, by category

Accommodation	Description	Cost in EUR in total	Link
	Tulum 4 nights	71	Booking link
	Playa del Carmen 5 nights	76	Airbnb link
	Isla Mujeres 1 night	28	Booking link
	Cancun 4 nights	67	Booking link – not recommended
	Valladolid 4 nights	53	Booking link
	Merida 4 nights	61	Airbnb link
	Campeche 1 night	18	Booking link
	Palenque 4 nights	79	Airbnb link
	Villahermosa 1 night	28	Booking link
	Puebla 2 nights	20	Booking link – not recommended at all (the private room)
	Mexico City 7 nights	150	Booking link
	Tapachula 1 night	25	Booking link
Total		676

You can easily find budget-friendly accommodation options throughout Mexico, but be ready to sometimes do some compromises. The ones we chose were not the cheapest available since we booked mostly a few days in advance and also had a list of requirements  (strict on having our private room, not far from our points of interest or sometimes just to be close to the ADO bus station, decent reviews, decent Wifi, etc). However, you can easily find a good option with a 20 EUR/night budget.

Regarding the Wifi availability you better be ready to head towards co-working spaces or cafes, since the internet is not so strong in hotels and AirBnb’s generally.

Food and Drinks	Description	Cost in EUR per 2 persons
	Restaurants (including street food)	182
	Groceries	296,8
Total		478,8

Street food is quite cheap in Mexico, thus cooking it yourself might not be the best option in terms of costs. When it comes to choosing the restaurants try to eat where the locals eat, and while this might feel like not the cleanest option, the taste, price and cultural enrichment will compensate for sure.

We did not hold back for anything except for the touristy restaurants, and I believe it was a good call. Generally a meal for 2 at a local restaurant was around 120-150 MXN.

Transportation	Route	Price in MXN per 2 persons	Price in EUR per 2 persons	MXN saved with ADO buying in advance
	Ticabus Mexico-Guatemala	1012	43
	ADO Cancun Airport-Cancun	200	8
	ADO Cancun-Chiquila	596	25
	Ferry Chiquila-Holbox	440	19
	ADO Chiquila-Cancun	596	25
	ADO Cancun-Playa del Carmen	176	7,5
	Ferry Isla Mujeres+Cozumel	1700	72,2
	ADO Playa del Carmen-Tulum	154	6,5	42
	ADO Tulum-Valladolid	192	8,2	132
	ADO Valladolid-Merida	332	14,1	192
	ADO Merida-Campeche	344	14,6	236
	ADO Campeche-Palenque	622	26,5	462
	ADO Palenque-Villahermosa	220	9,4
	ADO Villahermosa-Puebla	1238	52,2	1102
	ADO Puebla-CDMX	363	15,4	44
	ADO CDMX-Tapachula	1532	65	1068
	Bus CDMX-Teotihuacan roundtrip	208	9
	Colectivo in total	908	36,3
	UBER and taxis in total	1420	56,8
	Rechargable card 1 piece (CDMX)	15	0,6
	Cablebus CDMX	14	0,6
	Metro CDMX 30 trips	150	6
Total		12432	520,9	3278

We started our trip in Cancun , headed to Mexico City and then south to Tapachula in order to cross the border to Guatemala. During this time we only used public transportation and found ADO to be the best option for long distances. We discussed in here on how to save money while using the ADO service.

Inside the cities the most affordable public transportation mean is the colectivo, which is generally a public mini-bus used by locals. It is totally safe and the experience is something you should not miss while in Mexico.

Activities	Descrption	Price in MXN for 2 persons	Price in EUR for 2 persons
	Tortugranja Isla Mujeres	60	2,5
	Cenote Cristalino entry	400	20
	Bachata dance lesson Playa del Carmen	100	4
	Snorkeling Isla Mujeres (1 person)	1250	50
	Bachata dance lesson Playa del Carmen	250	10
	Cenote Azul entry	240	9
	Tulum Archeological Site tickets	160	6,2
	Cenote Suytun entry	300	12
	Cenote Oxman entry	300	12
	Chichen Itza tickets	1066	43
	Chichen Itza guide	250	10
	Cenote Ik-Kil entry	300	12
	El Corchito Natural Reserve tickets	180	8
	Day tour Misol-Ha and Agua Azul Waterfalls	700	28
	Palenque Archeological Site tickets	340	14
	Aluxes EcoParque tickets	300	12
	El Cuexcomate Volcano tickets	26	1
	Teotihuacan Pyramids tickets	160	6,2
	Chapultepec Castle CDMX tickets	160	6,2
	Anthropology Museum CDMX tickets	160	6,2
Total		6702	272,3

There were a few other activities that unfortunately we missed but maybe would be of interest to you. Here are some examples:

• hiking tours on the volcanoes around Mexico City: there are interesting hikes on the Nevado de Toluca, Iztaccihuatl and Pico de Orizaba volcanos available on TripAdvisor and Airbnb, but make sure to book in due time (sadly we missed an Izta hike because of this);
• simulation of an illegal border crossing at EcoAlberto Parque: if heading to the north of Mexico try not to miss the Caminata Nocturna experience (http://www.ecoalberto.com.mx/web/caminata.php) . The location itself is not easily accessible by public transportation so you would need to hire a car for this, but I believe it is something you should pin on your map. However, be aware that this is quite a hardcore experience and they organize it only in some Saturday nights, reason for which we missed it.

Other costs	Description	Total cost in EUR
	Shopping	46,5
	ATM Cash withdrawal taxes	19,1
	Laundry	9,8
	SIM Cards and recharge	26
Total		101,4

In terms of shopping we bought some extra hiking accessories and clothes from Decathlon (which is much more expensive, compared to Romania at least) and just a handful of small souvenirs. In terms of laundry costs we managed to keep them low by hand washing when possible. Be aware that it is extremely hard to find an Airbnb with washing machine, thus do not count on this.

	Total costs for 40 days, 2 persons
Accommodation	676
Food & drinks	478,8
Transportation	520,9
Activities	272,3
Other costs	101,4
Total	2049,4

In total we spent 2050 EUR (2 persons) during 40 days of travel and countless km of bus rides. To be honest we left home with a lower target budget of 44 EUR/day (1734 EUR for 40 days), but had to adjust it on the way to the local reality and our lifestyle. Some ways to decrease these costs:

• choose hostels with dorm rooms: if you are ok with not having a private room then this would be a cheap option and helpful in making friends;
• take more overnight busses: we only had 2 such busses, and both because it was the only option in terms of bus schedule. However, by riding the bus during night on long distances you can reduce the costs of accommodation, so maybe it works for you.

If this total expense is a lot or not, I guess it depends. However, we would be curious to know your thoughts and why not, if you have some suggestions for improvement do not hesitate to share!