Cabo on a budget: where the money goes and what's worth paying for

You can do Cabo on a budget if you control four things: when you go, where you sleep, how you get around and how you pay. Go in the low season (September is usually the cheapest month for hotels), stay downtown so you can walk, pay in pesos, and build the days around the public beaches, which are free. A private boat to the Arch starts at USD 519 (MXN 9,799) for the whole boat, about USD 52 each with ten people.

We book yachts, so we won't pretend to know your hotel rate. What we can do is show where the money goes in Cabo and give exact numbers for the part we sell.

What does a Cabo vacation cost?

It varies too much by season and hotel for a single number to mean much. The useful way to look at it is by category, because some costs are fixed and some are choices.

The hotel and the flights are the bulk of the bill, and the month you choose moves both.

What are the cheaper months in Cabo?

Low season is late summer and early fall, and September is usually the cheapest month for hotels. Late spring, after the March crowds leave, is also softer than winter.

The most expensive weeks are Christmas to New Year, which is the busiest stretch of the year, and March, when spring break fills the town. Thanksgiving week is busy with U.S. travelers too.

Cheap months come with trade-offs, and you should know them before you book:

• August and September are the hottest and wettest months, with highs around 88°F (31°C) and rain on roughly a third of days.
• The Port Captain closes the harbor only under a storm threat or another extraordinary situation, and most closures fall between September and mid-October. If your charter date is closed, you get a new date or a full refund.
• The water is at its warmest. In October it's still around 85°F (29°C), which is why our trip guide rates that month among the best for snorkeling.

If your dates are flexible and you want low prices with better odds on the weather, look at the second half of October and early November, before Thanksgiving. Our best time to visit Cabo article goes month by month.

Where should you stay to spend less?

Stay where you can walk. In downtown Cabo San Lucas, the marina, Médano Beach, the restaurants and the nightlife are all on foot, and that removes most taxi rides from the trip.

The corridor resorts are spread along 20 miles of highway. They can look cheaper per night, and then every dinner out or trip to the marina is a ride each way. San José del Cabo is quieter and closer to the airport, but it's about 30 minutes from the boats and the Arch.

For a group, an apartment or house with a kitchen changes the food bill more than anything else. Breakfast and a cooler lunch from the supermarket cover two meals a day.

How do you get around without overspending?

The airport is about 30 miles from Cabo San Lucas, a 40 to 50 minute drive, and the transfer is the first place people overpay.

• A public bus runs from Terminal 1 at the airport through San José and along the corridor to Cabo San Lucas. It's the cheapest way in by a wide margin. It takes longer and drops you at stops along the highway, so it suits light packers.
• Shared shuttles cost less than a private transfer if you book ahead.
• Uber works in Cabo San Lucas and San José. It can drop you at the airport, but it can't pick you up inside the terminal.
• The same bus runs along the corridor highway all day, so it also works for getting between Cabo San Lucas and San José.

In town, walk. The marina to Médano Beach is 0.8 miles.

Pesos or dollars?

Pesos, nearly every time. Dollars are accepted around the marina and Médano, but shops and taxis that take them tend to round the rate in their favor.

• Withdraw pesos from an ATM inside a bank branch. ATMs give pesos.
• Use a card for bigger purchases.
• Skip the exchange desks at hotels, which usually give the worst rates.
• If you do pay in dollars, ask what rate they're using and whether change comes back in pesos.

On our site, every charter is priced in both currencies at 19 pesos per dollar, so you can see exactly what you'll pay either way.

How do you eat and drink for less?

Prices drop as you walk away from the water. The waterfront tables on the marina and the beach clubs on Médano charge for the view and the service. A few blocks inland, the taco stands and family restaurants charge local prices.

Don't drink the tap water. Buy large jugs at a supermarket instead of small bottles, and refill your own.

On Médano, the sand is free and the loungers aren't. Bring a towel, an umbrella if you have one, and a small cooler, and you can spend the day there for the cost of your groceries.

What can you do in Cabo for free?

Quite a lot. Every beach in Mexico is public by law. Médano is the swimming beach in town. On the corridor, Santa María and Chileno are public coves with free parking and good snorkeling from shore, if you bring your own mask.

The marina boardwalk, the sunset, whales from the beach in winter, and the Thursday Art Walk in San José (November to June, 5 to 9 PM) cost nothing either. Our free things to do in Cabo guide has the full list.

A budget trip built around those needs only one paid activity to feel complete, and in Cabo the obvious one is the water.

Is a private boat realistic on a budget?

With a group, yes. With two people, not really. These are the lowest prices in our fleet.

Set your group size and hours to see what each yacht costs per person.

What it costs per person

Guests:

10

Hours2 h3 h4 h6 h

1. Loading

Per boat, 16% tax included, tip not included. Pick a yacht to see its page.

Charter prices are per boat, with 16% IVA tax included. The 15% crew tip is a suggestion, paid in cash on board, and isn't included in these prices.

Those per-person figures assume a full boat. The Pontoon 38 is the cheapest per head because it carries 18, and it has a water slide from the upper deck. The Chaparral 28 is the lowest total price.

Two hours is the minimum, and it's enough for the main route: Pelican Rock, the sea lions, the Arch, Lover's and Divorce Beach, then back along Médano Beach. That's 4.7 miles round trip, and it covers the sights you can't reach on foot.

For a couple, the Chaparral 28 is still USD 519, or about USD 260 each before the tip. That's a splurge. A shared tour will cost you less per seat, and we'd rather say so. A private boat starts to make sense on price from about six people, and from eight or ten it's hard to beat.

How to keep the boat day cheap

• Fill the boat. The price doesn't change with the head count, so every extra friend lowers the share. Guest limits are strict, though: 10 on the Chaparral 28, 8 on the Bayliner 33, 18 on the Pontoon 38.
• Bring your own drinks. We don't sell or serve alcohol, and guests 18 and over bring their own at store prices. Cans travel better than glass.
• Bring snacks, or order only what you need. Food is optional. On the menu in the planner, a box lunch is MXN 238 to 289 and a bottle of water is MXN 17. Those are cash prices, and paying by card adds 16%.
• Use what's included. The Chaparral 28 comes with snorkel gear, a lily pad floating mat, a cooler and a Bluetooth sound system. The Bayliner 33 includes ice, bottled water, a floating mat and snorkel gear.
• Book 2 hours for the Arch. Add a third hour only if you want a longer swim stop: the Chaparral 28 is USD 709 (MXN 13,599) for 3 hours.
• Budget the tip. On a USD 519 charter, 15% is about USD 78 for the whole crew. Our tipping guide explains how it works.

Towels are included only on the Sea Ray 36, Sea Ray 40 and Azimut 45, so on the other boats bring your own from the hotel.

What's not worth cutting?

A few things cost more to skip than to pay for.

• Bottled water and sunscreen. Buy both at a supermarket in town, where they cost less than at the beach.
• A safe ride home at night. Use an app ride or a taxi called by the venue.
• Written confirmation for anything you book. A price agreed on the dock with no paperwork is how budgets get blown. We confirm the yacht, hours and total in writing, and payment goes through a secure Stripe link after that.

Planning a budget trip with one boat day

Pick your dates around the low season if you can, stay downtown, and plan the beach days first. Then count your group and see which boat it fills. The fleet page lists all thirteen yachts with guest limits and prices, and our yacht rental cost guide has the full price table.

When you have a date and a head count, send them through the planner. We reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.

Yachts in this guide

Chaparral 28Sport boat · up to 10 guestsfrom $519 / 2 hBayliner 33Express cruiser · up to 8 guestsfrom $599 / 2 hSea Ray 36Express cruiser · up to 12 guestsfrom $659 / 2 hPontoon 38Double-deck party pontoon · up to 18 guestsfrom $869 / 2 h

Questions people ask

Can you do Cabo on a budget?

Yes. Stay in downtown Cabo San Lucas so you can walk to the beach and marina, pay in pesos, use the public bus and app rides, and build the days around free beaches. Then split one paid activity across the group.

What is the cheapest month to go to Cabo?

Late summer and early fall are the low season, and September is usually the cheapest month for hotels. Christmas to New Year and March are the most expensive weeks.

Is it cheaper to pay in pesos or dollars in Cabo?

Pesos. Dollars are accepted in the tourist areas, but shops and taxis round the exchange rate in their favor. Take pesos from an ATM inside a bank branch.

What is the cheapest private boat in Cabo?

The Chaparral 28 costs USD 519 (MXN 9,799) for 2 hours, per boat with tax included, for up to 10 guests. With ten people that's about USD 52 each. The 15% crew tip is a suggestion, paid in cash on board, and isn't included.

Can you bring your own drinks on a boat in Cabo?

On our charters, yes. We don't sell or serve alcohol, so guests 18 and over bring their own, and you can bring snacks too. The Azimut 70 and the McKinna 70 are the exceptions, each with complimentary drinks served by its crew.

Plan your day on the water

Pick a yacht, the hours and the food in the planner. A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.

Check availabilitySee the fleet