Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Zihuatanejo Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Zihuatanejo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Guadalajara versus $1,229 in Zihuatanejo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,241 in Guadalajara versus $1,974 in Zihuatanejo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,107 in Guadalajara versus $2,719 in Zihuatanejo.

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 12% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guadalajara is 0% above, Zihuatanejo is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 MX$256

$13.13 MX$226

12.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.81 MX$842

$49.70 MX$857

-1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 MX$162

$9.21 MX$159

2.06%

Cappuccino

$4.06 MX$70.1

$3.96 MX$68.3

2.53%

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

$1.79 MX$30.94

$1.28 MX$22.14

39.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$22.54

$1.28 MX$21.99

2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$50.6

$3.07 MX$52.9

-4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$93.8

$4.39 MX$75.8

23.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$32.89

$1.76 MX$30.30

8.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 MX$48.54

$2.83 MX$48.74

-0.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$29.80

$1.77 MX$30.54

-2.26%

Eggs

$2.58 MX$44.56

$2.65 MX$45.63

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 MX$177

$8.19 MX$141

25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 MX$175

$7.95 MX$137

27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 MX$214

$11.61 MX$200

7.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MX$52.3

$3.02 MX$52.1

0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$29.94

$1.61 MX$27.77

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 MX$35.71

$2.06 MX$35.53

0.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.86

$1.75 MX$30.15

12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MX$37.04

$1.98 MX$34.21

8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$32.43

$1.76 MX$30.41

6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$26.30

$1.65 MX$28.49

-7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$19.42

$1.06 MX$18.27

6.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 MX$87.6

$4.82 MX$83.1

5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.56 MX$199

$10.27 MX$177

12.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$33.13

$1.95 MX$33.58

-1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 MX$62.7

$3.51 MX$60.6

3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$10.55

$0.67 MX$11.58

-8.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 MX$568

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 MX$39.40

$2.49 MX$42.96

-8.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 MX$25.35

$2.16 MX$37.17

-31.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.00 MX$224

$11.50 MX$198

13.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$28.13

$1.55 MX$26.78

5.16%

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

$22.2K MX$382.0K

$24.0K MX$413.8K

-7.68%

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

$25.4K MX$437.6K

$27.4K MX$472.5K

-7.40%

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

$54.0 MX$931

$62.8 MX$1,083

-14.06%

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

$24.30 MX$419

$23.13 MX$399

5.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.34 MX$575

$31.53 MX$544

5.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.73 MX$564

$36.71 MX$633

-10.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.01 MX$207

$18.54 MX$320

-35.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 MX$123

$5.99 MX$103

18.86%

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

$276 MX$4,761

$269 MX$4,630

2.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$199.2K

$4,625 MX$79.7K

149.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 MX$1,091

$65.3 MX$1,126

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 MX$785

$43.88 MX$757

3.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$1,935

$94.1 MX$1,622

19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MX$1,588

$89.2 MX$1,538

3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 MX$15.2K

$624 MX$10.8K

41.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 MX$9,073

$451 MX$7,771

16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 MX$30.4K

$1,155 MX$19.9K

52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 MX$17.9K

$765 MX$13.2K

35.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,351 MX$57.8K

$2,162 MX$37.3K

54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 MX$35.7K

$1,277 MX$22.0K

61.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$824 MX$14.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.3

3.36%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: September 12, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $884 in Guadalajara and $624 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Guadalajara vs $50.0 in Zihuatanejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $270, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Guadalajara. 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 $2,062 in Guadalajara and $1,843 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: $884 in Guadalajara versus $624 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $276 in Guadalajara versus $269 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 $50.0 versus $49.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,229 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,375 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zihuatanejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,229 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zihuatanejo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Guadalajara and Zihuatanejo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zihuatanejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.