Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zacatecas and in Guadalajara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,298 in Guadalajara.

Zacatecas $730
Guadalajara $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,155 in Zacatecas versus $2,082 in Guadalajara.

Zacatecas $1,155
Guadalajara $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,580 in Zacatecas versus $2,866 in Guadalajara.

Zacatecas $1,580
Guadalajara $2,866

Living in Zacatecas costs roughly 44% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zacatecas 46% lower, Guadalajara 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 MX$114

$13.70 MX$257

-55.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.91 MX$598

$42.79 MX$802

-25.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 MX$134

$9.10 MX$171

-21.21%

Cappuccino

$3.01 MX$56.5

$3.78 MX$70.9

-20.37%

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

$1.25 MX$23.47

$1.58 MX$29.57

-20.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.45

$1.08 MX$20.30

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MX$34.43

$2.72 MX$50.9

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$77.4

$4.86 MX$91.2

-15.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.32

$1.70 MX$31.83

-20.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$40.22

$2.55 MX$47.76

-15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.60

$1.63 MX$30.51

-6.13%

Eggs

$2.21 MX$41.39

$2.39 MX$44.89

-7.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 MX$137

$8.94 MX$168

-18.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 MX$112

$9.70 MX$182

-38.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 MX$180

$11.27 MX$211

-14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.33

$2.79 MX$52.3

-36.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.82

$1.60 MX$29.99

-0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.11

$1.94 MX$36.39

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.33

$1.82 MX$34.09

-19.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.23

$1.95 MX$36.62

2.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.20

$1.77 MX$33.23

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.65

$1.58 MX$29.57

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.97

$1.08 MX$20.18

-25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$4.84 MX$90.8

-12.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$193

$10.37 MX$194

-0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.96

$1.96 MX$36.67

-18.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.8

$3.37 MX$63.2

-0.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.89

$0.58 MX$10.87

-8.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.07 MX$301

$29.99 MX$562

-46.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 MX$39.98

$2.10 MX$39.42

1.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.79

$1.47 MX$27.54

-24.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 MX$178

$9.54 MX$179

-0.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.36

$1.46 MX$27.31

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

$20.9K MX$392.2K

$20.5K MX$384.5K

2.00%

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

$23.8K MX$445.9K

$22.9K MX$430.2K

3.63%

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

$22.72 MX$426

$48.21 MX$904

-52.87%

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

$7.97 MX$149

$22.37 MX$419

-64.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$464

$29.85 MX$560

-17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.23 MX$454

$28.25 MX$530

-14.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 MX$149

$11.00 MX$206

-27.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$79.6

$5.80 MX$109

-26.90%

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

$235 MX$4,405

$234 MX$4,381

0.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,243 MX$60.8K

$9,974 MX$187.0K

-67.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.83 MX$841

$55.6 MX$1,043

-19.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 MX$753

$39.32 MX$737

2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MX$1,700

$103 MX$1,929

-11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.77 MX$802

$78.9 MX$1,480

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,524

$921 MX$17.3K

-73.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$3,042

$501 MX$9,393

-67.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,137

$1,549 MX$29.0K

-75.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,515

$1,009 MX$18.9K

-76.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 MX$64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 MX$10.6K

$2,142 MX$40.2K

-73.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 MX$7,648

$760 MX$14.2K

-46.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

11.53

-6.33%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$224 30.7%

Guadalajara

$274 21.1% 22.1% $50

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22.2%

Guadalajara

$501 38.6% 209% $339

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$131 18%

Guadalajara

$216 16.7% 64.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$98 13.5%

Guadalajara

$125 9.6% 26.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$55 7.6%

Guadalajara

$100 7.7% 81.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$33 4.5%

Guadalajara

$40 3.1% 21.8% $7.1

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.5%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 61.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Zacatecas and $921 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Zacatecas vs $43 in Guadalajara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $274 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

1,385,629

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zacatecas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Zacatecas. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $241 in Zacatecas versus $921 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,298 in Guadalajara, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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.

Expats usually find Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.