Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,196 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,196

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zihuatanejo and in Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,196 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Zihuatanejo $1,196
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,861 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Zihuatanejo $1,861
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,526 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Zihuatanejo $2,526
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 10% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zihuatanejo 12% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$197

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

212.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.12 MX$803

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

24.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 MX$156

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

50.63%

Cappuccino

$3.40 MX$63.2

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

29.77%

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

$1.34 MX$24.94

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-12.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.66

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 MX$44.29

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-10.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MX$73.0

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

-7.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.24

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.98

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

14.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.52

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

52.25%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.60

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$150

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

-49.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 MX$153

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

112.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 MX$212

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

-0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.74

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

-24.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.45

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.74

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-16.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.33

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

10.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.04

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-22.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.72

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.85

$0.52 Rp 9,475

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

93.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$191

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.83

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$57.1

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.35

$0.25 Rp 4,542

164.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.30 MX$564

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

270.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MX$46.64

$0.44 Rp 7,941

470.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 MX$35.07

$0.47 Rp 8,489

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$197

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

88.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.53

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

72.29%

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

$23.7K MX$441.1K

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

-3.04%

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

$23.8K MX$443.7K

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

-24.78%

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

$58.1 MX$1,081

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

-25.01%

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

$22.78 MX$424

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

271.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.55 MX$531

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

50.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.62 MX$607

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

-36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 MX$374

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

10.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.9

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

16.44%

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

$215 MX$4,001

$492 Rp 8.9M

-56.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,555 MX$84.8K

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

-62.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$991

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

17.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 MX$755

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,845

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 MX$1,627

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 MX$11.3K

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

-43.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,043

$665 Rp 12.1M

-34.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$18.9K

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-71.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 MX$13.8K

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-55.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 MX$35.9K

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

-17.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MX$21.0K

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

-49.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

13.78

-17.92%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$432 36.2%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 53.8% $233

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$261 21.8%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 7.2% $19

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$180 15%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 41.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$126 10.6%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 15.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$109 9.2%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 6.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$45 3.8%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 73.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$43 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 39.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $605 in Zihuatanejo and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Zihuatanejo vs $35 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $279, with Zihuatanejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

04:55 4:55 AM

14 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

74,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zihuatanejo Ubud, Bali 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zihuatanejo wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Ubud, Bali. 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 $1,794 in Zihuatanejo and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali 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: $605 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $215 in Zihuatanejo versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

For families, Zihuatanejo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zihuatanejo and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.