NavoyNostos

Mazatlán vs Zihuatanejo

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Mazatlán edges it, 62 to 61, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Mazatlán is stronger on nothing outright; Zihuatanejo on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.2 of 62 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 62 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 62 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 7.3 of 62 points (scores 66/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 62 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 5.1 of 62 points (scores 46/100)Climate: 8.3 of 62 points (scores 75/100)Air quality: 9.6 of 62 points (scores 86/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 62 points (scores 54/100)62
Mazatlán
out of 100

Pacific city with the longest malecón and a restored old town

Full Mazatlán profile →Where to stay in Mazatlán →
Cost of living: 5.2 of 61 points (scores 47/100)Safety: 3.2 of 61 points (scores 28/100)Healthcare: 7.4 of 61 points (scores 67/100)Internet: 7.2 of 61 points (scores 65/100)Visa ease: 10.0 of 61 points (scores 90/100)Getting there & around: 4.8 of 61 points (scores 43/100)Climate: 7.4 of 61 points (scores 67/100)Air quality: 9.5 of 61 points (scores 86/100)Quality of life: 6.0 of 61 points (scores 54/100)61
Zihuatanejo
out of 100

Fishing-town bay beside the Ixtapa resort strip

Full Zihuatanejo profile →Where to stay in Zihuatanejo →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Cost of living4747
Safety2828
Healthcare6767
Internet66 ✓65
Visa ease9090
Getting there & around46 ✓43
Climate75 ✓67
Air quality86 ✓86
Quality of life5454

Cost

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,400$1,400
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Homicides per 100k25.6425.64
Political stability (0–100)5555
UHC service coverage (0–100)7979
Life expectancy70.8 yrs70.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Download31.8 Mbps32.1 Mbps ✓
Upload10.7 Mbps ✓7.9 Mbps

Visa

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport180 days180 days
Entry, EU passport180 days180 days
Entry, UK passport180 days180 days

Getting there and around

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Non-stop airport destinations23 ✓17
Walkability (1–5, editorial)33
Transit (1–5, editorial)22

Climate and air

MetricMazatlánZihuatanejo
Comfortable months per year9 ✓8
Annual mean PM2.511.1 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, Mazatlán or Zihuatanejo?
Zihuatanejo is cheaper: about $1,400 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
Is Mazatlán or Zihuatanejo safer?
Mazatlán scores higher on safety (28 vs 28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Mazatlán or Zihuatanejo?
Zihuatanejo: a measured median of 32.1 Mbps versus 31.8 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.