Los Cabos vs Tulum: Los Cabos leads on schools

Los Cabos vs Tulum.

Los Cabos and Tulum tax a $1M income alike and cost them about the same, so schools decide it: Los Cabos scores 4 of 10 against 3 for Tulum. Both in 🇲🇽 Mexico, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

In short, current to October 2026

On $1,000,000 of income, Los Cabos takes an effective 34% and Tulum takes 34%, an identical effective rate on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
Both tax a capital gain on a resident disposal at 10%, so a liquidity event carries the same local charge either way.
Neither address is modeled on a special regime for arriving foreigners, so both run on ordinary resident rates.
Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in Los Cabos, nothing in Tulum.
Route in: Los Cabos by Residence by investment, Remote work visa. Tulum by Residence by investment, Remote work visa.
Cost of the life is 65 in Los Cabos against 60 in Tulum on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 5 against 5 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated 29 October 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Los Cabos (Mexico) vs Tulum: tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/los-cabos-vs-tulum/, October 2026.

Los Cabos, Mexico — **Los Cabos** 🇲🇽 Mexico

	Los Cabos	Tulum
Effective tax at $300K	31%	31%
Effective tax at $1M	34%	34%
Effective tax at $3M	35%	35%
Kept after tax at $1M	$661K	$661K
Capital gains	10%	10%
Inheritance tax, children	nothing	nothing
Cost index (Zurich 100)	65	60
A 200 m² prime home, US$	Not published	Not published
Prestige of address (editorial)	7/10	5/10
Safety	5/10	5/10
Schools	4/10	3/10
Sun hours	3,290	2,780
Supercar street index	#63	#96
Routes in	Residence by investment, Remote work visa	Residence by investment, Remote work visa
Flight from London	14h 40m, 1 stop	11h nonstop
Flight from New York	6h 15m nonstop	4h 20m nonstop

See these 2 places for your own income.Los Cabos and Tulum, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.

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Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MLos Cabos31%34%35%Tulum31%34%35%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Tax is level. Both keep $661K of $1M on this model, so the rows above decide it.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains land at 10% in both. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

Los Cabos (Mexico) leads on schools and sun, Tulum on a lower cost. Safety is level.

Los CabosThe full page

TulumThe full page Rank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Los Cabos or Tulum?

Neither. Both keep $661K of $1,000,000 on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Los Cabos takes an effective 34% of $1,000,000 and Tulum takes 34%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 35% and 35%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Los Cabos or Tulum?

Neither. Both tax a resident's capital gain at about 10%.

Which is better for inheritance, Los Cabos or Tulum?

Neither charges a spouse or children. Both levy no inheritance tax at all.

Mexico levies no federal inheritance tax, and inheritances are exempt from income tax.

Which is cheaper to live in, Los Cabos or Tulum?

Tulum, at 60 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 65 for Los Cabos, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 5 of 10 in Los Cabos and 5 of 10 in Tulum, schools 4 and 3. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Los Cabos, Tulum, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.

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The income tax of Los Cabos and Tulum, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=cab,tul&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in Los Cabos and Tulum, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/los-cabos-vs-tulum/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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