Everyone talks about slow travel like it’s either free or impossibly expensive. The truth is somewhere specific and I can tell you exactly where because I have the receipts. Here is what a month of living and surfing in Mexico actually costs me, and what a month in Ecuador with a surf and Spanish school program looked like by comparison.
These are real numbers. Not aspirational, not worst-case. Just what I actually spent.
Mexico: Living in Sayulita for a Month
Rent: $700 to $1,400
This is the biggest variable and the one with the widest range. Rent in Sayulita has gone up significantly since COVID, it is a popular destination and prices reflect that. (Above are three pictures from 3 different styles of apartments i have lived in, they all vary in location, size and amenities.)
On the local end you can find a simple place for $600 to $700 a month. You are probably getting a bed, a table, and not much else. Furniture is minimal in Mexican rentals by default. You might need to buy a spatula and some kitchen basics. No pool, possibly no AC, maybe not the most desirable location. But it is your own space and it is cheap.
Mid-range, which is where I land most years, is around $800 to $1,000. This gets you a real setup: furnished enough to actually live in, kitchen that works, reasonable location. I’ve found my best deals by going directly to the owner rather than through a platform. Look for “se renta” signs, get a WhatsApp number, message in person. The platform fees disappear and you can often negotiate.
The high end goes to $2,000 to $3,000 for beautiful well-decorated places with pools and beach proximity. Those exist and they are lovely. They are also what most short-term renters pay because they do not know the other options exist.
For this budget I will use $800.
Surfboard: $0 to $300
If you rent a board locally, expect to pay around $300 for a monthly rental or $10 to $15 per day. Daily adds up fast if you are surfing most days.
I fly my board down. Between the cost of flying it (around $150 round trip when I book first class on a low-demand travel day) and $240 to store it for the year at the local surf shop, I am well under what monthly rentals would cost me across a three-month stay. The math only works if you are coming back and storing it there, if it is a one-time trip, renting makes more sense.
For this budget: $150 if you fly yours, $300 if you rent.
Food: $200 to $300
This is where Mexico genuinely surprises people. Food is cheap if you shop and eat locally.
A half kilo of shrimp runs about $12. Three chicken breasts are around $10. A week of fruit and vegetables is $10 to $15. If you cook most of your meals and go out for tacos a couple of times a week you can eat well for $50 a week, call it $200 a month.
I do not drink, which helps. If you are buying beer regularly add $60 to $80 to this number depending on how often. A beer costs 60 to 70 pesos, around $3.50.
Treat yourself budget: a coffee is about 70 pesos ($3.50), a taco is about 30 pesos ($1.50), a pastry from a local bakery is negligible. I go to the Sunday market once a month and spend maybe $20 on nicer food, good chocolate, fruit. Factor in $50 to $100 for treats and eating out occasionally.
For this budget: $300, which is generous.
Activities and Extras: $100 to $200
My daily life here is free. Beach is free. Running is free. Surfing is covered by the board rental or my own board.
Extras I actually spend money on: massages run about $45 (700 to 800 pesos). A drop-in yoga class is about $15. The local gym charges $4 per session. I will do a few of each over the course of a month — call it $100 to $150.
When friends visit I spend more excursions, restaurants, experiences I would not do solo. But that is a choice, not a baseline cost.
For this budget: $150.
Monthly Mexico Total: Approximately $1,400 to $1,800
That is the real number. Comfortably under $2,000 a month for a life that includes daily surfing, good food, enough treats to not feel deprived, and a private place to live. For context, my rent alone in the US would be more than that.
Ecuador: A Month in Olon With Surf and Spanish School
The Program: $550 to $1,200
This is the big difference between my Mexico months and my Ecuador month. I went to Olon specifically to do a structured program at Outdoor Ecuador — surf lessons and Spanish school combined.
My original setup was two weeks of Spanish (three hours a day) and one week of surf lessons with board rental included. That package came to around $550. I ended up extending to four weeks of Spanish and two to three weeks of surf. Total program cost came to around $1,200.
That sounds like a lot until you do the per-hour math. I was getting three hours of one-on-one Spanish instruction daily and an hour of surf lessons with a local instructor taking me into the break. For language learning alone that is an extraordinary deal. A private tutor in the US for the same hours would cost multiples of that.
The program also organized weekend activities surf trips to different breaks for $20 per person, pottery classes for around $40, motorcycle rides in the mountains. These were optional but the $20 weekend surf trips were some of the best days of the whole stay.
Accommodation: $1,400
I went a bit higher in Ecuador than I typically do in Mexico because it was a new country and I was initially traveling with a friend. I found a condo on Airbnb, reached out to the owner directly, and negotiated from closer to $2,000 down to $1,400 for the month. Always ask. The worst answer is no.
Food: $300 to $500
Very similar to Mexico in terms of local market prices. Two chicken breasts for $5. Fresh seafood everywhere and cheap. I cooked most of my own meals and kept grocery costs around $300 for the month.
The extra $200 came from the week my friend was visiting we went out to eat more, split dinners that ran around $20 per person. When you are traveling with someone the food budget naturally goes up because eating out becomes more social and more frequent. Factor that in if you are doing this with a travel companion.
Extras: $200
Weekend surf trips, the pottery class, souvenir runs to Montanita. Small things that added texture to the month without breaking anything.
Monthly Ecuador Total: Approximately $3,200 to $3,400
More expensive than Mexico, but the program cost accounts for most of that difference. Strip out the Spanish and surf school and you are looking at a very similar cost of living. If you are going to Ecuador purely to slow travel without a structured program, the monthly cost would be comparable to Mexico.
The Honest Comparison
Mexico: $1,400 to $1,800 per month for a life of surfing, good food, and genuine rest.
Ecuador with program: $3,200 to $3,400 per month, but you are paying for intensive language learning and surf instruction that you would not be getting at home for anywhere near that price.
Both are cheaper than paying rent in most US cities while working a job you do not want. That is the whole point. The math on seasonal work, six months of bartending, five months of living cheaply in a place you love — makes sense when you actually run the numbers. Which is why I keep doing it.
