Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Barcelona $2,405
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Barcelona $3,477
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Barcelona $4,550
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Barcelona is roughly 80% 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: Barcelona 79% above, Guatemala City 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$6.84 Q 52.2

162.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$49.83 Q 381

35.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$7.72 Q 59.0

73.19%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.24 Q 24.80

3.09%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.11 Q 8.46

165.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.98 Q 7.49

93.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.22 Q 24.59

20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$4.88 Q 37.29

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.11 Q 16.11

-39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.04 Q 23.22

-35.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.09 Q 15.96

-16.27%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$2.51 Q 19.15

94.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$6.16 Q 47.09

183.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.55 Q 73.0

-5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$13.51 Q 103

49.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$4.00 Q 30.54

-23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.71 Q 13.05

18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.83 Q 21.63

-8.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.65 Q 12.61

64.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.49 Q 11.37

44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.12 Q 16.21

4.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.68 Q 5.20

126.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.20 Q 9.16

-22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$4.11 Q 31.39

72.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$8.11 Q 61.9

-5.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.74 Q 13.30

-14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.73 Q 20.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.29 Q 9.88

128.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$14.31 Q 109

81.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$5.16 Q 39.46

-39.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$10.46 Q 79.9

226.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.33 Q 10.17

34.59%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$27.3K Q 208.8K

26.93%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$25.3K Q 193.6K

19.61%

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

$181 €161

$73.2 Q 559

146.90%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$28.62 Q 219

-52.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$45.27 Q 346

-22.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$40.18 Q 307

32.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$13.22 Q 101

21.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$6.60 Q 50.5

72.27%

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

$939 €838

$334 Q 2,554

180.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,809 Q 52.0K

142.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$49.72 Q 380

77.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$48.13 Q 368

-17.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$120 Q 916

-13.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$112 Q 857

6.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$837 Q 6,396

102.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$534 Q 4,082

143.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,537 Q 11.7K

67.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$803 Q 6,139

141.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$2,071 Q 15.8K

260.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,092 Q 8,343

375.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$841 Q 6,425

173.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

11.62

-71.77%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 58.9% $766

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 13% $42

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 44.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 35.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 29.6% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 48.8% $23

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 $1,695 in Barcelona and $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 173% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $50.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

8 h behind Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Guatemala City 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
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

Barcelona vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Guatemala City differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,334 including rent). Guatemala City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 173% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $334 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Guatemala City 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.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Guatemala City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.