Best Place to Exchange Money in Puerto Vallarta

01Exchange

Where to change money in Puerto Vallarta

Casas de cambio (exchange houses) trade across the old town and the seafront, and Jalisco's press tracks their dollar boards most mornings. Those figures are for US dollars, so if you carry pounds, ask each counter for its sterling rate and the final peso total first.

• Centro and El PitillalOn 8 June 2026 Azteca Jalisco found counters in the Centro and in El Pitillal, a busy inland district, paying 16.50 to 16.85 pesos per US dollar and selling at 17.65 to 17.95, when the interbank average opened at 17.46. On 29 May the same outlet relayed advice to use exchange offices on shopping streets used mainly by locals, away from the tourist strips.
• Malecón and Zona RománticaThe 29 May report called the seafront promenade, the Zona Romántica and the hotel areas the dearer part of town. Yet on 8 June it put them at about 16.60 to buy and 17.55 to sell, no worse than the Centro. Rates move daily, so check two or three boards.

02On arrival

Changing money at the airport

Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International (PVR) is run by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP). Its banking page lists 24-hour cash machines from Scotiabank, BBVA (under its old Bancomer name), Banorte, HSBC and Santander in the arrivals walkway. It names one exchange operator, Globo Cambio, with counters in international baggage reclaim and the international departure lounge, open 08:00 to 20:00. Azteca Jalisco's June 2026 report said specialists advise against changing money at the airport because rates there tend to be weaker.

03Cash machines and cards

ATMs and cards in Puerto Vallarta

In town, look for a machine inside a bank branch. Condusef, Mexico's financial consumer agency, says in its guide to cash machines that fees vary with where a machine stands, and that one in a supermarket costs more than one in a branch. Under a Banco de México rule, the screen must show the fee before you confirm, so you can cancel at no cost if it looks steep. Your card issuer at home may charge on top. Asked to choose between pounds and pesos on screen, pick pesos so your card issuer does the conversion.

04Getting around

Paying for transport in Puerto Vallarta

GAP lists three transfer firms with desks in arrivals, Aeromovil, TPV and TRIP, each staffed from 08:00 to 22:00. Aeromovil's website prices transfers in pesos, from MXN 343 for a sedan seating two and MXN 649 for a van (checked 2 October 2026).

Around town, Jalisco has put 19 electric buses on the Medina Ascencio corridor, the main road joining the hotel zone, the airport and the centre. Since 3 August 2026 they have charged 11 pesos a ride, paid with a Mi Movilidad or Única card, Crónica reported. We could not confirm whether they take cash or where a visitor can get a card, so ask at your hotel.

05Local know-how

Good to know

• Watch the spread, not just the headline rate. On 8 June 2026 the lowest Centro buying price, 16.50 pesos per dollar, sat about 5.5 per cent below that morning's interbank average.
• Flying home? Globo Cambio's second counter is airside in the international departure lounge, so leftover pesos can be sold back, at an airport rate.