What a trip to Oaxaca costs, worked out for your days and your party, with every price traced to where it comes from. And then the part most budgets skip: how to actually pay once you are there.
Food, getting around and sights in Oaxaca come to MX$850–1,100 per person per day. Accommodation, flights and the airport transfer are on top.Prices reviewed: October 2026.
Days, people and how you like to travel decide almost everything. Flights are left out: they depend on where you start.
You still need, flights aside
MX$12,000–15,000
≈ $670 – $850 · rate of October 6, 2026
MX$850–1,100 per person per day · 7 days and 2 people
Expected
MX$12,000–15,000
Most trips land in here
Set aside
MX$15,000
With this you are unlikely to run short
Cushion, kept apart
MX$1,400
10% of the trip
FoodMX$5,800–8,700
Getting aroundMX$450–840
Sights and activitiesMX$2,900
Nights outMX$1,400–3,000
Lodging tax and odds and endsMX$460–620
Of that, in cash: MX$3,400–6,800
The cash share is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement. Your own bank may charge on top; this page cannot know that.
Accommodation is not in this figure. Add your price per night to include it.
Flights are not included.
You probably will not spend the cushion. Having it to hand covers a night you had not planned, a taxi, or a changed ticket.
Styles
What a day in Oaxaca costs, by how you travel
Per person per day, two travelling, without accommodation, flights or the airport transfer. A style is not a figure: it is a way of eating, getting around and seeing things, and each one is spelled out below.
Budget
MX$600–810 per person per day
Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.
FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
MX$420–620
Getting aroundPublic transport
MX$32.00–60.00
Sights and activitiesThe odd paid sight
MX$110
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
MX$28.00–39.00
Mid-range
MX$850–1,100 per person per day
Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, and one paid sight a day.
FoodMixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
MX$420–620
Getting aroundPublic transport
MX$32.00–60.00
Sights and activitiesOne paid sight a day
MX$210
Nights outNow and then
MX$100–210
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
MX$33.00–45.00
Comfort
MX$1,800–2,000 per person per day
The best food level we can price, public transport, two paid sights a day.
FoodRestaurants most of the time
MX$1,100–1,300
Getting aroundPublic transport
MX$32.00–60.00
Sights and activitiesTwo paid sights a day
MX$420
Nights outNow and then
MX$100–210
Sundries: luggage storage, laundry, water
MX$76.00–89.00
A style's total is not the sum of the extremes of its lines: nobody has a trip where everything comes out cheap, or everything dear. “Sundries” is an assumption of ours, 5% of food, transport and sights, not a measurement.
By length of trip
How much money for 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days in Oaxaca
Per person, two travelling together, without accommodation or flights.
Days
Budget
Mid-range
Comfort
3
MX$1,800–2,400 MX$600–810 a day
MX$2,600–3,400 MX$870–1,100 a day
MX$5,400–6,200 MX$1,800–2,100 a day
5
MX$3,000–4,000 MX$600–810 a day
MX$4,100–5,200 MX$810–1,000 a day
MX$8,600–9,900 MX$1,700–2,000 a day
7
MX$4,200–5,600 MX$600–810 a day
MX$6,000–7,600 MX$850–1,100 a day
MX$12,000–14,000 MX$1,800–2,000 a day
10
MX$6,000–8,100 MX$600–810 a day
MX$8,600–11,000 MX$860–1,100 a day
MX$18,000–20,000 MX$1,800–2,000 a day
14
MX$8,400–11,000 MX$600–810 a day
MX$12,000–15,000 MX$850–1,100 a day
MX$25,000–28,000 MX$1,800–2,000 a day
Add your accommodation in the calculator above: it is the largest line and the one we cannot source yet.
Prices
What things cost in Oaxaca
Eating and drinking: no official statistic measures what eating out costs here, so these are prices from the menu each place publishes on its own website, and each row says where it comes from. It is a sample, not an average: there are cheaper and dearer places, and tourist areas cost more.
What
Price
Source
Eating and drinking
Quesillo taquitos in hoja santa (three), La Olla
MX$135
From the sourceJul 2026
Pescadillas, fish quesadillas (three), La Olla
MX$130
From the sourceJul 2026
Tlayuda with tasajo or chorizo, La Olla
MX$155
From the sourceJul 2026
Tortilla soup, La Olla
MX$115
From the sourceJul 2026
Squash blossom soup, La Olla
MX$120
From the sourceJul 2026
Oaxacan tamal with mole negro and chicken, La Olla
MX$145
From the sourceJul 2026
Enchiladas in mole coloradito, La Olla
MX$195
From the sourceJul 2026
Mole negro with chicken breast and rice, La Olla
MX$290
From the sourceJul 2026
Mole amarillo with prawns and mushrooms, La Olla
MX$335
From the sourceJul 2026
Bean soup with avocado and fresh cheese, Casa Oaxaca
MX$215
From the sourceMay 2026
Pork shank gorditas (two), Casa Oaxaca
MX$260
From the sourceMay 2026
Turkey in mole negro (160 g), Casa Oaxaca
MX$445
From the sourceMay 2026
Suckling pig in mole coloradito (160 g), Casa Oaxaca
MX$580
From the sourceMay 2026
Oaxacan craft beer, Selva (cocktail bar)
MX$120
From the sourceApr 2026
Glass of wine, Selva (cocktail bar)
MX$250
From the sourceApr 2026
Getting around
BinniBus, one trip with the BinniBus card
MX$8.00
ReportedMay 2026
BinniBus, one trip paid in cash
MX$10.00
ReportedMay 2026
Sights
Monte Albán archaeological site, foreign visitors
MX$210
From the sourceOct 2026
Museum of Oaxacan Cultures (Santo Domingo), foreign visitors
MX$210
From the sourceOct 2026
From the source means we read it where it is set: the operator, the bank, the city or the statistics office. Reported means a guide or the press says so and we have not seen the original. Where sources disagree we show both figures and leave the price out of every sum.
What each food level is made of
A food level is not a number we chose. It is two lists of dishes from the table above, a cheap day and a dear one, and the price is the sum.
Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner
From Tortilla soup, La Olla + Tlayuda with tasajo or chorizo, La Olla + Oaxacan tamal with mole negro and chicken, La Olla (MX$415) to Quesillo taquitos in hoja santa (three), La Olla + Enchiladas in mole coloradito, La Olla + Mole negro with chicken breast and rice, La Olla (MX$620).
Restaurants most of the time
From Squash blossom soup, La Olla + Mole negro with chicken breast and rice, La Olla + Bean soup with avocado and fresh cheese, Casa Oaxaca + Turkey in mole negro (160 g), Casa Oaxaca (MX$1,070) to Pescadillas, fish quesadillas (three), La Olla + Mole amarillo with prawns and mushrooms, La Olla + Pork shank gorditas (two), Casa Oaxaca + Suckling pig in mole coloradito (160 g), Casa Oaxaca (MX$1,305).
Accommodation
What the night costs, and the tax on top
There is no open source of hotel prices, and we have not sampled this city yet. So the calculator asks you for the price you have seen instead of printing one that looks plausible.
Lodging tax
Hotels, hostels, motels and timeshares: 3% of the price before VAT
Flats and houses, whole or in part: 5% of the price before VAT
For seven days, MX$6,000–7,600 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.
How much money do you need for 3 days in Oaxaca?
For 3 days, MX$2,600–3,400 per person on the “Mid-range” style with two travelling. Accommodation and flights are not included.
What is a realistic daily budget in Oaxaca?
Per person per day, without accommodation or flights: MX$600–810 on the “Budget” style, MX$850–1,100 on the “Mid-range” style, and MX$1,800–2,000 on the “Comfort” style.
Can you travel to Oaxaca on a budget?
The cheapest style we work out is “Budget”: MX$600–810 per person per day, without accommodation or flights. Set meals and the odd sit-down dinner, public transport and the odd paid sight.
How much does food cost in Oaxaca?
From MX$420 per person per day (“Mixed: set meals and one sit-down dinner”) to MX$1,300 (“Restaurants most of the time”). The price table has what each dish costs.
How much does transport cost in Oaxaca?
A ride on public transport costs MX$8.00–10.00. That figure comes from the press, not from whoever sets the fare.
Is there a lodging tax in Oaxaca?
Yes: 3% to 5% of the accommodation price before VAT, depending on the type.
How much cash should you carry in Oaxaca?
For a week on the “Mid-range” style, about MX$1,700–3,400 per person, two travelling. It is our reading of how each kind of place takes payment, not a measurement.
Do you tip in Oaxaca?
Restaurants: customary. Bars and cafés: customary. Hotels: customary.
Sources
Where every figure comes from
Each price on this page carries its source. These are all of them. Prices reviewed: October 2026.
This page tells you how much to take. The app keeps count of what you spend.
Joru works out the budget of your itinerary day by day and sets it against what you actually spend, by category and with the exchange rate. On your phone, with no account.
