Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Seattle, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $3,782 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zihuatanejo and in Seattle, WA

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 Seattle, WA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Seattle, WA $3,782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,824 in Zihuatanejo versus $5,636 in Seattle, WA.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Seattle, WA $5,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,517 in Zihuatanejo versus $7,489 in Seattle, WA.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Seattle, WA $7,489

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 70% less than in Seattle, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zihuatanejo is 17% below, Seattle, WA is 179% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$24.52 $24.52

-55.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$827

$98.2 $98.2

-55.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$164

$14.79 $14.79

-40.91%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.2

$6.52 $6.52

-46.63%

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

$1.36 MX$25.45

$3.23 $3.23

-57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.08

$3.17 $3.17

-67.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.89

$7.85 $7.85

-68.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.4

$8.03 $8.03

-50.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.05

$1.21 $1.21

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.69

$5.14 $5.14

-50.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.90

$6.05 $6.05

-72.73%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.61

$4.88 $4.88

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$152

$19.18 $19.18

-57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$18.91 $18.91

-54.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$23.31 $23.31

-50.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$5.99 $5.99

-54.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$1.93 $1.93

-19.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$5.25 $5.25

-63.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.10

$6.57 $6.57

-73.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.24

$3.62 $3.62

-46.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.15

$3.31 $3.31

-43.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$2.78 $2.78

-48.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.47

$2.51 $2.51

-56.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.1

$12.18 $12.18

-64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$14.83 $14.83

-30.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$34.04

$4.22 $4.22

-56.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$5.77 $5.77

-46.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.77

$2.95 $2.95

-76.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.93

$2.65 $2.65

-1.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.72 $1.72

17.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$209

$29.72 $29.72

-62.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.93

$1.49 $1.49

-3.36%

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

$21.3K MX$398.4K

$35.9K $35.9K

-40.70%

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

$23.9K MX$447.0K

$26.2K $26.2K

-9.01%

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

$57.3 MX$1,072

$302 $302

-81.03%

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

$23.00 MX$431

$70.1 $70.1

-67.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$558

$85.3 $85.3

-65.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$651

$77.8 $77.8

-55.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$375

$34.58 $34.58

-42.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.2

$17.84 $17.84

-71.19%

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

$216 MX$4,041

$2,973 $2,973

-92.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.7K

$31.3K $31.3K

-85.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,038

$76.6 $76.6

-27.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$753

$54.1 $54.1

-25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,844

$128 $128

-23.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,684

$164 $164

-45.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$2,445 $2,445

-75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,182

$1,947 $1,947

-80.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.7K

$4,744 $4,744

-77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.2K

$3,469 $3,469

-78.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.8K

$7,367 $7,367

-74.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$5,127 $5,127

-77.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,506 $6,506

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.89

64.01%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.5% 407% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Seattle, WA

$546 14.4% 107% $282

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Seattle, WA

$400 10.6% 117% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Seattle, WA

$190 5% 48.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Seattle, WA

$457 12.1% 315% $347

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Seattle, WA

$114 3% 152% $68

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4% 736% $114

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Zihuatanejo and $2,445 in Seattle, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Zihuatanejo vs $98 in Seattle, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $546 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

1 h behind Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

737,015

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zihuatanejo Seattle, WA 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
Seattle, WA

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 Seattle, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,696 in Zihuatanejo and $5,673 in Seattle, WA 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: $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,445 in Seattle, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $216 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,973 in Seattle, WA. 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 $44 versus $98 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,782 in Seattle, WA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo 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.