Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,196 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,298 in Guadalajara versus $1,196 in Zihuatanejo.

Guadalajara $1,298
Zihuatanejo $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,069 in Guadalajara versus $1,861 in Zihuatanejo.

Guadalajara $2,069
Zihuatanejo $1,861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,840 in Guadalajara versus $2,526 in Zihuatanejo.

Guadalajara $2,840
Zihuatanejo $2,526

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 9% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 4% lower, Zihuatanejo 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.54 MX$252

$10.57 MX$197

28.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.13 MX$803

$43.12 MX$803

0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 MX$170

$8.39 MX$156

8.82%

Cappuccino

$3.60 MX$66.9

$3.40 MX$63.2

5.88%

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

$1.65 MX$30.76

$1.34 MX$24.94

23.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.12

$1.00 MX$18.66

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MX$50.4

$2.38 MX$44.29

13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 MX$88.3

$3.92 MX$73.0

20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MX$32.37

$1.57 MX$29.24

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$48.03

$2.63 MX$48.98

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.28

$1.69 MX$31.52

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$46.07

$2.50 MX$46.60

-0.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$160

$8.06 MX$150

6.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 MX$181

$8.24 MX$153

17.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 MX$212

$11.39 MX$212

0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.67 MX$49.74

3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.98

$1.47 MX$27.45

6.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.84

$1.87 MX$34.74

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.81

$1.84 MX$34.25

-1.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.92

$2.06 MX$38.33

-0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.98

$1.88 MX$35.04

-5.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.41

$1.38 MX$25.72

10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.99

$1.07 MX$19.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 MX$90.5

$4.25 MX$79.0

14.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MX$193

$10.27 MX$191

1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.62

$1.71 MX$31.83

11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$3.07 MX$57.1

8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.52

$0.66 MX$12.35

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.09 MX$560

$30.30 MX$564

-0.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MX$40.85

$2.51 MX$46.64

-12.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 MX$27.17

$1.88 MX$35.07

-22.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 MX$154

$10.56 MX$197

-21.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.42

$1.43 MX$26.53

6.99%

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

$20.6K MX$383.7K

$23.7K MX$441.1K

-13.01%

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

$23.0K MX$428.5K

$23.8K MX$443.7K

-3.41%

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

$49.02 MX$912

$58.1 MX$1,081

-15.63%

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

$23.01 MX$428

$22.78 MX$424

1.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.26 MX$545

$28.55 MX$531

2.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.67 MX$534

$32.62 MX$607

-12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.62 MX$198

$20.09 MX$374

-47.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 MX$111

$5.10 MX$94.9

16.86%

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

$239 MX$4,454

$215 MX$4,001

11.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MX$194.8K

$4,555 MX$84.8K

129.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 MX$1,036

$53.3 MX$991

4.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 MX$739

$40.57 MX$755

-2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,875

$99.1 MX$1,845

1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,462

$87.4 MX$1,627

-10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 MX$16.8K

$605 MX$11.3K

49.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 MX$9,392

$432 MX$8,043

16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 MX$27.4K

$1,014 MX$18.9K

45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 MX$18.4K

$739 MX$13.8K

33.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,506 MX$65.2K

$1,928 MX$35.9K

81.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,166 MX$40.3K

$1,131 MX$21.0K

91.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$847 MX$15.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.31

1.95%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$505 38.9%

Zihuatanejo

$432 36.2% 14.4% $72

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$273 21.1%

Zihuatanejo

$261 21.8% 4.6% $13

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$213 16.4%

Zihuatanejo

$180 15% 15.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$124 9.5%

Zihuatanejo

$126 10.6% 2.1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$101 7.8%

Zihuatanejo

$109 9.2% 8% $8.1

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Zihuatanejo

$45 3.8% 6.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$41 3.1%

Zihuatanejo

$43 3.6% 5.5% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $904 in Guadalajara and $605 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Guadalajara vs $43 in Zihuatanejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $261, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

Same time as Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

67,408

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guadalajara vs Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 8% 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 $1,948 in Guadalajara and $1,794 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: $904 in Guadalajara versus $605 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,298 per month in Guadalajara versus $1,196 in Zihuatanejo – Zihuatanejo is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Guadalajara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zihuatanejo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.