Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $965 a month against $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Zihuatanejo despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko 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 Bansko and in Zihuatanejo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $965 per month in Bansko vs $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Bansko $965
Zihuatanejo $1,131

A couple spends around $1,481 per month in Bansko vs $1,824 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Bansko $1,481
Zihuatanejo $1,824

A family of three spends $1,998 per month in Bansko vs $2,517 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Bansko $1,998
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Bansko is about 15% cheaper than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Zihuatanejo are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Zihuatanejo 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 BGN 15.29

$10.86 MX$203

-19.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.37 BGN 81.1

$44.16 MX$827

5.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.61

$8.74 MX$164

2.06%

Cappuccino

$2.27 BGN 3.97

$3.48 MX$65.2

-34.77%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.75

$1.36 MX$25.45

15.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.02 MX$19.08

-12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

$2.45 MX$45.89

-29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 BGN 3.41

$3.98 MX$74.4

-51.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.12

$1.66 MX$31.05

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.43

$2.55 MX$47.69

-68.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.65 MX$30.90

-8.48%

Eggs

$2.35 BGN 4.11

$2.44 MX$45.61

-3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 BGN 16.71

$8.11 MX$152

17.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 BGN 11.60

$8.52 MX$159

-22.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.37 BGN 14.65

$11.56 MX$216

-27.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$2.72 MX$51.0

-52.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$1.56 MX$29.27

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$1.94 MX$36.39

-13.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.35

$1.77 MX$33.10

8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.94 MX$36.24

-51.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 BGN 1.32

$1.88 MX$35.15

-60.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$1.43 MX$26.71

-58.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$1.09 MX$20.47

-46.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 BGN 5.70

$4.28 MX$80.1

-23.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.09

$10.27 MX$192

-49.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 BGN 1.99

$1.82 MX$34.04

-37.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$3.06 MX$57.3

-43.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.58

$0.68 MX$12.77

32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.72 BGN 46.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.27

$2.61 MX$48.93

-50.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$2.02 MX$37.88

-69.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 BGN 18.01

$11.18 MX$209

-7.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.73

$1.44 MX$26.93

8.33%

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

$29.1K BGN 51.0K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

36.91%

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

$21.3K BGN 37.3K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

-10.67%

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

$92.8 BGN 162

$57.3 MX$1,072

62.09%

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

$15.05 BGN 26.33

$23.00 MX$431

-34.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 BGN 21.33

$29.80 MX$558

-59.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 BGN 57.5

$34.76 MX$651

-5.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 BGN 14.69

$20.02 MX$375

-58.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BGN 9.72

$5.14 MX$96.2

8.17%

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

$230 BGN 402

$216 MX$4,041

6.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,295 BGN 4,017

$4,526 MX$84.7K

-49.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.31 BGN 53.0

$55.5 MX$1,038

-45.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.41 BGN 33.98

$40.25 MX$753

-51.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.34 BGN 79.3

$98.5 MX$1,844

-53.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.47 BGN 84.8

$90.0 MX$1,684

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 BGN 899

$596 MX$11.1K

-13.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 BGN 631

$384 MX$7,182

-6.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 BGN 1,102

$1,053 MX$19.7K

-40.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 BGN 999

$759 MX$14.2K

-24.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,202 BGN 2,103

$1,915 MX$35.8K

-37.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 BGN 1,700

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-15.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 BGN 2,914

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

11.3

-73.54%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$361 37.4%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 6.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$194 20.2%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 35.6% $69

Eating Out

Bansko

$146 15.2%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 26.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$120 12.5%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 8.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 98% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.6%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 2.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 55.4% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Bansko versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Bansko versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Bansko vs $264 in Zihuatanejo – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

8 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

67,408

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Zihuatanejo 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
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

Bansko vs Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Bansko, $1,131 in Zihuatanejo – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Bansko and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $514 there versus $596 in Zihuatanejo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Bansko and $1,131 in Zihuatanejo. That’s a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $216 in Zihuatanejo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.