Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Guatemala

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala: $1,358 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Australia
Guatemala
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,626
/mo nomad
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,358
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Guatemala

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,358 in Guatemala, rent included.

  • Australia $2,626
  • Guatemala $1,358

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,099 in Guatemala, rent included.

  • Australia $3,810
  • Guatemala $2,099

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,840 in Guatemala, rent included.

  • Australia $4,994
  • Guatemala $2,840

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Guatemala ($743–$1,342), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 93% higher than in Guatemala on average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.65 A$25.08
$8.09 Q 61.8
118.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.2 A$121
$51.2 Q 391
66.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.09 A$15.76
$7.97 Q 60.9
39.15%
Cappuccino
$3.90 A$5.54
$3.58 Q 27.37
8.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 A$4.05
$1.43 Q 10.90
99.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 A$3.29
$1.14 Q 8.69
102.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.53 A$10.70
$3.34 Q 25.51
125.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.59 A$12.20
$5.28 Q 40.34
62.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 A$2.50
$2.10 Q 16.03
-16.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.81 A$3.99
$3.34 Q 25.52
-15.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 A$3.19
$2.03 Q 15.53
10.34%
Eggs
$5.02 A$7.14
$2.44 Q 18.64
105.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.87 A$14.02
$6.08 Q 46.46
62.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.32 A$13.24
$9.95 Q 76.0
-6.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.86 A$21.13
$12.19 Q 93.2
21.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.82 A$5.42
$4.04 Q 30.85
-5.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.92 A$4.16
$2.01 Q 15.39
45.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 A$4.46
$4.46 Q 34.08
-29.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.81 A$6.83
$1.71 Q 13.04
181.29%
Potato (1kg)
$2.80 A$3.98
$1.89 Q 14.45
48.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 A$3.38
$2.16 Q 16.50
10.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.37 A$3.37
$0.75 Q 5.77
216.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 A$2.35
$1.23 Q 9.37
34.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$39.13 A$55.6
$3.85 Q 29.44
916.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.93 A$19.80
$8.28 Q 63.3
68.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.96 A$7.05
$2.34 Q 17.85
111.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 A$7.35
$3.25 Q 24.82
59.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.42 A$3.44
$1.29 Q 9.87
87.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.6 A$134
$10.89 Q 83.2
768.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 A$4.97
$5.33 Q 40.71
-34.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 A$2.27
$1.71 Q 13.08
-6.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.84 A$56.6
$10.49 Q 80.1
279.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 A$1.97
$1.37 Q 10.44
1.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K A$42.7K
$21.4K Q 163.4K
40.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K A$36.6K
$24.5K Q 187.1K
5.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 A$291
$70.2 Q 537
191.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.33 A$40.27
$31.89 Q 244
-11.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.8 A$83.5
$51.4 Q 393
14.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.7 A$79.1
$38.60 Q 295
44.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.57 A$27.82
$15.29 Q 117
27.99%
Cinema Ticket
$15.38 A$21.86
$6.67 Q 50.9
130.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,145 A$3,049
$350 Q 2,671
513.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K A$26.1K
$7,517 Q 57.4K
144.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.3 A$111
$46.37 Q 354
68.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.3 A$80.0
$50.6 Q 387
11.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 A$164
$106 Q 808
8.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 A$175
$108 Q 824
14.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,591 A$2,261
$828 Q 6,327
92.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 A$1,837
$515 Q 3,939
150.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,524 A$3,588
$1,558 Q 11.9K
62.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 A$2,850
$880 Q 6,728
127.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,751 A$12.4K
$2,295 Q 17.5K
281.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,260 A$8,898
$1,158 Q 8,849
440.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Australia
Guatemala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,984 A$5,663
$660 Q 5,040
504.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.93
11.62
-48.97%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guatemala: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Australia
$1.3K
Guatemala
$515 60.1% $777
Groceries & Markets
Australia
$374
Guatemala
$298 20.4% $76
Eating Out
Australia
$297
Guatemala
$169 43% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
$292
Guatemala
$154 47.5% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Australia
$168
Guatemala
$140 16.7% $28
Getting Around
Australia
$116
Guatemala
$30 74.1% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Australia
$86
Guatemala
$52 39.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $698 in Guatemala. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $816 in Guatemala City.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $741 in Guatemala. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 98% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 65% more in Australia.

Public transport is 664% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 5.2 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Australia
🇬🇹 Guatemala
🕒 Local time
15:23 3:23 PM
22:23 10:23 PM
17 h behind Australia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,473,055
17,263,239
Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Australia Guatemala 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Australia
  • Guatemala

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
Australia vs Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Australia more expensive than Guatemala?
Guatemala is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $698 in Guatemala.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Guatemala – part of why living there is about 48% cheaper overall.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget in Australia or in Guatemala?
$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Guatemala, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Australia or to Guatemala?
Guatemala is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Australia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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