Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,298 in Guadalajara versus $730 in Zacatecas.

Guadalajara $1,298
Zacatecas $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Guadalajara versus $1,155 in Zacatecas.

Guadalajara $2,082
Zacatecas $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,866 in Guadalajara versus $1,580 in Zacatecas.

Guadalajara $2,866
Zacatecas $1,580

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 78% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 5% lower, Zacatecas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 MX$257

$6.06 MX$114

126.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.79 MX$802

$31.91 MX$598

34.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 MX$171

$7.17 MX$134

26.92%

Cappuccino

$3.78 MX$70.9

$3.01 MX$56.5

25.58%

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

$1.58 MX$29.57

$1.25 MX$23.47

26.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.30

$0.72 MX$13.45

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$50.9

$1.84 MX$34.43

47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MX$91.2

$4.13 MX$77.4

17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.83

$1.35 MX$25.32

25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.76

$2.15 MX$40.22

18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.51

$1.53 MX$28.60

6.54%

Eggs

$2.39 MX$44.89

$2.21 MX$41.39

8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 MX$168

$7.28 MX$137

22.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 MX$182

$5.96 MX$112

62.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 MX$211

$9.62 MX$180

17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MX$52.3

$1.78 MX$33.33

56.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.99

$1.59 MX$29.82

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.93 MX$36.11

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.09

$1.46 MX$27.33

24.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.62

$1.99 MX$37.23

-2.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.23

$1.77 MX$33.20

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.57

$1.58 MX$29.65

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.18

$0.80 MX$14.97

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$90.8

$4.25 MX$79.7

13.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$194

$10.27 MX$193

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$1.60 MX$29.96

22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 MX$63.2

$3.35 MX$62.8

0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.87

$0.53 MX$9.89

9.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.99 MX$562

$16.07 MX$301

86.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$39.42

$2.13 MX$39.98

-1.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.11 MX$20.79

32.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 MX$179

$9.49 MX$178

0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.31

$1.46 MX$27.36

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

$20.5K MX$384.5K

$20.9K MX$392.2K

-1.96%

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

$22.9K MX$430.2K

$23.8K MX$445.9K

-3.51%

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

$48.21 MX$904

$22.72 MX$426

112.19%

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

$22.37 MX$419

$7.97 MX$149

180.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.85 MX$560

$24.73 MX$464

20.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.25 MX$530

$24.23 MX$454

16.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$206

$7.96 MX$149

38.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 MX$109

$4.24 MX$79.6

36.79%

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

$234 MX$4,381

$235 MX$4,405

-0.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,974 MX$187.0K

$3,243 MX$60.8K

207.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,043

$44.83 MX$841

24.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 MX$737

$40.16 MX$753

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,929

$90.7 MX$1,700

13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 MX$1,480

$42.77 MX$802

84.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 MX$17.3K

$241 MX$4,524

281.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 MX$9,393

$162 MX$3,042

208.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 MX$29.0K

$381 MX$7,137

306.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 MX$18.9K

$241 MX$4,515

319.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 MX$64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 MX$40.2K

$563 MX$10.6K

280.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$760 MX$14.2K

$408 MX$7,648

86.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

10.8

6.76%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$501 38.6%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 67.6% $339

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$274 21.1%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 18.1% $50

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.7%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 39.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$125 9.6%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 21.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$100 7.7%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 44.8% $45

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 38.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$40 3.1%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 17.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $921 in Guadalajara and $241 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Guadalajara vs $32 in Zacatecas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $224 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

138,444

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Guadalajara vs Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zacatecas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Guadalajara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $921 in Guadalajara versus $241 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Guadalajara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,298 in Guadalajara, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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.

Expats usually find Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.