Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,196 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,196

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zihuatanejo and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,196 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,196
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $1,861 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,861
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $2,526 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $2,526
New York, NY $9,641

Zihuatanejo is about 76% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zihuatanejo sits 12% below the global median, while New York, NY is 263% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$198

$26.93 $26.93

-60.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.12 MX$807

$117 $117

-63.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 MX$157

$14.60 $14.60

-42.53%

Cappuccino

$3.40 MX$63.5

$6.54 $6.54

-48.01%

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

$1.34 MX$25.07

$3.86 $3.86

-65.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.75

$2.95 $2.95

-66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 MX$44.51

$8.08 $8.08

-70.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MX$73.4

$9.85 $9.85

-60.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.39

$1.31 $1.31

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$49.23

$4.97 $4.97

-47.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.68

$7.70 $7.70

-78.05%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.83

$6.09 $6.09

-58.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$151

$19.55 $19.55

-58.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 MX$154

$17.59 $17.59

-53.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 MX$213

$20.26 $20.26

-43.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.99

$6.99 $6.99

-61.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.59

$2.21 $2.21

-33.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.92

$6.72 $6.72

-72.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.42

$7.12 $7.12

-74.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.53

$4.61 $4.61

-55.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.22

$4.78 $4.78

-60.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.85

$2.87 $2.87

-51.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.95

$2.69 $2.69

-60.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.4

$19.14 $19.14

-77.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$19.63 $19.63

-47.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.99

$3.32 $3.32

-48.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$57.4

$4.19 $4.19

-26.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.42

$3.02 $3.02

-78.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.30 MX$567

$139 $139

-78.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MX$46.88

$3.04 $3.04

-17.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 MX$35.25

$2.20 $2.20

-14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$198

$41.33 $41.33

-74.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.66

$1.13 $1.13

26.55%

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

$23.7K MX$443.3K

$34.5K $34.5K

-31.20%

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

$23.8K MX$445.9K

$25.8K $25.8K

-7.77%

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

$58.1 MX$1,087

$232 $232

-74.99%

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

$22.78 MX$426

$71.0 $71.0

-67.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.55 MX$534

$67.7 $67.7

-57.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.62 MX$610

$115 $115

-71.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 MX$376

$76.8 $76.8

-73.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$95.4

$22.41 $22.41

-77.24%

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

$215 MX$4,022

$3,606 $3,606

-94.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,555 MX$85.2K

$68.7K $68.7K

-93.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$996

$79.3 $79.3

-32.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 MX$759

$51.4 $51.4

-21.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,854

$121 $121

-18.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 MX$1,635

$140 $140

-37.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 MX$11.3K

$4,555 $4,555

-86.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,084

$3,040 $3,040

-85.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$19.0K

$9,742 $9,742

-89.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 MX$13.8K

$5,331 $5,331

-86.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 MX$36.1K

$18.2K $18.2K

-89.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$21.1K

$6,685 $6,685

-83.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

6.89

64.15%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$432 36.2%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 603% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$261 21.8%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 118% $307

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$180 15%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 137% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$126 10.6%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 39.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$109 9.2%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 239% $262

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$45 3.8%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 269% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$43 3.6%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 274% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $605 in Zihuatanejo versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 $43 in Zihuatanejo versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $567 – making Zihuatanejo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

1 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Zihuatanejo New York, NY 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 310% more than Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,794 per month in Zihuatanejo and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $605 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Kindergarten costs $215 per month in Zihuatanejo and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,196, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Zihuatanejo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 76% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.