Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $974 in Balti, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balti outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zacatecas and in Balti

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

A single person spends $730 per month in Zacatecas vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Zacatecas $730
Balti $974

A couple spends around $1,155 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,155
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $1,580 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,580
Balti $1,854

Zacatecas is about 25% cheaper than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Zacatecas and Balti are more affordable than the global median – Zacatecas 46% lower, Balti 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 MX$113

$8.51 MDL 152

-28.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.91 MX$595

$22.53 MDL 403

41.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 MX$134

$10.35 MDL 185

-30.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 MX$56.2

$1.74 MDL 31.14

72.99%

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

$1.25 MX$23.33

$1.06 MDL 19.00

17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.37

$0.65 MDL 11.70

10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.12 MDL 20.09

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$77.0

$1.38 MDL 24.61

199.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.17

$1.20 MDL 21.54

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$39.99

$0.45 MDL 8.03

377.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.43

$1.54 MDL 27.47

-0.65%

Eggs

$2.21 MX$41.15

$2.15 MDL 38.48

2.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 MX$136

$6.78 MDL 121

7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 MX$111

$4.70 MDL 84.1

26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 MX$179

$6.18 MDL 111

55.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.14

$0.99 MDL 17.68

79.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.65

$2.29 MDL 41.03

-30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.90

$1.88 MDL 33.65

2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.17

$2.29 MDL 40.87

-36.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.01

$0.71 MDL 12.77

180.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.00

$0.52 MDL 9.21

240.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$0.43 MDL 7.71

267.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.89

$0.54 MDL 9.73

48.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.27 MDL 58.5

29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$191

$4.34 MDL 77.6

136.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.78

$1.35 MDL 24.21

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.5

$1.99 MDL 35.67

68.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.83

$0.34 MDL 6.15

55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.07 MX$299

$16.78 MDL 300

-4.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 MX$39.75

$2.76 MDL 49.41

-22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.67

$0.24 MDL 4.25

362.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 MX$177

$5.45 MDL 97.4

74.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.20

$1.62 MDL 29.00

-9.88%

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

$20.9K MX$389.9K

$33.4K MDL 597.1K

-37.37%

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

$23.8K MX$443.3K

$24.1K MDL 430.5K

-1.23%

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

$22.72 MX$424

$220 MDL 3,942

-89.70%

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

$7.97 MX$149

$7.74 MDL 138

2.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$461

$11.03 MDL 197

124.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.23 MX$452

$36.85 MDL 659

-34.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 MX$148

$15.34 MDL 274

-48.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$79.1

$7.61 MDL 136

-44.28%

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

$235 MX$4,379

$113 MDL 2,012

108.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,243 MX$60.5K

$5,113 MDL 91.4K

-36.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.83 MX$836

$44.39 MDL 794

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 MX$749

$33.84 MDL 605

18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MX$1,690

$55.6 MDL 994

63.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.77 MX$797

$50.9 MDL 910

-15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,498

$397 MDL 7,093

-39.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$3,024

$280 MDL 5,004

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$657 MDL 11.7K

-42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,489

$495 MDL 8,859

-51.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 MX$10.5K

$992 MDL 17.7K

-43.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 MX$7,603

$606 MDL 10.8K

-32.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

35.00%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$224 30.7%

Balti

$162 16.7% 27.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22.2%

Balti

$280 28.7% 72.5% $118

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$131 18%

Balti

$135 13.9% 2.9% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$98 13.5%

Balti

$83 8.5% 15.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$55 7.6%

Balti

$239 24.6% 332% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$33 4.5%

Balti

$52 5.4% 59.1% $19

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.5%

Balti

$22 2.3% 14.5% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Zacatecas versus $397 in Balti. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Balti. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Zacatecas versus $23 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $162 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

8 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

144,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zacatecas Balti 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
Balti

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

Zacatecas vs Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $730 in Zacatecas, $974 in Balti – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,096 per month in Zacatecas and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zacatecas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $241 there versus $397 in Balti.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Zacatecas and $113 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Balti – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $730 in Zacatecas and $974 in Balti, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zacatecas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.