Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $730 in Zacatecas.

Mexico City $1,608
Zacatecas $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,155 in Zacatecas.

Mexico City $2,549
Zacatecas $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,580 in Zacatecas.

Mexico City $3,490
Zacatecas $1,580

Living in Mexico City is roughly 120% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zacatecas is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$6.06 MX$114

75.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$31.91 MX$598

51.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.17 MX$134

44.35%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.01 MX$56.5

22.59%

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

$1.67 MX$31.25

$1.25 MX$23.47

33.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$0.72 MX$13.45

76.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.84 MX$34.43

73.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$4.13 MX$77.4

28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$1.35 MX$25.32

27.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$2.15 MX$40.22

41.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.53 MX$28.60

26.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.21 MX$41.39

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.28 MX$137

50.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$5.96 MX$112

55.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.62 MX$180

57.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.78 MX$33.33

71.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.59 MX$29.82

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$1.93 MX$36.11

5.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$1.46 MX$27.33

58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$1.99 MX$37.23

2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$1.77 MX$33.20

1.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$1.58 MX$29.65

-6.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$0.80 MX$14.97

58.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.25 MX$79.7

24.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.27 MX$193

56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

$1.60 MX$29.96

23.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.35 MX$62.8

26.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.53 MX$9.89

-41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$16.07 MX$301

22.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$2.13 MX$39.98

-13.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.11 MX$20.79

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$9.49 MX$178

-44.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$1.46 MX$27.36

3.42%

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

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$20.9K MX$392.2K

4.01%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$23.8K MX$445.9K

0.87%

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

$63.0 MX$1,181

$22.72 MX$426

177.20%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$7.97 MX$149

243.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$24.73 MX$464

44.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$24.23 MX$454

143.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$7.96 MX$149

196.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.24 MX$79.6

50.94%

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

$432 MX$8,092

$235 MX$4,405

83.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$3,243 MX$60.8K

252.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$44.83 MX$841

52.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$40.16 MX$753

32.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$90.7 MX$1,700

18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$42.77 MX$802

174.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$241 MX$4,524

361.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$162 MX$3,042

337.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$381 MX$7,137

579.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$241 MX$4,515

483.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$563 MX$10.6K

278.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$408 MX$7,648

131.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.8

5.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: 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

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 77.2% $548

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 29.8% $95

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 33.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 36.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 56% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 54.4% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 1.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $241 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $32 in Zacatecas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $224 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

138,444

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mexico City Zacatecas 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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

Mexico City vs Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $730 in Zacatecas, so Zacatecas is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $241 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zacatecas runs roughly 19% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $235 in Zacatecas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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 55% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.