Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Austin, TX $2,704
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Austin, TX $5,562
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 103% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Guatemala City 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$6.84 Q 52.2

195.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$49.83 Q 381

70.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.72 Q 59.0

59.97%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.24 Q 24.80

68.83%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.11 Q 8.46

244.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.98 Q 7.49

155.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.22 Q 24.59

150.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.88 Q 37.30

84.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.11 Q 16.11

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.04 Q 23.22

24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.09 Q 15.96

55.50%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.51 Q 19.15

64.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.16 Q 47.10

112.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.55 Q 73.0

49.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.51 Q 103

18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.00 Q 30.54

9.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.71 Q 13.05

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.83 Q 21.63

60.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.65 Q 12.61

153.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.49 Q 11.37

76.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.12 Q 16.21

11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.68 Q 5.20

158.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.20 Q 9.16

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.11 Q 31.39

138.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.11 Q 61.9

81.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.74 Q 13.30

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.73 Q 20.83

27.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.29 Q 9.88

15.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$14.31 Q 109

183.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$5.16 Q 39.46

-48.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$10.46 Q 79.9

237.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 Q 10.17

-25.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.3K Q 208.8K

31.01%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.3K Q 193.6K

7.29%

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

$219 $219

$73.2 Q 559

199.63%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$28.62 Q 219

102.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$45.27 Q 346

51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$40.18 Q 307

44.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.22 Q 101

12.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.60 Q 50.5

114.09%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$334 Q 2,554

351.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,809 Q 52.0K

215.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$49.72 Q 380

3.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$48.13 Q 368

-8.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$120 Q 916

-29.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$112 Q 857

-6.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$837 Q 6,396

130.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$534 Q 4,082

138.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,537 Q 11.7K

138.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$803 Q 6,139

214.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,071 Q 15.8K

267.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,092 Q 8,344

193.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$841 Q 6,425

507.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.62

-41.57%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 58% $738

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 29.9% $120

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 56.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 57.4% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 38% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 56.8% $32

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 507% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $50.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

03:45 3:45 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Guatemala City 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 507% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,334 in Guatemala City – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guatemala City runs roughly 183% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guatemala City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guatemala City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,334 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guatemala City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.