Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, WA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,813 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,813

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, WA 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 Arlington, WA and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,813 in Arlington, WA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Arlington, WA $2,813
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,319 in Arlington, WA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Arlington, WA $4,319
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,826 in Arlington, WA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Arlington, WA $5,826
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Arlington, WA is roughly 109% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.16 $25.16

$7.76 Q 59.3

224.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$49.88 Q 381

99.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.26 $14.26

$7.72 Q 59.0

84.72%

Cappuccino

$5.99 $5.99

$3.31 Q 25.28

80.97%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.17 Q 8.98

152.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.01 Q 7.75

202.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.18 Q 24.29

119.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.71 Q 36.00

45.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.08 Q 15.88

-48.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.11 Q 23.78

18.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.12 Q 16.19

91.51%

Eggs

$4.07 $4.07

$2.44 Q 18.68

66.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 $13.90

$6.19 Q 47.28

124.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$9.64 Q 73.7

39.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.55 $23.55

$13.48 Q 103

74.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.98 Q 30.43

32.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.65 Q 12.58

14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.83 Q 21.66

47.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.63 Q 12.48

203.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.53 Q 11.70

31.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.18 Q 16.63

14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.69 Q 5.26

295.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.17 Q 8.94

103.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.20 $12.20

$4.01 Q 30.62

204.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$8.08 Q 61.7

82.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.79 Q 13.71

10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.68 Q 20.46

56.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$5.17 Q 39.48

-49.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.62 $29.62

$10.66 Q 81.5

177.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.37 Q 10.47

2.92%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

4.70%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

3.50%

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

$286 $286

$73.1 Q 559

290.86%

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

$67.5 $67.5

$29.48 Q 225

129.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.9 $85.9

$45.73 Q 349

87.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.92 $32.92

$38.04 Q 291

-13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$18.08 $18.08

$6.57 Q 50.2

175.19%

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

$2,866 $2,866

$338 Q 2,582

748.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$49.96 Q 382

0.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 $54.6

$47.37 Q 362

15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$119 Q 908

-14.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$111 Q 845

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 $1,555

$835 Q 6,383

86.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 $1,314

$538 Q 4,114

144.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,822 $2,822

$1,568 Q 12.0K

79.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 $2,523

$823 Q 6,292

206.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,749 $5,749

$846 Q 6,463

579.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.62

-42.51%

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

Last update for Arlington, WA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.7%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 59% $776

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, WA

$439 15.6%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 66.2% $291

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, WA

$437 15.5%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 35.3% $154

Eating Out

Arlington, WA

$389 13.8%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 59.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, WA

$154 5.5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 4.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, WA

$69 2.5%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 25.9% $18

Getting Around

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 80.8% $9.1

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 $1,555 in Arlington, WA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Arlington, WA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

2 h ahead of Arlington, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 7, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, WA Guatemala City 4,720 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, WA
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

Arlington, WA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,813 in Arlington, WA and $1,347 in Guatemala City, so Guatemala City is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Arlington, WA is about 6.8 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: $1,555 in Arlington, WA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,813 per month in Arlington, WA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Arlington, WA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.