10 Best Budget Airbnbs in Mexico

Hunting for the best Airbnbs in Mexico takes time. We’ve travelled from Cancun to Chetumal, San Cristobal to Oaxaca and spent three weeks in Mexico City. We’ve scoured Airbnb listings for the best budget accommodation across Mexico.

Now, we’re going to share our favourite Airbnbs from our trip around Mexico. All of the places on our list of the best Airbnbs in Mexico are private double rooms, well kept and well-located, owned by awesome hosts and budget-friendly.

Here’s our list of the ten best budget Airbnbs in Mexico.

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Best Airbnb in Mexico City

Mexico City has a lot of great Airbnb options, though they’re not always the best value for money. Before you search for the best Airbnbs in Mexico City, decide which area you want to stay in. Mexico City is big and it’s better to take the time to decide which sights and amenities you would prefer to be near. This Airbnb room in Mexico City was an absolute steal. You won’t find cheaper accommodation in La Condesa, Mexico City’s most gentrified neighbourhood.

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Private Room | La Condesa, Mexico City

Budget: £8 per night

Pros: Really spacious room with three beds. The room has a laptop-friendly work space, making it a perfect pick for digital nomads.

Cons: None!

Wifi: Excellent.

Veg-friendly neighbourhood: Vegetarians are in luck! Vegan sandwich shop Veguisima is just steps away. Organic shop and restaurant the Green Corner is just down the street. A well-stocked Superama supermarket is just a few blocks away too.

Host: Luis was super lovely and was always around because he works from home in his downstairs office.


Best Airbnb in Puebla

Puebla is the fourth largest city in Mexico. The city is really spread out and finding budget Airbnb accommodation near the historical centre was a challenge. At £17 per night, Hostel Gente de Mas was the best budget accommodation we could find in Puebla.

Private Room | Puebla Central

Budget: £17 per night

Pros: Vibrant, arty hostel that is centrally located. Hostel Gente de Mas is covered in amazing murals. When we stayed, new murals were being painted to celebrate their one year anniversary.

Cons: Hostel Gente de Mas is a hostel rather than an Airbnb place. If you’d prefer a more authentic Airbnb experience then this isn’t it.

Wifi: Surprisingly, this hostel had great wifi. It’s unusual for a hostel to have such a speedy connection.

Host: One benefit to staying in a hostel is that there’s always someone at the desk to help you out. The staff were enthusiastic, friendly and great help when we needed directions.


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Best Airbnb in Oaxaca

There’s limited choice when it comes to Airbnbs in Oaxaca. We stayed in Oaxaca for three weeks and spent a long time searching for the best budget-friendly Airbnbs in the city. In the end, we split our time between these two Airbnb rentals.

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#1 Private Room | Oaxaca City

Budget: £7 per night 

Pros: The cheapest Airbnb in Oaxaca City. The room is central, located just three blocks from Park Llano. It’s close to everything you’d want to be near in the city.

Cons: No kitchen to use. Room not cleaned frequently.

Wifi: Great connection, never failed.

Host: Communication is difficult with this host if you’re not fluent in Spanish.

Neighbourhood: We loved this Oaxacan neighbourhood. There was a really friendly vibe and lots of nice places to sit outside. Perhaps my favourite thing about this Airbnb was it’s proximity to the amazing Xiguela Cafe. Don’t miss their French toast!


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#2 Private Room | Oaxaca City

Budget: £8 per night

Pros: Friendly and welcoming hosts. Spacious rooms and free use of the kitchen, including oven, blender and coffee machine.

Cons: The only downside is that this Airbnb rental is a 20-minute walk out of town.

Wifi: Super fast wifi connection, never failed.

Host: Gerardo and Norma are two of the loveliest Airbnb hosts we’ve ever had. They went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. Norma kept the house incredibly clean, whilst Gerado was always on hand with tips and advice. Norma woke up to say goodbye the morning we left and gave oranges for our journey.


Best Airbnb in San Cristobal de las Casas

We knew as soon as we saw Maria’s listing on Airbnb that it was the place we wanted to stay. There were some great Airbnbs in San Crisotbal de las Casas, but Maria’s place was the best for budget and comfort. The house felt like a personal but laid back kind of guesthouse. We stayed with Maria for two weeks in the end!

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Private Room | San Cristobal de las Casas

Budget: £7 per night

Pros: One of the highlights of Maria’s Airbnb was that it was beautifully decorated. Though only a small place, it was vibrant but subtle. Local crafts can be seen around the house.

Cons: There are a couple of different rooms for rent in Maria’s house. This means there are usually other travellers around as well. This was generally a good thing, but there’s only one bathroom so that can be a minor inconvenience.

Wifi: Excellent. Good connection throughout the house, even in the rooftop room.

Host: Maria was a great host. She has lots of small business ventures and is often around the house photographing locally made clothing which she sells online. A super friendly cleaner also comes by everyday and we enjoyed eating croissants and lunch with her whilst we were working.


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Best Airbnb in Cancun

Deciding that we wanted to stay away from the tourist strip at Cancun beach, we booked an Airbnb in downtown Cancun. It was located in a quiet neighbourhood and perfect for a couple of restful nights after our flight in from the UK. Our host’s nephew also kindly picked us up from the airport!

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Private Room | Cancun

Budget: £13 per night

Pros: Quiet neighbourhood and close to amenities. Away from the tourist strip.

Cons: Gerardo and his family were often out and it was difficult to get info about where to take the bus from etc. There were also a lot of people in the house who we weren’t introduced to, so we weren’t sure who everyone was.

Wifi: Connection was good and we worked outside on the balcony.

Host: Gerardo and his family were easy-going. They were often out at work and rarely in the house except to sleep. We enjoyed chatting to them in the evenings though.


Best Airbnb in Playa del Carmen

There’s no getting past the fact that accommodation in Playa del Carmen is more expensive than the rest of Mexico. There were lots of high-end, luxury apartments on offer. But there were a few budget Airbnbs in Playa del Carmen! We only stayed one night in this Airbnb in Playa del Carmen, but easily could’ve stayed longer. 

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Entire Apartment | Playa del Carmen

Budget: £25 per night 

Pros: Private cabana all to yourself. The cabana was newly decorated and modern. It has all new appliances, including a blender and coffee machine. It’s also located further down the tourist strip away from the noise and at the nicer end of town in our opinion.

Cons: Kind of expensive still. It’s a few blocks back away from the beach.

Wifi: Wifi worked perfectly.

Host: Interesting hosts to talk to. They have lots of experiences of Mexico to share and live in the cabana next door so are often around.


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Best Airbnb in Tulum

When it comes to accommodation in Tulum, there are two options: the beach and the town. We stayed both on the beach and later moved to an Airbnb apartment in town. Restaurants and food are much cheaper in Tulum town than at the beach, so there’s a lot of benefit to staying in an Airbnb in town. 

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Entire Apartment | Tulum (town)

Budget: £25 per night 

Pros: The apartment in Tulum is an ideal Airbnb rental for a week at the beach. It’s located on the edge of town and is just a 20-minute cycle ride to the beach.

Cons: If you want to be directly on the beach-front, then this place isn’t for you.

Wifi: Wifi was good the most-part. The best connection we found in Tulum.

Host: The family who we rented from were lovely.


Best Airbnb in Valladolid

After a terrible time trying to find a hostel with a good wifi connection, we wound up at Greisy’s Airbnb in Valladolid. It’s a self-contained room and en-suite with a small kitchen area outside. We previously stayed at Hostal Gayser, but the wifi was terrible. We moved across to the beautiful Hostel La Candelaria and although the wifi was good enough for simple tasks, it wasn’t strong enough for us to work on. 

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Entire Apartment | Valladolid

Budget: £17 per night

Pros: Good location near to the town centre.

Cons: The room is a little dark.

Wifi: Decent wifi. It was the best wifi we found in Valladolid. Unfortunately, internet connection in this town is not that reliable.

Host: Greisy was great. She gave us some good recommendations for restaurants where locals eat and made us feel right at home in Valladolid.


Best Airbnb in Chetumal

We had been weighing up whether to stay at Bacalar or Chetumal. When we saw this hosts crazy number of 5-star reviews, we decided it would be the best accommodation in the area. Staying at Luis and his mum Maricarmen’s Airbnb in Chetumal has been our most memorable Airbnb experience yet. Maricarmen welcomed us in with open arms as if she was our own mother. This is one of the best Airbnbs in Mexico.

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Private Room | Chetumal

Budget: £16 per night

Pros: The most memorable host ever. Maricarmen goes out of her way to make sure you have a great time.

Cons: Chetumal is quite a drive from Bacalar, so if you are keen to stay at lake-side then this may not be the option for you.

Wifi: Excellent. The best wifi we had in the Yucatan.

Host: There is no better Airbnb host than Maricarmen. She made us pineapple tea when we arrived, and we shared meals with her everyday. Trust me when I say that if you love to socialise with your hosts, then this is one of the best Airbnbs in Mexico!


Is Airbnb Cheaper than Hostels in Mexico?

When you’re travelling on a budget, it’s important to check out all of your accommodation options. In every place we’ve visited in Mexico, Airbnb has always managed to beat hostels when it comes to finding budget private double rooms. It’s often also better value than two dorm beds in a hostel! However, if you’re a solo traveller then a dorm bed may be the way to go if budgeting is your priority.


Find the best Airbnbs in Mexico and get £25 off your first Airbnb rental