Budgeting for Tulum

Last month my sister and I spent a week in Tulum, Mexico. For us, Tulum was an inexpensive trip to somewhere warm in the middle of winter. While you can easily enjoy Tulum on a budget, you can just as easily swing the other way and turn it into an expensive trip, whether you mean to or not, especially as the area caters more and more to tourists. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we spent our money on over the course of seven days. For more details, including how we saved pesos and what we splurged on, scroll down.

All currency conversions are give or take as the rate fluctuates regularly

SNAPSHOT:

Flights | $350 USD each

Accommodations | $435 USD each

Getting around (car and cab) | $155.50 USD each

Sightseeing and activities | $2,230 MXN each ($120 USD)

Restaurants and bars | $4,098 MXN each (about $218 USD)

Convenience stores (i.e. beer and water) | $208 MXN each (about $11 USD)

Souvenirs and gifts | $490 MXN each ($26 USD)

DETAILED BREAKDOWN:

Flights | $350 USD each

We booked our tickets three months in advance and ended up with round trip nonstop flights on United. Not bad considering early January is prime time.

Accommodations (in USD) | $435 each

Our Airbnb in town was $98/night so after fees we each paid only $285 for five nights! That’s how much many of the beach hotels cost for just one night. The apartment included drinking water and snorkel gear, saving us even more money, and it was in a central location with free street parking.

Our hotel for our last two nights, Tropicalito, was one of the less expensive options on the beach at $150/night, but it was still a beautiful boutique hotel in a great location. I’m guessing the low cost is due to the fact that it’s a fairly new establishment; we’ll probably be hard pressed to find a price that low next time.

Getting around (car and cab, in USD unless otherwise noted) | $155.50 each

We rented a car at Cancun Airport and it was totally worth it to be on our own schedule and hop around as we wished. If you book online in advance you can find a rental for just a few bucks a day. Even without reserving in advance, we got one for $22/day + a one-time “just in case” fee they talked us into + taxes, which came out to $230 for the whole week. Gas ended up being an extra $40. Because we always found free street parking at our Airbnb, we only spent $350 MXN on parking for the week, about $19 USD (this was $150 MXN at ruins and $200 MXN at our beach hotel).

We did take a cab three times: once to and from town to the beach for dinner and drinks, and once along the beach road. We spent a total of $420 MXN in cab fare, about $22 USD. You can try and negotiate but most of the cab drivers we came across aren’t willing to budge on their fares, which are not metered.

Sightseeing and activities (more to come on this!) | $2,230 MXN each ($120 USD)

• Cobá Ruins entrance fee: $70 MXN each (almost $4 USD)

• Mayan Ruins of Tulum entrance fee: $70 MXN each

• Gran Cenote: $195 MXN each (just over $10 USD)

  • Entrance fee: $180 MXN each

  • Locker rental: $30 MXN (we shared one)

  • Snorkel gear: $0 (we borrowed from our Airbnb but you can rent them for a fee here)

  • Cooking Class: $1,900 MXN each

    • One of our two splurges was a cooking class with Lina’s Mexican Kitchen at about $100 USD each. Admittedly this is a little pricey for the class but it was a very memorable experience. If you’re interested in taking a cooking class while in Tulum I highly recommend taking it with Lina and her sister Miriam.

Food and drink | $4,098 MXN each for the week (about $218 USD) or $585 MXN each per day ($31 USD)

This includes our meal at Hartwood (a must!), which was our second of two splurges at $1,620 MXN with tip and tax, about $90 USD total, for two beers, an appetizer, and two entrees. Our bill was on the lower end as we saved our drinking for a cheaper bar afterwards, but their cocktails are supposed to be amazing.

Convenience stores | $208 MXN each (about $11 USD)

• Beer and water made up most of this at $318 MXN for the week ($17 USD). This is quite low since our Airbnb provided drinking water.

• Cooler and ice (for a day at the beach - best idea) was $99 MXN

Souvenirs and gifts | $490 MXN each ($26 USD)

• Postcards: $60 MXN for 12 postcards ($5 MXN each)

  • Full disclaimer: most postcards, even in town, were $20 MXN each. We couldn’t fathom spending $1 USD on just one postcard! We came across a store on the main road in town and the employee started chatting with us, asking where we’re from, our names, how we like Tulum, and how he loves the name Meghan because it reminds him of the sister on Drake & Josh. “Just for us” he lowered his rate from $10 to $5 MXN per postcard. Granted these were not the pick of the litter; they were old and dusty (sorry to anyone we sent a postcard to!) but we couldn’t resist the low price so picked the nicest ones we could find and took him up on his deal.

  • Stamps: $180 MXN for 12

  • Gifts and souvenirs: $740 MXN total (about $40 USD)

Total daily budget | $76 USD / day each

This is without flights and accommodations, but with everything else mentioned above. Without our two splurges, it would have been about $20 USD less per person per day, so you can see just how easily your expenses can add up.

A note on ATM fees:

They can be hefty. The fee at an airport ATM was $19! USD! Luckily I always travel with my trusty Charles Schwab debit card, which reimburses all ATM fees, so those rates aren’t included in any of the above numbers.

LESSONS LEARNED:

• Everything in town is cheaper: even while staying on the beach we drove into town for lunch, beer, and water at a fraction of the cost it would have been at the beach.

• Eat in town, even if you’re staying on the beach: even with the cab ride back and forth you’ll probably save money. Plus, you get to experience a different side of Tulum.

• Take advantage of happy hour: Tulum loves happy hour. Look out for chalkboard signs advertising their specials, usually a 2-for-1 deal, outside almost every bar and restaurant.

• Eat where the locals eat: not only will it probably be less expensive since they’re not catering to tourists, but it will be authentic and delicious. Most places that fit this bill will be in town.