How much does it cost to live in Oaxaca?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,554 (MX$26,661)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: goatsontheroad.com, outtathecomfortzone.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $680 (MX$11,661)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $2,008 (MX$34,452)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Rents in Centro and Jalatlaco have risen noticeably in recent years as short-term Airbnb demand and digital-nomad interest have grown, so the gap between 'local' pricing and what a newly-arrived foreigner is quoted can be significant — negotiating in Spanish or going through a local contact often gets a better rate than a cold English-language inquiry.
- Furnished short-term rent is seasonal: expect listings in Centro, Jalatlaco, and Xochimilco to run noticeably higher during October–January and around Semana Santa/Easter than in the quieter shoulder-season months.
- Street food and market comida corrida remain very cheap even as sit-down restaurant prices near tourist hubs like Santo Domingo have climbed — cooking at home or eating where locals eat stretches a budget much further than eating exclusively at nomad-facing cafés and restaurants.
- Always check whether utilities (especially water heating gas tanks and Wi-Fi) are included in a quoted furnished rent — many listings quote a base rent and bill utilities separately.
- BinniBus (the newer government-run city bus, also called CityBus) charges MXN 8 per ride and is air-conditioned and modern; the older, chaotic private bus network that still runs alongside it charges around MXN 10 per ride.
- There is no monthly transit pass in Oaxaca — even frequent riders pay cash per ride, so budget a small daily amount rather than looking for a pass.
- Uber and DiDi have inconsistent availability in Oaxaca City due to local taxi union resistance, so don't rely on them as your main transport plan — street taxis (negotiate the fare before getting in, no meters) are the more reliable fallback.
- Coworking pricing is soft in Oaxaca — most spaces don't publish rates online, so expect to negotiate or ask in person; day passes commonly run MXN 150–300 and monthly hot-desk memberships MXN 2,000–3,500.
- Telcel has the strongest coverage in Oaxaca state, including outlying towns, which matters if you plan day trips beyond the city center.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- MX$26,661
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- MX$11,661
Includes 3 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- MX$34,452
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Digital nomads and expats in Oaxaca concentrate in Centro (Historic Centre), Jalatlaco, Reforma, and Xochimilco — all within walking distance of each other on the eastern/northern edge of the Zócalo. Jalatlaco and Xochimilco are specifically called out as the neighborhoods currently attracting the most digital nomads, while Centro is the most convenient day-to-day base and Reforma offers a quieter, more residential alternative a short walk further out.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- MX$16,300
Estimated
Midpoint of the source's stated Reforma furnished studio/1BR range of $700–$1,200/month.
Published in USD
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- MX$9,000
Estimated
Midpoint of goatsontheroad's stated 8,000–10,000 MXN/month range for 'a private, centrally located furnished apartment' in Oaxaca.
- Premium apartment
- MX$21,447
Estimated
Midpoint of the source's stated Centro/Jalatlaco furnished studio/1BR range of $900–$1,600/month, described as prime, newer or better-located units.
Published in USD
- Private room in a shared home
- MX$6,000
Estimated
Derived from the low end of goatsontheroad's stated 6,000–12,000 MXN/month range for private furnished accommodation in Jalatlaco/Xochimilco; no listing site quoting a shared-home private room specifically for Oaxaca was found, so this is the low end of that range used as a proxy.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- MX$3,914
Estimated
Derived by taking the midpoint ($52.50) of the source's stated $35–$70/week solo grocery range for local staples and multiplying by 4.345 weeks/month.
Published in USD
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- MX$24
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; no single live listing for this specific item was retrieved for Oaxaca.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- MX$45
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; no single live listing for this specific item was retrieved for Oaxaca.
1kg Rice
- 1kg Rice
- MX$25
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; no single live listing for this specific item was retrieved for Oaxaca.
Loaf of Bread
- Loaf Of Bread
- MX$35
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; no single live listing for this specific item was retrieved for Oaxaca.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- MX$15
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; store price, not restaurant price.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- MX$120
Estimated
General estimate based on typical Mexican supermarket pricing; no single live listing for this specific item was retrieved for Oaxaca.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- MX$141
Estimated
Hikersbay aggregator states: 'Meal in a cheap restaurant: 11 USD (188 MXN)'. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 188 MXN reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- MX$750
Estimated
No live listing or survey figure found specifically for a high-end single meal in Oaxaca; estimated based on typical multi-course/tasting-menu pricing at Oaxaca's upper-tier restaurants.
- Mid-range meal
- MX$225
Estimated
No single live listing gave a per-person mid-range meal price; estimated using regional restaurant pricing norms, informed by gooaxaca.com's observation that restaurants near Santo Domingo/the Andador now charge prices comparable to a mid-range restaurant in a major Mexican city. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 300 MXN reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- MX$225
Estimated
Blog guide states day passes in Oaxaca (Centro/Reforma/Jalatlaco) typically run MXN $150–$300; figure is the midpoint of that range.
- Monthly hot desk
- MX$2,750
Estimated
Same guide gives a typical monthly hot-desk range of MXN $2,000–$3,500 for Oaxaca coworking spaces; figure is the midpoint. No single venue publishes a public monthly rate online, so this is a blended estimate rather than one operator's stated price.
Transport
- Single ride
- MX$8.00
Survey / cost-of-living site
- Monthly pass
- Not available
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- MX$299
Survey / cost-of-living site
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Two major festivals—Día de Muertos (late October–early November) and Guelaguetza (late July)—drive sustained accommodation price spikes of 50–300% above baseline, well exceeding the 30% threshold.
Low season
- Budget
- MX$360
KAYAK data ($16-18 minimum low-season rates); hostels and basic guesthouses
- Luxury
- MX$3,000
Machupicchu.org luxury off-season discounts (25-35% below peak = $140-220 range); boutique 5-star properties
- Premium
- MX$1,400
AirROI median Airbnb $75; Tripadvisor 4-star range; 30-45% discount from high-season baseline
- Standard
- MX$900
Machupicchu.org ($45-65 during May-June, September); mid-range hotel 3-star rates
High season
- Budget
- MX$560
Hotel booking data (Hotels.com, Tripadvisor minimum rates during July-October-November); represents 2-star basic properties in Oaxaca Centro
- Luxury
- MX$5,000
Machupicchu.org luxury hacienda data ($200-400 baseline); luxury boutique Airbnb rates ($333+ for top 10%); Quinta Real Oaxaca and similar 5-star properties
- Premium
- MX$2,400
KAYAK 3-star pricing extremes during peak ($580 high end); AirROI strong-performing Airbnb properties (Top 25%) average $148; 4-star hotel estimate
- Standard
- MX$1,800
Hotel booking data (Machupicchu.org reports $80-110 during festival periods); mid-range 3-star hotels in central Oaxaca
Low-season months
- May
- June
- August
- September
High-season months
- July
- October
- November
- December
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Oaxaca
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.