Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zacatecas and in Caguas

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 Caguas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $738 per month in Zacatecas vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Zacatecas $738
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Zacatecas vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,170
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Zacatecas vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,602
Caguas $3,539

Zacatecas is about 54% cheaper than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zacatecas sits 45% below the global median, while Caguas is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 MX$113

$14.74 $14.74

-58.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MX$586

$82.9 $82.9

-61.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 MX$139

$8.99 $8.99

-16.57%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.28 $2.28

29.82%

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

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.12 $1.12

8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.31

$1.24 $1.24

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$1.52 $1.52

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$75.4

$4.12 $4.12

-0.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.16 $2.16

-36.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.91

$2.80 $2.80

-21.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$2.31 $2.31

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.29 MX$42.31

$4.97 $4.97

-53.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 MX$135

$6.90 $6.90

6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 MX$113

$9.13 $9.13

-32.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 MX$171

$11.99 $11.99

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$5.15 $5.15

-66.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.63

$2.61 $2.61

-36.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.30

$2.39 $2.39

-15.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.05

$4.53 $4.53

-67.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.98

$2.57 $2.57

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.50

$2.71 $2.71

-35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$2.26 $2.26

-32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.60

$1.60 $1.60

-47.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.4

$10.64 $10.64

-59.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 MX$197

$14.03 $14.03

-23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.90

$1.45 $1.45

15.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.18 $2.18

55.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$1.98 $1.98

-73.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 MX$305

$70.3 $70.3

-76.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MX$40.77

$2.44 $2.44

-9.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$1.54 $1.54

-29.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 MX$227

$42.73 $42.73

-71.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.79

$0.89 $0.89

62.92%

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

$21.1K MX$390.6K

$30.5K $30.5K

-30.81%

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

$24.5K MX$452.6K

$25.8K $25.8K

-5.02%

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

$23.16 MX$428

$185 $185

-87.49%

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

$8.38 MX$155

$59.9 $59.9

-86.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 MX$465

$56.2 $56.2

-55.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.02 MX$462

$35.28 $35.28

-29.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.17 MX$151

$50.9 $50.9

-83.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$81.1

$9.83 $9.83

-55.34%

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

$256 MX$4,736

$300 $300

-14.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,234 MX$59.8K

$12.3K $12.3K

-73.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.26 MX$836

$26.14 $26.14

73.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$35.43 $35.43

13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,692

$81.1 $81.1

12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.08 MX$796

$115 $115

-62.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,467

$752 $752

-67.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$528 $528

-69.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,074

$1,080 $1,080

-64.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MX$4,606

$977 $977

-74.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$571 MX$10.5K

$849 $849

-32.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 MX$7,527

$3,041 $3,041

-86.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

4.85

122.68%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$228 30.9%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 47.4% $108

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 226% $366

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$132 17.9%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 49.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$99 13.4%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 17% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$57 7.7%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 431% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$34 4.6%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 62.5% $21

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.6%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 236% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Zacatecas versus $752 in Caguas. 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 647% higher in Caguas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Zacatecas versus $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $336 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

23:35 11:35 PM

2 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

70,318

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Zacatecas Caguas 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caguas costs about 120% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,107 per month in Zacatecas and $2,432 in Caguas. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Zacatecas and $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $738 in Zacatecas and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 120%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.