Guide
How much does it cost to live in Tulum?
The short answer
It depends more on where you shop than on where you live: Tulum has a tourist economy and a local one, a few kilometers apart, at very different prices. Our long-term rentals run from $590 USD to $2,300 USD a month today. Electricity for air conditioning is the cost people most often underestimate.
Why do cost-of-living figures for Tulum differ so much?
Tulum has two economies a few kilometers apart. The beach road has restaurants with a doorman and boutiques that price in dollars. The Tulum where people live has the mercado, the taquería and the colectivo, at very different prices. Most cost-of-living articles about Tulum measure the first one.
How much is rent in Tulum?
Our long-term rental listings run from $590 USD to $2,300 USD a month today. These are actual asking prices on actual units, read from our listings every time the site is updated.
What costs more than people expect?
- Electricity, if you run air conditioning. This is the big one.
- Anything imported. Familiar brands carry a premium.
- Private, English-speaking healthcare. It is good, and it is not free.
- Getting around. Tulum is spread out, and the neighborhoods that feel like good value are the furthest from everything.
What costs less than people expect?
- Property tax.
- Eating out, where people who live here eat.
- Domestic help and trades.
- Fresh produce, from the market rather than the supermarket.
How do I find out what I would really spend?
Rent for a season before you buy, and include one September — one of the wettest, quietest and hottest months. For utilities, groceries, schooling, healthcare and getting around, ask us what our own clients actually spend.