Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Guadalajara Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Guadalajara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,229 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,375 in Guadalajara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,974 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,241 in Guadalajara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,719 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,107 in Guadalajara.

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 11% less than in Guadalajara, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zihuatanejo is 10% below, Guadalajara is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 MX$226

$14.83 MX$256

-11.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$857

$48.81 MX$842

1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$159

$9.40 MX$162

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$3.96 MX$68.3

$4.06 MX$70.1

-2.46%

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

$1.28 MX$22.14

$1.79 MX$30.94

-28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$21.99

$1.31 MX$22.54

-2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$52.9

$2.94 MX$50.6

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MX$75.8

$5.44 MX$93.8

-19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$30.30

$1.91 MX$32.89

-7.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$48.74

$2.81 MX$48.54

0.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 MX$30.54

$1.73 MX$29.80

2.31%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$45.63

$2.58 MX$44.56

2.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$141

$10.27 MX$177

-20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$137

$10.17 MX$175

-21.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 MX$200

$12.43 MX$214

-6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$52.1

$3.04 MX$52.3

-0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.77

$1.74 MX$29.94

-7.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 MX$35.53

$2.07 MX$35.71

-0.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MX$30.15

$1.96 MX$33.86

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$34.21

$2.15 MX$37.04

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$30.41

$1.88 MX$32.43

-6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 MX$28.49

$1.53 MX$26.30

7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$18.27

$1.13 MX$19.42

-6.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.82 MX$83.1

$5.08 MX$87.6

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$177

$11.56 MX$199

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$33.58

$1.92 MX$33.13

1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 MX$60.6

$3.64 MX$62.7

-3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$11.58

$0.61 MX$10.55

9.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.94 MX$568

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MX$42.96

$2.29 MX$39.40

8.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 MX$37.17

$1.47 MX$25.35

46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.50 MX$198

$13.00 MX$224

-11.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$26.78

$1.63 MX$28.13

-4.91%

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

$24.0K MX$413.8K

$22.2K MX$382.0K

8.32%

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

$27.4K MX$472.5K

$25.4K MX$437.6K

7.99%

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

$62.8 MX$1,083

$54.0 MX$931

16.36%

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

$23.13 MX$399

$24.30 MX$419

-4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.53 MX$544

$33.34 MX$575

-5.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 MX$633

$32.73 MX$564

12.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.54 MX$320

$12.01 MX$207

54.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 MX$103

$7.12 MX$123

-15.87%

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

$269 MX$4,630

$276 MX$4,761

-2.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,625 MX$79.7K

$11.6K MX$199.2K

-59.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 MX$1,126

$63.3 MX$1,091

3.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.88 MX$757

$45.51 MX$785

-3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 MX$1,622

$112 MX$1,935

-16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 MX$1,538

$92.1 MX$1,588

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 MX$10.8K

$884 MX$15.2K

-29.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 MX$7,771

$526 MX$9,073

-14.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 MX$19.9K

$1,761 MX$30.4K

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 MX$13.2K

$1,036 MX$17.9K

-26.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,162 MX$37.3K

$3,351 MX$57.8K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,277 MX$22.0K

$2,068 MX$35.7K

-38.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$824 MX$14.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: September 14, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $624 in Zihuatanejo and $884 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Zihuatanejo vs $49.00 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $297, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

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 Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zihuatanejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,843 in Zihuatanejo and $2,062 in Guadalajara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $624 in Zihuatanejo versus $884 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $269 in Zihuatanejo versus $276 in Guadalajara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $49.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,229 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,375 in Guadalajara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zihuatanejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,229 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zihuatanejo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zihuatanejo and Guadalajara 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 Zihuatanejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.