Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oaxaca de Juarez and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $871 a month against $1,132 in Oaxaca de Juarez, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Oaxaca de Juarez
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Oaxaca de Juarez Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
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Zalau Living Index

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Oaxaca de Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,132

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oaxaca de Juarez and in Zalau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oaxaca de Juarez and in Zalau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,132 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $871 in Zalau.

Oaxaca de Juarez $1,132
Zalau $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,330 in Zalau.

Oaxaca de Juarez $1,741
Zalau $1,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,351 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $1,789 in Zalau.

Oaxaca de Juarez $2,351
Zalau $1,789

Living in Oaxaca de Juarez is roughly 30% more expensive than in Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Oaxaca de Juarez 16% lower, Zalau 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 MX$122

$7.46 RON 35.64

-12.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.71 MX$609

$33.98 RON 162

-3.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MX$151

$5.33 RON 25.45

52.16%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MX$51.3

$2.12 RON 10.14

29.72%

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

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.52 RON 7.25

-0.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.54

$1.22 RON 5.85

-31.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.07

$1.65 RON 7.90

50.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 MX$68.1

$2.36 RON 11.27

55.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$24.17

$1.33 RON 6.36

-2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 MX$57.0

$1.10 RON 5.27

178.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.72

$1.23 RON 5.86

-13.82%

Eggs

$1.65 MX$30.64

$1.97 RON 9.43

-16.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 MX$121

$8.05 RON 38.45

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 MX$104

$5.58 RON 26.65

0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 MX$199

$10.27 RON 49.06

3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 MX$39.14

$0.87 RON 4.15

141.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 MX$21.35

$1.26 RON 6.04

-8.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.34

$1.44 RON 6.90

28.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 MX$10.24

$1.81 RON 8.66

-69.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.01

$0.66 RON 3.14

201.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.01

$0.54 RON 2.60

268.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$19.70

$0.61 RON 2.93

73.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 MX$17.27

$0.71 RON 3.38

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.8

$5.07 RON 24.21

-15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 MX$180

$5.27 RON 25.20

83.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 MX$26.43

$1.03 RON 4.90

37.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 MX$48.15

$1.14 RON 5.43

127.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.57

$0.87 RON 4.14

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 RON 105

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 MX$69.8

$1.23 RON 5.87

204.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 MX$34.62

$1.22 RON 5.84

52.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 MX$202

$12.42 RON 59.3

-12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.83

$1.52 RON 7.28

-8.55%

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

$24.4K MX$454.5K

$28.5K RON 136.1K

-14.27%

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

$23.0K MX$427.8K

$25.4K RON 121.5K

-9.60%

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

$59.9 MX$1,114

$102 RON 487

-41.30%

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

$10.71 MX$199

$4.14 RON 19.76

158.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 MX$444

$6.31 RON 30.13

277.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.19 MX$804

$32.74 RON 156

31.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 RON 96.1

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 MX$100

$5.35 RON 25.55

0.75%

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

$412 MX$7,664

$433 RON 2,067

-4.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K MX$367.5K

$8,275 RON 39.5K

138.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 MX$962

$51.6 RON 246

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 MX$1,109

$29.85 RON 143

99.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,871

$57.6 RON 275

74.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 MX$1,785

$63.2 RON 302

51.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 MX$12.9K

$381 RON 1,818

82.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 MX$8,790

$287 RON 1,372

64.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$614 RON 2,932

92.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$863 MX$16.1K

$457 RON 2,184

88.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,125

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,369 RON 6,542

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$615 RON 2,937

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

6.85

60.00%

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

Last update for Oaxaca de Juarez: October 31, 2026

Last update for Zalau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oaxaca de Juarez

$472 41.7%

Zalau

$287 33% 39.2% $185

Groceries & Markets

Oaxaca de Juarez

$218 19.3%

Zalau

$179 20.5% 18.2% $40

Eating Out

Oaxaca de Juarez

$139 12.3%

Zalau

$125 14.4% 9.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Oaxaca de Juarez

$138 12.2%

Zalau

$91 10.5% 34.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oaxaca de Juarez

$94 8.4%

Zalau

$112 12.9% 19.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Oaxaca de Juarez

$54 4.8%

Zalau

$43 5% 19.5% $11

Getting Around

Oaxaca de Juarez

$15 * 1.3%

Zalau

$33 3.8% 117% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $381 in Zalau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33 in Oaxaca de Juarez vs $34 in Zalau. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $179, with Zalau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Oaxaca de Juarez

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

18:42 6:42 PM

8 h ahead of Oaxaca de Juarez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,913

56,202

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Oaxaca de Juarez Zalau 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Oaxaca de Juarez
Zalau

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

Oaxaca de Juarez vs Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zalau wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Oaxaca de Juarez. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zalau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,697 in Oaxaca de Juarez and $1,306 in Zalau 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: $695 in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $381 in Zalau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Oaxaca de Juarez. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,132 per month in Oaxaca de Juarez versus $871 in Zalau – Zalau is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $871 in Zalau versus $1,132 in Oaxaca de Juarez, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalau but tight or insufficient in Oaxaca de Juarez. The gap between the two cities makes Zalau 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.

Safety-wise, Oaxaca de Juarez and Zalau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.