Acapulco vs Zihuatanejo
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 60. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Faded Pacific resort bay, still rebuilding after two hurricanes
Full Acapulco profile →Plan a trip to Acapulco →Fishing-town bay beside the Ixtapa resort strip
Full Zihuatanejo profile →Plan a trip to Zihuatanejo →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Zihuatanejo leads on getting there & around, 17 to 11, against Acapulco. Non-stop airport destinations: 10 vs 17.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Acapulco if you want
- no clear edge over Zihuatanejo in the data
Pick Zihuatanejo if you want
- no clear edge over Acapulco in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 58 | 58 |
| Safety | 28 | 28 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 |
| Internet | 67 ✓ | 65 |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 17 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 | 67 |
| Air quality | 85 | 86 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 25.64 | 25.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 79 |
| Life expectancy | 75.3 yrs | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 29.8 Mbps | 32.1 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 19.1 Mbps ✓ | 7.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 10 | 17 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Acapulco | Zihuatanejo |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.7 µg/m³ | 11.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Acapulco or Zihuatanejo?
- Acapulco and Zihuatanejo cost about the same: roughly $1,400 per month for one person.
- Is Acapulco or Zihuatanejo safer?
- Acapulco and Zihuatanejo score the same on safety (28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Acapulco or Zihuatanejo?
- Zihuatanejo: a measured median of 32.1 Mbps versus 29.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.