Oaxaca on a budget

Daily budget and trip cost

AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.

Typical prices

Approximate prices in Oaxaca, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.

Money-saving tips

• Eat the main meal at lunchtime, when comida corrida set menus are good value.
• Use colectivos for the valley villages instead of private taxis if you are comfortable sharing.
• Buy crafts directly from workshops in the villages, where more of the price goes to the maker.
• Combine Tule, Teotitlán, Mitla and Hierve el Agua into one day on a group tour to save on transport.
• Book well ahead for Día de Muertos and the Guelaguetza, or avoid those weeks for much lower hotel rates.
• Carry small notes and coins; market vendors and colectivo drivers rarely have change for large notes.

Free things to do

• Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán — Oaxaca's most spectacular church was built by Dominican friars from the late 16th century and is covered inside with gilded and polychrome stucco.
• Zócalo and Cathedral — Oaxaca's main square is shaded by old laurel trees around a wrought-iron bandstand, with café terraces under the arcades and a constant stream of balloon sellers, marimba bands and families.
• Andador Macedonio Alcalá — The pedestrian street that links the Zócalo with Santo Domingo is lined with colonial façades, galleries, craft shops, cafés and the IAGO print institute.
• Basílica de la Soledad — The basilica of Oaxaca's patron, the Virgen de la Soledad, has a carved stone baroque façade like a folding screen and a richly decorated interior.
• Jalatlaco street walk — A short walk east of the centre, Jalatlaco's cobbled streets are lined with brightly painted houses and some of Oaxaca's best street murals and stencil art.
• Cerro del Fortín — The hill on the northwest edge of the centre holds the open-air auditorium where the Guelaguetza is staged and a long stairway that climbs past viewpoints over the city's domes towards the mountains.

All free things to do in Oaxaca.

Where to stay on a budget

Eating well for less

• Tlayuda — Evening street stalls across the city and the grill stands in the 20 de Noviembre market; ask for it sin asiento for a vegetarian version.
• Quesillo — Cheese stalls in the Benito Juárez market; buy a small ball to eat as it is.
• Chapulines — Market vendors in the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets sell them by the scoop; try a small portion first.
• Memelas — Morning stalls in markets and on street corners; Mercado de la Merced east of the centre is popular with locals for breakfast.
• Empanada de amarillo — Market stalls and street comales, especially in the mornings and at the Sunday Tlacolula market.

Getting around for less

Oaxaca's historic centre is compact and best explored on foot, with most sights within 15 minutes' walk of the Zócalo. Taxis cover the rest of the city, while tours, shared colectivo taxis and second-class buses reach Monte Albán and the villages of the central valleys.

Questions travellers ask