Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Guadalajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,153 a month against $1,298 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,153

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zihuatanejo 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 Zihuatanejo and in Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,298 in Guadalajara.

Zihuatanejo $1,153
Guadalajara $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,872 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,082 in Guadalajara.

Zihuatanejo $1,872
Guadalajara $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,591 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,866 in Guadalajara.

Zihuatanejo $2,591
Guadalajara $2,866

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 11% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zihuatanejo 15% lower, Guadalajara 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 MX$183

$13.70 MX$257

-28.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.74 MX$913

$42.79 MX$802

13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 MX$177

$9.10 MX$171

3.85%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MX$56.6

$3.78 MX$70.8

-20.11%

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

$1.21 MX$22.62

$1.58 MX$29.56

-23.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$17.75

$1.08 MX$20.29

-12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 MX$38.92

$2.72 MX$50.9

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MX$85.9

$4.86 MX$91.1

-5.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.99

$1.70 MX$31.81

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.52

$2.55 MX$47.73

-0.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.76

$1.63 MX$30.50

7.36%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$44.68

$2.39 MX$44.86

-0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 MX$133

$8.94 MX$168

-20.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$160

$9.70 MX$182

-12.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.88 MX$185

$11.27 MX$211

-12.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 MX$47.07

$2.79 MX$52.3

-10.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.18

$1.60 MX$29.97

-2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.81

$1.94 MX$36.37

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.95

$1.82 MX$34.08

-0.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$41.96

$1.95 MX$36.59

14.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.26

$1.77 MX$33.21

15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$28.35

$1.58 MX$29.56

-4.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.71

$1.08 MX$20.17

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MX$86.6

$4.84 MX$90.7

-4.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.56 MX$217

$10.37 MX$194

11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 MX$32.55

$1.96 MX$36.65

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 MX$53.7

$3.37 MX$63.2

-14.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.59

$0.58 MX$10.86

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.26 MX$492

$29.99 MX$562

-12.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.86

$2.10 MX$39.40

26.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$37.27

$1.47 MX$27.52

35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.03 MX$207

$9.54 MX$179

15.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 MX$23.01

$1.46 MX$27.29

-15.75%

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

$26.7K MX$500.2K

$20.5K MX$384.3K

30.17%

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

$25.3K MX$475.0K

$22.9K MX$430.0K

10.46%

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

$57.6 MX$1,080

$48.21 MX$903

19.52%

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

$22.77 MX$427

$22.37 MX$419

1.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.67 MX$556

$29.85 MX$559

-0.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.62 MX$555

$28.25 MX$529

4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.49 MX$346

$11.00 MX$206

68.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MX$83.2

$5.80 MX$109

-23.45%

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

$219 MX$4,102

$234 MX$4,379

-6.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,937 MX$92.5K

$9,974 MX$186.9K

-50.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MX$1,153

$55.6 MX$1,042

10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.23 MX$660

$39.32 MX$737

-10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,099

$103 MX$1,927

8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 MX$1,414

$78.9 MX$1,479

-4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.6K

$921 MX$17.3K

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 MX$7,603

$501 MX$9,387

-19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 MX$19.0K

$1,549 MX$29.0K

-34.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 MX$15.3K

$1,009 MX$18.9K

-18.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,796 MX$33.7K

$3,432 MX$64.3K

-47.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,244 MX$23.3K

$2,142 MX$40.1K

-41.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$760 MX$14.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.53

-1.91%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$406 35.2%

Guadalajara

$501 38.6% 23.5% $95

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$258 22.4%

Guadalajara

$274 21.1% 6% $16

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$171 14.8%

Guadalajara

$216 16.7% 26.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.1%

Guadalajara

$125 9.6% 2.6% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.6%

Guadalajara

$100 7.7% 8.8% $9.6

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$41 3.6%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 1% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$39 3.3%

Guadalajara

$40 3.1% 3.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $670 in Zihuatanejo and $921 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Zihuatanejo vs $43 in Guadalajara. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $274, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

1,385,629

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zihuatanejo
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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 Guadalajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 11% 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 $1,729 in Zihuatanejo and $1,946 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: $670 in Zihuatanejo versus $921 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Guadalajara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $43 versus $49 in Zihuatanejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zihuatanejo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.