Tipping In Cabo San Lucas – The Complete Guide

Edited by Brenna Harris on 23-Nov-2023

Lush, sun-baked beaches, superb food, and fun activities…Cabo San Lucas is a major destination in Mexico for many adventure-seeking tourists. But what really puts this destination over the top?

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The people of Cabo are known for their great service and a big reason for this is the local tipping culture. 

Tipping in Cabo San Lucas is expected when good service is provided to you. An average tip in Cabo is generally 10-20% of the total bill.

This number can move up or down, of course, based on the subpar vs. superb experiences, and the type of job you are compensating for. Ultimately, it’s up to you.

Wondering how to reward service workers during your next vacation? This guide will break down everything you need to know about tipping In Cabo San Lucas.

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Why is Tipping in Cabo San Lucas Important? 

Besides basic manners and adhering to local tipping culture, you might be wondering why tipping abroad is necessary. The average salary for many service workers in Cabo is around $235,000 MXN ($11,500) per year.

This means many workers depend upon tips from tourists to support their families.

Unless you fall victim to a terrible service experience, you should tip as often as possible in Cabo San Lucas.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the matter of tipping in Cabo San Lucas. Depending on the duty, different jobs within the service industry may expect to receive different percentages of tips.

Understanding these industry standards can help us with budgeting for vacation and making informed choices, but remember that it is up to you to determine what is the appropriate amount to tip based on your experience.

Tipping In Restaurants

Sit-down restaurants in Cabo expect you to leave a tip based on satisfaction and party size. 

Generally, the standard rule of tipping 10-15% applies to local restaurants. If you find yourself in a situation where you only have large bills, it’s perfectly okay to ask for change.

Tipping less than the standard may appear disrespectful or imply that the service was below par. 

Tipping Street Food Vendors

It is not expected that you tip street food vendors in Cabo San Lucas. These street food vendors are required to provide quick, convenient service that’s not overly fussy or personal.

That said, there’s nothing stopping you from handing over a little loose change if the food was incredible and you really enjoyed the service. 

If you do tip street food vendors, try not to offer less than $10 MXN. 

Tipping For Your Lodging In Cabo San Lucas

In Cabos San Lucas, there are a variety of amazing places you may choose to stay — a hostel, Airbnb, hotel, or even an all-inclusive resort. Each of these lodging options comes with different expectations when it comes to tips.

Here is a quick overview of the various tipping requirements for lodging in Cabo San Lucas:

Tipping In Hostels

Tipping is unnecessary when staying in hostels and it is not expected. That said, you may want to bring some spare presos to tip your host helps with your luggage or goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service if you decide a tip is necessary. A simple $10 MXN tip should suffice. 

Tipping At An Airbnb

Airbnb hosts do not expect tips. You’re already charged a cleaning fee, guest fee, and Airbnb fees plus taxes. Rather than leaving a tip, hosts benefit more from their guests leaving a 5-star review on their listing for others to see.

Tipping In Hotels

Tipping 10-15% of the total bill is expected at hotels in Cabo San Lucas, but these tips will be spread out amongst various employees performing a wide array of services during your stay.

Building this into your budget and being intentional about finding opportunities to tip is the best way to be a “good guest”. 

Here are a few “musts” to keep in mind: 

• It is absolutely essential you tip when you order food and drinks. If you are staying at a budget hotel tip around 20 pesos, if you are staying at a ritzy hotel tip closer to 50 pesos.
• After you check in and the bell boy brings in your luggage and sets it in your room, you are expected to give 20-50 Pesos. 
• Similarly, if valet parking, using a chauffeur, or being served by waiters, you need to tip the employees for their services. 

The housekeeping staff will need to be tipped as well. It is better to tip daily rather than wait till the end to tip.

Giving a minimum of 50 pesos will ensure that the hotel employees get paid for their services as they may be splitting up their tips.

Tipping At All-Inclusive Resorts

Now you may be thinking that since its all-inclusive tips are included in that as well. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Just like standard hotels, all-inclusive resort employees such as servers and bartenders expect a 15-20% tip of the total bill. 

The people who actually serve you in the hotel do not make any extra money unless you tip. The salaries are pretty low and tips are the way that allow the workers to have enough to get by.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet for who to tip (and how much to tip) at an all-inclusive resort: 

• Bartenders – 10 to 15 pesos per drink/round would be fine.
• Tour Guide – 10% to 20% of the cost that you agreed to for the whole package.
• Restaurant waiters and spa treatment staff – You can stick to the 10% to 15% rule. 
• Concierges– This one involves a lot of nuance. If they go out of their way to book dinner reservations, print out maps/directions for you, or provide local knowledge, you will want to be generous with your tip. Depending on the level of service, people tip anywhere between 50 and 100 pesos.

Tipping At Grocery Stores

The grocery store might be the last place you’d expect to tip, but when visiting supermarket chains such as Commercial Mexicana, Chedrali, or Soriana, there might be some situations where tipping is expected. 

For example, tipping the person who bags your groceries is standard practice. 5 to 10 pesos depending on the number of bags and service received. If your bags are less (1-2) then you can tip 5 pesos. If there are many, you can tip up to 10 pesos. 

If someone brings your bags to the vehicle or helps you carry them, this deserves a tip as well.

Tipping At The Gas station

Depending on where you’re from, you may or may not be accustomed to tipping the gas station clerks either. However, in Cabo San Lucas, tipping the gas station clerk 5 to 10 pesos is expected.

Clerks may fill your tank, check your air pressure, and clean your windshield. If you are offered these services and you agree, then you need to provide a larger tip. 10 to 15 pesos for additional services is ideal.

When and Where Not to Tip in Cabo San Lucas

It might seem like tipping is expected for pretty much every service in Cabo San Lucas, and for the most part, that’s true. With that being said, are there any times when you shouldn’t tip in Cabo San Lucas?

Here are some common situations where a tip may not be necessary:

• Taxi rides/bus drivers
• Barber shops
• Bad service
• Poor quality product

As a general rule: if you are happy with the service you receive, then you may leave a tip. Don’t give tips out of pity, especially if the service is poor.

Tipping Currency in Cabo San Lucas

Try to avoid leaving foreign currency as a tip, it is likely difficult or expensive to exchange locally, in most cases (the US dollar is an exception). Also, small change can be difficult to come by so keep a small cache of change with you to ensure you have tip money.

Digital Tipping in Cabo San Lucas

You might also be wondering, especially in this day and age, can I tip in Cabo San Lucas without carrying cash?

In this digital world, many businesses (i.e. restaurants, bars, and hotels) will have debit machines with tipping options enabled.

That said, you’ll need cash on hand to tip most other service workers. Unless the person processing your bill is the person you are trying to tip, use cash to ensure it ends up in the right pockets.

Happy tipping!

Tipping in Cabo San Lucas- FAQ