Mexico is reasonable for the budget backpacker, provided that you don't move around that often!
With a well developed inter-city long-haul transportation system, you will gain in comfort and security but it will hit your daily spending hard.
Other travels costs are on a par with the rest of Central America, however the cheaper options take a little longer to find than in other countries given the greater wealth present in Mexico and levels of package holiday tourism.
The costs below are the average we encountered on our time in the country, and the individual items have been chosen for their ubiquity across the world and their popularity amongst backpackers. This will allow us, and you, to make a comparison of living and travel costs across Latin America.
Currencies are $MXN / £GDP / $USD. Conversion rate as at time of publication.
Average daily spend for two backpackers (i.e. us!)
$640 / £29 / $45.5
double room/night:
$210 / £10 / $17
basic breakfast out for one:
$35 / £1.5 / $2.5
one litre water:
$10 / £0.5 / $0.75
one banana:
$1 / £0.05 / $0.09
cup of coffee:
$10 / £0.5 / $0.9
half-dozen eggs:
$10 / £0.5 / $0.9
litre of local beer
$45 / £2 / $3
400g dried spaghetti + 500g marinara sauce:
$40 / £1.8 / $2.8
can of coke:
$10 / £0.5 / $0.9
large tube of pringles:
$30 / £1.3 / $2.1
pack of 20 local cigarettes:
