Mexico travel budget: how much to plan?

The flight dominates the budget, as with any transatlantic destination. From €308 for Cancún and €408 for Mexico City, it accounts for half or more of the total on a ten-day trip. Stretching the trip is the main lever.

The inversion between the two cities is worth pausing on. Cancún is cheaper to reach but pricier on the ground. The detail is telling: a three-star costs the same in both cities, around €48, but a four-star goes from €70 in Mexico City to €184 in Cancún. It is the resort, with its upmarket offer and international clientele, that pulls the upper rates.

Mexico City is the country's real bargain, at an index of 0.51 with hostels at €5. The city also holds a remarkable density of museums and sites, a good share of them modestly priced.

The variable line is domestic transport. The country is vast and distances between the capital and the Yucatán run to hours of flying. Long-distance buses are comfortable and cheap but the journeys are long: on a short trip, a domestic flight often justifies itself.

The two destinations share neither climate nor ideal season, which complicates a combined trip.

Mexico City enjoys a remarkably stable high-altitude climate, between 13 and 18°C year-round, with no marked hot season. The difference is rain: the dry season runs October to April, at 16 to 50mm a month, while summer is markedly wet, up to 178mm in September. The European winter therefore offers the best conditions in the capital.

Cancún follows tropical logic. It is warm all year, between 24 and 28°C, but summer is very humid, at 167mm in June, 206 in September and 193 in October. That period coincides with hurricane season, which runs June to November across the Caribbean.

From December to April, both destinations are dry at the same time: the only window allowing capital and coast to be combined without compromise, and logically the tourist high season.

Flights vary noticeably by period, around €308 to €408 at their lowest: on a ticket of that size, comparing dates has a real return.

Eating. One of the country's great pleasures and among its cheapest lines. Street tacos cost under a euro each, a full meal at a neighborhood fonda €4 to €8. Popular Mexican cooking is recognized as intangible heritage, and it is often the humblest stalls that serve best. Restaurants in Cancún's hotel zone, by contrast, charge international rates.

Getting around. Mexico City has a very cheap metro, among the world's cheapest, which avoids considerable traffic. Between cities, long-distance buses are comfortable and well organized, with differentiated comfort classes, but distances are long: on a short trip, a domestic flight saves a day. For taxis, favour apps over street hailing.

Sightseeing. Archaeological sites and museums charge modest rates, often a few euros, with separate pricing for foreign visitors at certain major sites. Many Mexico City museums are free on Sundays, but only for residents: check before making the trip. Organized excursions from Cancún to the Mayan sites are the line where price gaps between operators are widest.

Currency. The Mexican peso, not the euro. Cards are accepted in cities and tourist areas, but keep cash for markets, taxis and street food.

Language. Spanish. English is spoken in tourist areas and resorts, markedly less in the capital outside standard circuits: a few basics of Spanish noticeably improve the trip.

Altitude. This is the country's poorly known health point. Mexico City sits at 2,240 metres, and breathlessness on arrival is common. Allow a day or two at a calm pace before any sustained activity, and limit alcohol in the first days.

Hurricane season. It runs June to November on the Caribbean coast. It does not make travel impossible, but deserves weighing in your choice of dates and in your travel insurance cover.

Distances. The country is vast. Mexico City and Cancún are more than two hours' flying apart: on a short trip, better to pick one region than to stack stops.