Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $965 a month against $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Zihuatanejo despite lower rent and utilities.

Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Bansko, Bulgaria
Zihuatanejo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,131
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$965
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zihuatanejo and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Zihuatanejo $1,131
  • Bansko $965

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Zihuatanejo $1,824
  • Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $2,517 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Zihuatanejo $2,517
  • Bansko $1,998

Zihuatanejo costs about 17% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zihuatanejo and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Zihuatanejo 17% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$203
$8.74 BGN 15.29
24.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.16 MX$827
$46.37 BGN 81.1
-4.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 MX$164
$8.92 BGN 15.61
-2.02%
Cappuccino
$3.48 MX$65.2
$2.27 BGN 3.97
53.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 MX$25.45
$1.57 BGN 2.75
-13.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 MX$19.08
$0.89 BGN 1.55
14.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 MX$45.89
$1.73 BGN 3.03
41.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.98 MX$74.4
$1.95 BGN 3.41
104.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$31.05
$1.79 BGN 3.12
-7.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 MX$47.69
$0.81 BGN 1.43
214.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 MX$30.90
$1.51 BGN 2.64
9.27%
Eggs
$2.44 MX$45.61
$2.35 BGN 4.11
3.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.11 MX$152
$9.55 BGN 16.71
-15.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 MX$159
$6.63 BGN 11.60
28.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.56 MX$216
$8.37 BGN 14.65
38.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.0
$1.30 BGN 2.28
109.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 MX$29.27
$1.68 BGN 2.94
-7.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$1.68 BGN 2.94
15.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.77 MX$33.10
$1.92 BGN 3.35
-7.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.24
$0.94 BGN 1.64
106.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.15
$0.75 BGN 1.32
150.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 MX$26.71
$0.59 BGN 1.03
142.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.47
$0.58 BGN 1.02
87.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.28 MX$80.1
$3.26 BGN 5.70
31.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.27 MX$192
$5.20 BGN 9.09
97.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 MX$34.04
$1.14 BGN 1.99
59.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 MX$57.3
$1.74 BGN 3.04
75.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 MX$12.77
$0.90 BGN 1.58
-24.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.72 BGN 46.76
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.61 MX$48.93
$1.30 BGN 2.27
100.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 MX$37.88
$0.61 BGN 1.07
231.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.18 MX$209
$10.29 BGN 18.01
8.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.93
$1.56 BGN 2.73
-7.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$398.4K
$29.1K BGN 51.0K
-26.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$447.0K
$21.3K BGN 37.3K
11.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.3 MX$1,072
$92.8 BGN 162
-38.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.00 MX$431
$15.05 BGN 26.33
52.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.80 MX$558
$12.19 BGN 21.33
144.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.76 MX$651
$32.83 BGN 57.5
5.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.02 MX$375
$8.40 BGN 14.69
138.33%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.2
$5.56 BGN 9.72
-7.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$216 MX$4,041
$230 BGN 402
-6.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,526 MX$84.7K
$2,295 BGN 4,017
97.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.5 MX$1,038
$30.31 BGN 53.0
83.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.25 MX$753
$19.41 BGN 33.98
107.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 MX$1,844
$45.34 BGN 79.3
117.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.0 MX$1,684
$48.47 BGN 84.8
85.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$596 MX$11.1K
$514 BGN 899
15.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 MX$7,182
$361 BGN 631
6.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 MX$19.7K
$630 BGN 1,102
67.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$759 MX$14.2K
$571 BGN 999
32.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,915 MX$35.8K
$1,202 BGN 2,103
59.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,149 MX$21.5K
$972 BGN 1,700
18.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zihuatanejo
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,665 BGN 2,914
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
2.99
277.93%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zihuatanejo
$384
Bansko
$361 6% $23
Groceries & Markets
Zihuatanejo
$264
Bansko
$194 26.3% $69
Eating Out
Zihuatanejo
$185
Bansko
$146 20.8% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Zihuatanejo
$128
Bansko
$65 49.5% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zihuatanejo
$110
Bansko
$120 9.1% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Zihuatanejo
$45
Bansko
$44 2.4% $1.1
Getting Around
Zihuatanejo
$15 *
Bansko
$35 124% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $514 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Zihuatanejo versus $46 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Zihuatanejo vs $194 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
12:02 12:02 PM
8 h ahead of Zihuatanejo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
67,408
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zihuatanejo Bansko 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zihuatanejo
  • Bansko

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
Zihuatanejo vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Zihuatanejo and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, $965 in Bansko – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Zihuatanejo compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Zihuatanejo and $1,447 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Zihuatanejo and Bansko?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $514 there versus $596 in Zihuatanejo.
Which city is more expensive overall: Zihuatanejo or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,131 in Zihuatanejo and $965 in Bansko. That’s a gap of about 17%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Zihuatanejo and Bansko?
Kindergarten costs $216 per month in Zihuatanejo and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is Zihuatanejo or Bansko safer for residents?
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.

Zihuatanejo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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