Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Zihuatanejo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Zihuatanejo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

Austin, TX $2,698
Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

Austin, TX $4,160
Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

Austin, TX $5,622
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 139% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Zihuatanejo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$10.86 MX$203

89.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$44.16 MX$827

91.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.74 MX$164

38.10%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.48 MX$65.2

57.47%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.36 MX$25.45

179.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.02 MX$19.08

142.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.45 MX$45.89

228.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.98 MX$74.4

123.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.66 MX$31.05

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.55 MX$47.69

45.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.65 MX$30.90

104.24%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.44 MX$45.61

77.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.11 MX$152

61.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$8.52 MX$159

66.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.56 MX$216

41.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.72 MX$51.0

67.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.56 MX$29.27

-6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.94 MX$36.39

142.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.77 MX$33.10

134.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.94 MX$36.24

32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.88 MX$35.15

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.43 MX$26.71

23.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.09 MX$20.47

96.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.28 MX$80.1

135.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.27 MX$192

47.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.82 MX$34.04

54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.06 MX$57.3

12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.68 MX$12.77

126.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.61 MX$48.93

7.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.02 MX$37.88

-20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$11.18 MX$209

207.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 MX$26.93

-34.72%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

59.63%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

12.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 $223

$57.3 MX$1,072

288.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$23.00 MX$431

156.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$29.80 MX$558

136.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$34.76 MX$651

66.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$20.02 MX$375

-17.43%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.14 MX$96.2

177.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,511 $1,511

$216 MX$4,041

599.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

361.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$55.5 MX$1,038

-7.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$40.25 MX$753

9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$98.5 MX$1,844

-11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$90.0 MX$1,684

15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$596 MX$11.1K

225.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$384 MX$7,182

243.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,053 MX$19.7K

248.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$759 MX$14.2K

238.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,915 MX$35.8K

283.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,149 MX$21.5K

172.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 70.9% $933

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 35% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 68.7% $242

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 47.3% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 47.8% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 73.3% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $264 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

67,408

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zihuatanejo 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zihuatanejo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zihuatanejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $216 in Zihuatanejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.