Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zapopan and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Zapopan and in Mexico City: $1,509 and $1,548 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,509

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zapopan and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,509 in Zapopan versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Zapopan $1,509
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,182 in Zapopan versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Zapopan $2,182
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,856 in Zapopan versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Zapopan $2,856
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Zapopan costs roughly 3% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zapopan 11% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.79 MX$199

$11.02 MX$204

-2.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 MX$598

$48.68 MX$900

-33.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 MX$204

$10.90 MX$201

1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.2

$3.68 MX$68.1

-1.36%

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

$1.16 MX$21.42

$1.63 MX$30.18

-28.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.67

$1.25 MX$23.07

-10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$40.62

$3.25 MX$60.1

-32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MX$81.1

$5.53 MX$102

-20.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.70 MX$31.50

-12.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.56

$3.02 MX$55.8

-12.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$1.92 MX$35.53

-39.58%

Eggs

$2.83 MX$52.3

$2.73 MX$50.5

3.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$153

$11.77 MX$218

-29.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 MX$183

$9.53 MX$176

3.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 MX$180

$14.41 MX$266

-32.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MX$53.7

$3.02 MX$55.8

-3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.89 MX$35.01

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.64

$1.99 MX$36.70

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.85

$2.19 MX$40.38

-1.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$41.36

$1.92 MX$35.43

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 MX$45.84

$1.87 MX$34.49

32.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 MX$34.38

$1.44 MX$26.62

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.57

$1.27 MX$23.39

-7.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.22 MX$96.4

6.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 MX$121

$16.17 MX$299

-59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.90 MX$35.03

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 MX$52.7

$4.22 MX$78.0

-32.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$10.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 MX$608

$19.65 MX$363

67.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 MX$45.58

$2.00 MX$36.90

23.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$44.30

$0.52 MX$9.67

361.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.32 MX$172

$5.34 MX$98.7

74.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.55

$1.52 MX$28.13

-1.97%

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

$24.4K MX$450.2K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

10.37%

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

$24.0K MX$443.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-2.12%

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

$123 MX$2,275

$61.1 MX$1,129

101.59%

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

$24.57 MX$454

$28.58 MX$528

-14.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.39 MX$543

$34.47 MX$637

-14.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.59 MX$805

$56.4 MX$1,042

-22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 MX$250

$24.88 MX$460

-45.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 MX$103

$6.66 MX$123

-16.52%

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

$166 MX$3,061

$427 MX$7,891

-61.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,914 MX$127.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-40.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.52 MX$841

$67.8 MX$1,253

-32.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.36 MX$469

$52.0 MX$960

-51.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MX$1,359

$106 MX$1,959

-30.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,170

$113 MX$2,080

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 MX$18.2K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 MX$12.1K

$654 MX$12.1K

0.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 MX$30.9K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$18.7K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-18.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,703 MX$105.4K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

57.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,501 MX$27.7K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-22.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$979 MX$18.1K

$964 MX$17.8K

1.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Zapopan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zapopan

$656 43.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 0.2% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Zapopan

$262 17.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 21.5% $56

Eating Out

Zapopan

$192 12.7%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 6.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zapopan

$177 11.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 29.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Zapopan

$118 7.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 29.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zapopan

$55 3.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 27.4% $15

Getting Around

Zapopan

$50 3.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 48.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Zapopan and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zapopan pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Zapopan vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $318 per month, with Zapopan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

Same time as Zapopan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,547

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zapopan vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zapopan and Mexico City differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,509 vs $1,548 including rent). Zapopan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Zapopan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Zapopan versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zapopan runs roughly 67% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $166 in Zapopan versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,509 in Zapopan versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zapopan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zapopan 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, Zapopan and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zapopan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.