Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caguas and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caguas and in Zacatecas

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Caguas vs $738 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Caguas $1,621
Zacatecas $738

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Caguas vs $1,170 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Caguas $2,580
Zacatecas $1,170

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Caguas vs $1,602 in Zacatecas, rent included.

Caguas $3,539
Zacatecas $1,602

Caguas costs about 120% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caguas sits 20% above the global median, while Zacatecas is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$6.12 MX$113

140.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$31.70 MX$586

161.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$7.50 MX$139

19.87%

Cappuccino

$2.28 $2.28

$2.96 MX$54.7

-22.97%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.21 MX$22.31

-7.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.72 MX$13.31

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.86 MX$34.45

-18.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.08 MX$75.4

0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.37 MX$25.41

57.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.21 MX$40.91

26.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.54 MX$28.52

50.00%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.29 MX$42.31

117.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$7.32 MX$135

-5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 $9.13

$6.12 MX$113

49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$9.25 MX$171

29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.75 MX$32.31

194.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.66 MX$30.63

57.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.02 MX$37.30

18.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.46 MX$27.05

210.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.00 MX$36.98

28.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.76 MX$32.50

53.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.52 MX$28.04

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.84 MX$15.60

90.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$4.29 MX$79.4

148.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$10.67 MX$197

31.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.67 MX$30.90

-13.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$3.38 MX$62.5

-35.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.53 MX$9.88

273.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$16.52 MX$305

325.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.21 MX$40.77

10.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.08 MX$19.91

42.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$12.28 MX$227

247.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.45 MX$26.79

-38.62%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$21.1K MX$390.6K

44.52%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.5K MX$452.6K

5.28%

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

$185 $185

$23.16 MX$428

699.61%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$8.38 MX$155

614.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$25.17 MX$465

123.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 $35.28

$25.02 MX$462

41.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 $50.9

$8.17 MX$151

523.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$4.39 MX$81.1

123.92%

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

$300 $300

$256 MX$4,736

17.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,234 MX$59.8K

279.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 $26.14

$45.26 MX$836

-42.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 $35.43

$40.19 MX$743

-11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$91.6 MX$1,692

-11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$43.08 MX$796

166.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 $752

$242 MX$4,467

210.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 $528

$162 MX$2,994

225.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$383 MX$7,074

182.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$249 MX$4,606

291.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$571 MX$10.5K

48.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$407 MX$7,527

646.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

10.8

-55.09%

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

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caguas

$528 32.6%

Zacatecas

$162 22% 69.3% $366

Groceries & Markets

Caguas

$336 20.7%

Zacatecas

$228 30.9% 32.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caguas

$301 18.6%

Zacatecas

$57 7.7% 81.2% $245

Eating Out

Caguas

$198 12.2%

Zacatecas

$132 17.9% 33.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Caguas

$116 7.2%

Zacatecas

$99 13.4% 14.6% $17

Getting Around

Caguas

$88 5.5%

Zacatecas

$26 3.6% 70.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Caguas

$55 3.4%

Zacatecas

$34 4.6% 38.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $752 in Caguas versus $242 in Zacatecas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 647% higher in Caguas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas versus $32.00 in Zacatecas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $228 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Caguas

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

2 h behind Caguas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,318

138,444

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Caguas Zacatecas 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Caguas
Zacatecas

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

Caguas vs Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caguas costs about 120% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Caguas and $1,107 in Zacatecas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Caguas and $32.00 in Zacatecas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,621 in Caguas and $738 in Zacatecas. That's a gap of about 120%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zacatecas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Zacatecas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.