Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethel, AK and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,380 in Bethel, AK, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Bethel, AK
Learn more

Bethel, AK Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index

Jump to prices

Bethel, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,380

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Bethel, AK versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Bethel, AK $2,380
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,720 in Bethel, AK versus $2,033 in Guatemala City.

Bethel, AK $3,720
Guatemala City $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,060 in Bethel, AK versus $2,719 in Guatemala City.

Bethel, AK $5,060
Guatemala City $2,719

Living in Bethel, AK is roughly 77% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bethel, AK is 76% above, Guatemala City is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.36 $19.36

$6.78 Q 51.8

185.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$50.7 Q 387

39.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$7.83 Q 59.9

50.45%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$3.40 Q 25.97

44.41%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$1.16 Q 8.88

114.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.93 Q 7.09

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 $6.60

$3.28 Q 25.11

101.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.87 Q 37.22

29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.00 Q 15.30

-51.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.13 Q 23.90

25.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.03 Q 15.50

133.50%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$2.48 Q 18.94

75.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 $11.54

$6.31 Q 48.22

82.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.23 $13.23

$9.68 Q 74.0

36.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$13.46 Q 103

35.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$3.93 Q 30.04

43.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.66 Q 12.71

-14.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.93 Q 22.43

39.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$1.60 Q 12.22

221.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.55 Q 11.84

102.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.17 Q 16.59

21.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.69 Q 5.26

255.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.15 Q 8.76

69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$4.09 Q 31.27

111.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 $13.68

$8.35 Q 63.8

63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.72 Q 13.19

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.61 Q 19.98

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.28 Q 9.77

42.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.41 Q 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$5.26 Q 40.19

-46.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.49 $28.49

$10.64 Q 81.4

167.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.33 Q 10.17

-24.81%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$27.8K Q 212.9K

-6.65%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.7K Q 196.2K

6.10%

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

$175 $175

$71.3 Q 545

145.49%

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

$53.8 $53.8

$29.00 Q 222

85.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$45.71 Q 349

58.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.66 $43.66

$39.44 Q 302

10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 Q 101

Cinema Ticket

$15.58 $15.58

$6.59 Q 50.4

136.42%

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

$1,600 $1,600

$346 Q 2,648

361.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$6,573 Q 50.3K

219.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$50.3 Q 385

7.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.07 $41.07

$46.66 Q 357

-11.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$118 Q 901

-19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$115 Q 876

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$823 Q 6,291

111.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 $1,117

$540 Q 4,129

106.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 $2,259

$1,566 Q 12.0K

44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,265 $2,265

$831 Q 6,357

172.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,049 $3,049

$2,020 Q 15.4K

50.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,089 Q 8,328

114.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 Q 6,545

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.62

-43.46%

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

Last update for Bethel, AK: October 17, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethel, AK

$1.1K 46.9%

Guatemala City

$540 40.1% 51.6% $577

Groceries & Markets

Bethel, AK

$412 17.3%

Guatemala City

$282 21% 31.5% $130

Eating Out

Bethel, AK

$313 13.2%

Guatemala City

$153 11.4% 51.2% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethel, AK

$301 12.7%

Guatemala City

$146 10.8% 51.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Bethel, AK

$141 5.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 5.1% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bethel, AK

$75 3.1%

Guatemala City

$53 3.9% 29.7% $22

Getting Around

Bethel, AK

$20 * 0.8%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 23.3% $4.7

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 $1,742 in Bethel, AK and $823 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Bethel, AK vs $51.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $282 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethel, AK

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

2 h ahead of Bethel, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,300

2,450,212 Capital

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bethel, AK Guatemala City 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethel, AK
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

Bethel, AK vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bethel, AK and Guatemala City differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($2,380 vs $1,347 including rent). Guatemala City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,570 in Bethel, AK and $2,021 in Guatemala City 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: $1,742 in Bethel, AK versus $823 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Bethel, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,380 per month in Bethel, AK versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $2,380 in Bethel, AK, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Bethel, AK. 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.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Bethel, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.