The four options, honestly ranked
Pre-booked private transfer is the default and the right answer for almost everyone. It is priced per vehicle, so a family of four pays what a couple pays, and your driver is outside with a sign rather than inside selling something.
Shared shuttles cost less per head but wait to fill and then work through a hotel list, which routinely adds 45 to 60 minutes. Rental cars make sense from about four days, particularly if you are staying in the Corridor. Authorised airport taxis exist and are frequently more expensive than a pre-booked private car, not less.
- Private transfer: $35–$120 depending on destination, per vehicle. Best default.
- Shared shuttle: $25–$40 per person. Cheapest for solo travellers, slowest for everyone.
- Rental car: from about $40 a day plus mandatory Mexican liability insurance. Worth it from four days.
- Airport taxi: available, authorised, and usually the most expensive of the four.
About the rental car insurance
Mexican law requires third-party liability insurance on every rental, and it cannot be waived by your credit card's coverage. Headline rental rates online almost never include it, which is why a $12-a-day car becomes $55 at the counter.
This is not a scam, it is the law, but it is the single most common surprise at the rental desk in Los Cabos. Price the car with mandatory liability included before you compare.
Ride-hailing
Ride-hailing apps operate in Los Cabos but their status at the airport itself has been contested for years and enforcement varies. Do not build your arrival plan around one. In town they work normally and are usually cheaper than a street taxi.