Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alhambra, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,562 in Alhambra, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Alhambra, CA
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Alhambra, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Alhambra, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,562

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alhambra, CA and in Guatemala City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alhambra, CA and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,562 in Alhambra, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Alhambra, CA $3,562
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,758 in Alhambra, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Alhambra, CA $4,758
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,954 in Alhambra, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Alhambra, CA $5,954
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Alhambra, CA is roughly 164% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.15 $25.15

$7.76 Q 59.3

224.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 $78.1

$49.88 Q 381

56.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.78 $14.78

$7.72 Q 59.0

91.45%

Cappuccino

$5.81 $5.81

$3.31 Q 25.28

75.53%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.17 Q 8.98

158.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.01 Q 7.75

142.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 $7.27

$3.18 Q 24.29

128.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$4.71 Q 36.00

108.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.08 Q 15.88

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.11 Q 23.78

62.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.12 Q 16.19

125.94%

Eggs

$5.99 $5.99

$2.44 Q 18.68

145.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 $11.19

$6.19 Q 47.28

80.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$9.64 Q 73.7

-8.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.07 $20.07

$13.48 Q 103

48.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.98 Q 30.43

20.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.65 Q 12.58

37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.83 Q 21.66

40.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.63 Q 12.48

232.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.53 Q 11.70

120.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.18 Q 16.63

39.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.69 Q 5.26

194.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.17 Q 8.94

142.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$4.01 Q 30.62

192.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$8.08 Q 61.7

84.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.79 Q 13.71

35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.68 Q 20.46

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.01 Q 7.69

78.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 $108

$11.11 Q 84.9

873.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$5.17 Q 39.48

-41.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 $32.50

$10.66 Q 81.5

204.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.37 Q 10.47

12.41%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

30.11%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

4.33%

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

$303 $303

$73.1 Q 559

314.43%

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

$78.5 $78.5

$29.48 Q 225

166.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.8 $72.8

$45.73 Q 349

59.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.29 $20.29

$38.04 Q 291

-46.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 $15.88

$12.79 Q 97.8

24.16%

Cinema Ticket

$19.65 $19.65

$6.57 Q 50.2

199.09%

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

$1,168 $1,168

$338 Q 2,582

245.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-19.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 $63.1

$49.96 Q 382

26.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.18 $47.18

$47.37 Q 362

-0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$119 Q 908

-11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$111 Q 845

-5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 $2,264

$835 Q 6,383

171.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,952 $1,952

$538 Q 4,114

262.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,014 $3,014

$1,568 Q 12.0K

92.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,530 $2,530

$823 Q 6,292

207.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,104 $7,104

$2,041 Q 15.6K

248.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,857 $5,857

$1,099 Q 8,398

432.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,924 $4,924

$846 Q 6,463

482.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.62

-45.70%

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

Last update for Alhambra, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alhambra, CA

$2K 54.8%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 72.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alhambra, CA

$454 12.8%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 67.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Alhambra, CA

$432 12.1%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 34.5% $149

Eating Out

Alhambra, CA

$393 11%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 59.5% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Alhambra, CA

$144 4%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 2.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Alhambra, CA

$128 3.6%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 84.1% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Alhambra, CA

$60 1.7%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 14.1% $8.4

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 $2,264 in Alhambra, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alhambra, CA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Alhambra, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alhambra, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

2 h ahead of Alhambra, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,089

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Alhambra, CA Guatemala City 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Alhambra, CA
Guatemala City

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

Alhambra, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,562 in Alhambra, CA and $1,347 in Guatemala City, so Guatemala City is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Alhambra, CA is about 5.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,264 in Alhambra, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Alhambra, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $78 in Alhambra, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Alhambra, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.