True Burn

Tijuana, Mexico

Can I live in Tijuana on $2,500/month?

I spent a couple of years living in Tijuana, off and on. I originally moved there to reduce my cost of living. Rent in Southern California is over $2,000 a month. I was able to cut my cost of living in half by moving to Tijuana.

Prices did increase substantially while I was there. When I arrived, I rented a room for $200 per month in Zona Rio. I then moved to a small apartment in 5y10 for $250 per month. Now, that apartment probably costs $500. An average 1-bedroom outside the city center costs around $600 these days. Tijuana isn’t really a cheap place to live but it feels cheap when you compare it to San Diego, right across the border.

One nice thing about living in Tijuana is that it’s easy to get to the U.S. You won’t have to deal with expensive transcontinental flights home, if you’re American. You can walk across the border and take public transit to San Diego airport and fly to almost any large American city for a couple hundred dollars. This makes it affordable and convenient to visit friends and family.

Of course, the biggest benefit of living in Tijuana is that you can work on the U.S. side of the border and take advantage of the lower cost of living in Mexico. For a few months, I delivered Uber Eats and Amazon packages about 2-3 days a week and earned enough to cover all of my expenses in Tijuana.

Starting numbers checked . Every line below is editable. The estimates include often-forgotten costs like flights home and visas, plus what you lose moving money into MXN. The calculator will show you your true monthly burn rate as well as your adjusted exchange rate.

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After fees

1 USD = 16.88 MXN

Mid-market is 17.00. You lose about 7.00 USD per $1,000 moved.

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Monthly costs

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Forgotten expenses

$478/mo

Expenses people often forget

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Flights home, visas, a house helper. Turn off anything that isn’t you.

True monthly burn

$2,158

36,689 MXN

Keep $342

Tijuana cost of living breakdown

The figures the calculator starts with plus some notes. Everything here is an estimate you should change for your situation.

Monthly cost of living estimates for Tijuana, Mexico, in USD
ExpenseStarting estimatePer month
Everyday costs$1,470/mo
Rent$600/mo$600

Rent has gone up a lot in Tijuana over the past 5 years or so. These days, you can rent a decent 1-bedroom apartment outside the city center for around $500-$600 per month. A 2-bedroom unit will cost around $800-$1,200 per month. In higher-end areas like Zona Río, you can rent a nice apartment for $1,500-$1,800 per month.

Utilities$80/mo$80
Food$400/mo$400

Tijuana is a great city for foodies. Personally, I think Tijuana has some of the best tacos in Mexico. You can get a couple of tacos and a drink for $5-$7. A meal in a mid-range restaurant costs around $12-$15.

Transport$60/mo$60

Tijuana is not very walkable, outside of downtown. The main mode of public transport is collective taxis. They cost about 15-30 pesos (about $1.00-$2.00) to travel across town.

Phone & internet$60/mo$60
Health (local)$120/mo$120
Entertainment$150/mo$150

Tijuana is famous for its nightlife. There are loads of bars and restaurants in Zona Centro, Zona Norte, and Zona Rio. There is also a great food and drink scene. Telefónica Gastro Park is a great spot to try some modern Mexican food and some international food.

Easy to forget$478/mo
Flights homeHolidays, family visits$500/yr$42

If you're from the U.S., flights home will be affordable. You can walk across the border and fly out of San Diego airport. There are connections all over the U.S.

In-country tripsWeekends, nearby cities$600/yr$50

There are some nice weekend trips from Tijuana. You can easily drive or take a bus to Rosarito, Ensenada, or Mexicali. With a bit more time, you can travel further down the Baja Peninsula. Of course, you can easily drive to anywhere in Southern California in less than a day.

Visa / border runsPermits, overstays$500/yr$42

You can stay in Mexico for up to 6 months on a tourist visa, called the FMM. Currently, this costs 983 pesos or about $56. It's also possible to apply for temporary residency if you want to stay longer. This costs about $350-$450 depending on the consulate where you apply.

Travel insurance$50/mo$50
Phone, laptop, clothes$600/yr$50
Laundry / cleaning help$40/mo$40
Medical bufferClinics, meds insurance skips$50/mo$50

You can visit a local walk-in clinic for 100 pesos or less (around $5). I got an eye infection once and went to a small clinic at a pharmacy and walked out with medication for less than $15. Visiting a specialist will cost $50-$100 for a consultation.

Emergency fund$100/mo$100
SubscriptionsStreaming, iCloud, software$30/mo$30
Home SIM for 2FA$25/mo$25
Bad-week buffer, 10% on top$195
Cost of moving money in via Wise$15
True monthly burn in Tijuana$2,158

That is about 36,689 MXN a month at roughly 17 MXN to 1 USD; the calculator above uses the live rate. On $2,500 a month you would keep $342, and $10,000 of savings would last 4.6 months with no income. 5 more expenses are switched off by default. Turn on the ones that apply to you.

Run the numbers somewhere else

Same calculator, different starting figures. Tijuana lands at $2,158 a month on the defaults above.

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