What does Tulum cost?
The sourced Numbeo primitives, line by line — and an honest note on the categories the public data could not cite (this city has the oldest, thinnest sample of the four).
The old "Tulum eats the arbitrage" story does not survive a consistent instrument. The fixture's D-grade $3,820 figure was an Inmuebles24-furnished-luxury read; the uniform Numbeo 1BR puts Tulum at $777 → on the documented formula it is A-/$1,359, 32% of a comparable US city. This number ships only with stacked, clearly-disclosed caveats: Food uses the Mexico national Numbeo Groceries Index as a proxy (Numbeo publishes no Tulum page), the transit line is uncitable (Numbeo blank — Daily is utilities only, the gap is disclosed not filled), and the Numbeo data is the oldest of the four cities (Jan 2026, 14 contributors). Healthcare is the Mexico national WHO out-of-pocket figure ($26/mo per person), used as a disclosed proxy.
Numbeo (Tulum page) "Apartment 1BR City Centre" Mex$13,462.50 → $777/mo.
Tulum Food uses the Mexico national figure as a clearly-disclosed proxy.
Average out-of-pocket health spending per person — Mexico national WHO GHED out-of-pocket expenditure per capita (current US$), indicator SH.XPD.OOPC.PC.CD: $313.80/yr (2023) ÷ 12 = $26.15/mo.
Numbeo: basic utilities 85m² Mex$1,669.43 → $96/mo (Jan 2026).
Monthly cost, line by line
Per-category numbers behind the composite. Each row cites its source. Modest = single, minimum-comfortable. Comfortable = the central-neighbourhood baseline. Couple = a larger 1BR plus two healthcare plates.
| Category | Comfortable | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rent · 1BR city centre (unfurnished baseline) | $777 | Numbeo Mex$13,462.50 ÷ 17.325572 |
| Food · Mexico national Groceries Index 46.6 × anchor (national figure used for Tulum) | $460 | Mexico national Numbeo Groceries Index 46.6 via methodology anchor — no Tulum page |
| Utilities (85m²) | $96 | Numbeo Mex$1,669.43 ÷ 17.325572 |
| Health · out-of-pocket per person (national proxy) | $26 | WHO GHED Mexico $313.80/yr ÷ 12 |
| Total · per month | $1,359 |
Cities at similar cost profiles, plus a US comparable for the dollar-arbitrage frame.
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