Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,196 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,196 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Zihuatanejo $1,196

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,861 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Zihuatanejo $1,861

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $2,526 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Zihuatanejo $2,526

New York, NY costs about 310% more than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Zihuatanejo is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$10.57 MX$198

154.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$43.12 MX$807

170.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$8.39 MX$157

74.02%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.40 MX$63.5

92.35%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.34 MX$25.07

188.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.00 MX$18.75

195.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.38 MX$44.51

239.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.92 MX$73.4

151.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.57 MX$29.39

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.63 MX$49.23

88.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.69 MX$31.68

355.62%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.50 MX$46.83

143.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$8.06 MX$151

142.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.24 MX$154

113.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$11.39 MX$213

77.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.67 MX$49.99

161.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.47 MX$27.59

50.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$1.87 MX$34.92

259.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.84 MX$34.42

286.96%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.06 MX$38.53

123.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.88 MX$35.22

154.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.38 MX$25.85

107.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.07 MX$19.95

151.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.25 MX$79.4

350.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$10.27 MX$192

91.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.71 MX$31.99

94.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.07 MX$57.4

36.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.66 MX$12.42

357.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$30.30 MX$567

359.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.51 MX$46.88

21.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.88 MX$35.25

17.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$10.56 MX$198

291.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.43 MX$26.66

-20.98%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$23.7K MX$443.3K

45.36%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.8K MX$445.9K

8.42%

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

$232 $232

$58.1 MX$1,087

299.91%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$22.78 MX$426

211.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$28.55 MX$534

136.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$32.62 MX$610

253.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$20.09 MX$376

282.33%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$5.10 MX$95.4

339.41%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$215 MX$4,022

1576.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$4,555 MX$85.2K

1408.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$53.3 MX$996

48.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$40.57 MX$759

26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$99.1 MX$1,854

22.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$87.4 MX$1,635

60.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$605 MX$11.3K

652.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$432 MX$8,084

603.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,014 MX$19.0K

860.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$739 MX$13.8K

620.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$1,928 MX$36.1K

845.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$1,131 MX$21.1K

491.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.31

-39.08%

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 Zihuatanejo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Zihuatanejo

$432 36.2% 85.8% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Zihuatanejo

$261 21.8% 54% $307

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Zihuatanejo

$180 15% 57.7% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Zihuatanejo

$109 9.2% 70.5% $262

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Zihuatanejo

$126 10.6% 28.5% $50

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Zihuatanejo

$45 3.8% 72.9% $121

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Zihuatanejo

$43 3.6% 73.3% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $605 in Zihuatanejo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $43 in Zihuatanejo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $261 – making Zihuatanejo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

67,408

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Zihuatanejo 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 310% more than Zihuatanejo, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,794 in Zihuatanejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $605 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $215 in Zihuatanejo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,196, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Zihuatanejo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 76% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.