Cancún on a budget: how to get more for less

14.10.2023 - 01:13 / lonelyplanet.com / Anthony Bourdain

With its chic all-inclusives, flashy nightclubs and pricey waterfront restaurants, Cancún may feel at times like a playground for the rich, but it's surprisingly budget-friendly as well. 

Downtown, for instance, overflows with good-value accommodations and savory Yucatecan eats that go easy on your wallet. And then there's the hotel zone's star attraction, a swath of mesmerizing turquoise beaches that won't cost you a single peso.

Here are some insider tips on how to stretch your money in Cancún, and for good measure, we've included a breakdown of how much one can expect to spend on a modest budget.

Cancún's costly peak travel season runs from December to April, and it comes with an even steeper price tag around Christmas, New Year's and spring break, when airline, hotel and car rental rates skyrocket. During spring break, usually around March, hordes of college students descend on the megaresorts to let it all hang out at wild fiestas in the beach clubs, bars and thumping discos, giving the city an overcrowded and boozy anything-goes vibe. For quieter and more affordable times, come during the low-season months of May, June, September and October. 

To get some serious bang for your buck, not to mention authentic eats that would have made Anthony Bourdain smile, hit the downtown market stalls and moderately priced eateries specializing in homestyle Yucatacen fare. For regional classics such as panuchos (fried tortilla snacks), sopa de lima (Mexican lime soup) and cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pulled pork), you'll find dozens of informal restaurants lining the aisles of Mercado 23 and Mercado 28. Also, some downtown establishments feature a menú del día, a ridiculously cheap three-course lunch that may or may not induce a food coma. Come nighttime, wrap your fingers around the al pastor (spit-cooked marinated pork) tacos at Taquería Coapeñitos, or get some munchies on at hotel zone hole-in-the-wall Surfin' Burrito.

Upon arrival at the Cancún International Airport, look for the red ADO buses that run frequently from the terminals to the downtown bus station. They cost about a third of what the airport taxis charge, but they don’t go to the hotel zone, so you will have to take an airport shuttle if you're staying on that side of town. 

Many budget-conscious travelers like to stay in the hostels, guesthouses and hotels clustered around downtown's Parque de las Palapas, Avenida Yaxchilán and the ADO bus station, in the heart of the Centro. Tried-and-true faves include Nomads, a convivial hostel sporting a rooftop bar and pool, or Hotel Náder, which has great low-season rates for its impeccably spacious rooms. Lodging, food and transportation tend to cost less in the downtown area. Nevertheless, it's possible to