Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,148 in Quetzaltenango.

Austin, TX $2,663
Quetzaltenango $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,444 in Quetzaltenango.

Austin, TX $4,133
Quetzaltenango $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,741 in Quetzaltenango.

Austin, TX $5,603
Quetzaltenango $1,741

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 132% more expensive than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Quetzaltenango is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.78 Q 51.9

206.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$49.64 Q 380

70.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.66 Q 58.6

60.84%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.26 Q 24.91

72.70%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.15 Q 8.77

223.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.91 Q 6.97

174.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.35 Q 25.60

140.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.66 Q 35.65

93.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.01 Q 15.36

-44.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.66 Q 20.33

40.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.13 Q 16.30

53.05%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.51 Q 19.16

66.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.44 Q 49.23

100.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.96 Q 60.9

77.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.86 Q 98.3

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.86 Q 21.90

51.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 Q 13.02

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.92 Q 22.30

54.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.64 Q 12.55

164.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.55 Q 11.81

66.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.19 Q 16.71

7.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.69 Q 5.31

157.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.19 Q 9.10

86.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.35 Q 25.64

194.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.09 Q 61.9

86.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.72 Q 13.18

69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.71 Q 20.70

27.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.15 Q 39.38

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.73 Q 13.22

-4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.56 Q 80.8

234.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.38 Q 10.57

-31.16%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.5K Q 210.6K

30.89%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$25.3K Q 193.3K

7.11%

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

$229 $229

$72.7 Q 556

214.81%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.06 Q 99.9

354.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$46.29 Q 354

51.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$32.89 Q 251

74.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.35 Q 48.54

124.88%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$342 Q 2,611

340.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,757 Q 51.7K

217.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.0 Q 382

5.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$46.61 Q 356

-5.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$110 Q 844

-23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$112 Q 857

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$397 Q 3,037

380.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$398 Q 3,046

219.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 12, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7% 68.7% $876

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Quetzaltenango

$264 23% 34.8% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5% 63.1% $226

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1% 57.4% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5% 12.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 46.9% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 76.5% $45

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $397 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $50.0 in Quetzaltenango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $264 per month, with Quetzaltenango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

500,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Quetzaltenango 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango wins on cost – living expenses run 132% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quetzaltenango the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,722 in Quetzaltenango to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $397 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $342 in Quetzaltenango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Quetzaltenango – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,148 in Quetzaltenango versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quetzaltenango but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Quetzaltenango the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Quetzaltenango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.