Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,782 in Seattle, WA versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

Seattle, WA $3,782
Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,636 in Seattle, WA versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

Seattle, WA $5,636
Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,489 in Seattle, WA versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

Seattle, WA $7,489
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 235% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seattle, WA is 179% above, Zihuatanejo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.52 $24.52

$10.86 MX$203

125.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$44.16 MX$827

122.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.79 $14.79

$8.74 MX$164

69.22%

Cappuccino

$6.52 $6.52

$3.48 MX$65.2

87.36%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.36 MX$25.45

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.02 MX$19.08

210.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.45 MX$45.89

220.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.98 MX$74.4

101.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.66 MX$31.05

-27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.55 MX$47.69

101.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.65 MX$30.90

266.67%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.44 MX$45.61

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$8.11 MX$152

136.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$8.52 MX$159

121.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.31 $23.31

$11.56 MX$216

101.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.72 MX$51.0

120.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.56 MX$29.27

23.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.94 MX$36.39

170.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.77 MX$33.10

271.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.94 MX$36.24

86.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.88 MX$35.15

76.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.43 MX$26.71

94.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.09 MX$20.47

130.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.28 MX$80.1

184.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$10.27 MX$192

44.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.82 MX$34.04

131.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.06 MX$57.3

88.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.68 MX$12.77

333.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.61 MX$48.93

1.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.02 MX$37.88

-14.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$11.18 MX$209

165.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.44 MX$26.93

3.47%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

68.63%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

9.90%

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

$302 $302

$57.3 MX$1,072

427.14%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$23.00 MX$431

204.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.3 $85.3

$29.80 MX$558

186.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$34.76 MX$651

123.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.58 $34.58

$20.02 MX$375

72.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$5.14 MX$96.2

247.08%

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

$2,973 $2,973

$216 MX$4,041

1276.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

591.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 $76.6

$55.5 MX$1,038

38.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 $54.1

$40.25 MX$753

34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$98.5 MX$1,844

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 $164

$90.0 MX$1,684

82.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 $2,445

$596 MX$11.1K

310.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$384 MX$7,182

407.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,053 MX$19.7K

350.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,469 $3,469

$759 MX$14.2K

357.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,367 $7,367

$1,915 MX$35.8K

284.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 $5,127

$1,149 MX$21.5K

346.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.3

-39.03%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 80.3% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 51.7% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 75.9% $347

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 53.8% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$190 5%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 32.8% $62

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 88% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 60.3% $68

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 $2,445 in Seattle, WA and $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98 in Seattle, WA vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $264 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

67,408

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Zihuatanejo 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Seattle, WA
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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

Seattle, WA vs Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,673 in Seattle, WA and $1,696 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: $2,445 in Seattle, WA versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,973 in Seattle, WA versus $216 in Zihuatanejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $98 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo 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.