Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $727 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $50,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Zacatecas, Mexico
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Zacatecas
🇲🇽 Mexico
$727
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $727 in Zacatecas, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Zacatecas $727

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,155 in Zacatecas, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Zacatecas $1,155

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $1,584 in Zacatecas, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Zacatecas $1,584

New York, NY costs about 575% more than Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Zacatecas is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$6.27 MX$117
329.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$32.20 MX$602
262.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$7.40 MX$138
97.30%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$2.99 MX$56.0
118.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.19 MX$22.35
224.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$0.71 MX$13.22
315.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$1.91 MX$35.65
323.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$4.13 MX$77.3
138.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.35 MX$25.18
-2.96%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.17 MX$40.62
129.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$1.56 MX$29.10
393.59%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$2.25 MX$42.06
170.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$7.21 MX$135
171.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$5.79 MX$108
203.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$9.22 MX$172
119.74%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$1.72 MX$32.11
306.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.55 MX$28.93
42.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$1.95 MX$36.48
244.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$1.42 MX$26.55
401.41%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.96 MX$36.61
135.20%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$1.84 MX$34.45
159.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$1.51 MX$28.31
90.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$0.83 MX$15.46
224.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$4.26 MX$79.7
349.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$10.12 MX$189
93.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.63 MX$30.55
103.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$3.22 MX$60.2
30.12%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
$0.53 MX$9.92
469.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
$16.07 MX$301
767.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.16 MX$40.45
40.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.07 MX$19.99
105.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$8.26 MX$154
400.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.40 MX$26.22
-19.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$21.1K MX$394.8K
63.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$23.3K MX$436.2K
10.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$22.56 MX$422
929.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$8.01 MX$150
786.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$25.40 MX$475
166.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$24.53 MX$459
370.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
$8.30 MX$155
825.42%
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$4.24 MX$79.3
428.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$240 MX$4,484
1404.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$3,249 MX$60.8K
2014.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$44.17 MX$826
79.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$40.00 MX$748
28.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$89.1 MX$1,666
35.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$42.78 MX$800
228.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$245 MX$4,587
1757.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$159 MX$2,980
1808.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
$380 MX$7,110
2462.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
$247 MX$4,611
2062.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
$571 MX$10.7K
1070.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Zacatecas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
$398 MX$7,450
1179.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.89
10.8
-36.20%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Zacatecas
$159 94.8% $2.9K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Zacatecas
$222 60.9% $346
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Zacatecas
$134 68.6% $291
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Zacatecas
$56 84.9% $315
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Zacatecas
$97 44.9% $79
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Zacatecas
$26 84.5% $140
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Zacatecas
$33 79.4% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $245 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 in New York, NY are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $32 in Zacatecas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $222 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇲🇽 Zacatecas
🕒 Local time
17:05 5:05 PM
16:05 4:05 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
138,444
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Zacatecas 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • 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
New York, NY vs Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Zacatecas?
New York, NY costs about 575% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New York, NY and in Zacatecas?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,090 in Zacatecas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Zacatecas?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Zacatecas?
Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $240 in Zacatecas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in New York, NY or in Zacatecas?
Groceries cost about 156% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in New York, NY or in Zacatecas?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $727, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to New York, NY or to Zacatecas?
If budget matters most, go with Zacatecas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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