Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 26% 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: Buenos Aires 26% above, Guatemala City 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$6.84 Q 52.2

173.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$49.83 Q 381

29.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.72 Q 59.0

66.84%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$3.24 Q 24.80

22.84%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.11 Q 8.46

84.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.98 Q 7.49

58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$3.22 Q 24.59

19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$4.88 Q 37.30

-5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$2.11 Q 16.11

-31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$3.04 Q 23.22

-19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$2.09 Q 15.96

-22.01%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$2.51 Q 19.15

15.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.16 Q 47.10

72.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.55 Q 73.0

4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.51 Q 103

1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$4.00 Q 30.54

-31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.71 Q 13.05

27.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$2.83 Q 21.63

-48.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$1.65 Q 12.61

20.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$1.49 Q 11.37

-16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$2.12 Q 16.21

-40.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$0.68 Q 5.20

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$1.20 Q 9.16

44.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$4.11 Q 31.39

1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$8.11 Q 61.9

-28.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.74 Q 13.30

20.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.73 Q 20.83

1.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$1.29 Q 9.88

-41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$14.31 Q 109

89.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$5.16 Q 39.46

-68.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.46 Q 79.9

-26.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.33 Q 10.17

2.26%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$27.3K Q 208.8K

2.50%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$25.3K Q 193.6K

36.33%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$73.2 Q 559

194.58%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$28.62 Q 219

-10.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$45.27 Q 346

-30.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$40.18 Q 307

23.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$13.22 Q 101

29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.60 Q 50.5

58.03%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$334 Q 2,554

39.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$6,809 Q 52.0K

33.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$49.72 Q 380

145.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$48.13 Q 368

102.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$120 Q 916

-2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$112 Q 857

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$837 Q 6,396

-8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$534 Q 4,082

-5.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,537 Q 11.7K

4.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$803 Q 6,139

47.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,071 Q 15.8K

29.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,092 Q 8,344

70.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$841 Q 6,425

13.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.62

392.69%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 5.7% $29

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 45.9% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 46% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 30.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 24.5% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 32.7% $12

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 14% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $50.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

23:52 11:52 PM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Guatemala City 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Guatemala City differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,685 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 14% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires 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 1% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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, Buenos Aires 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 26% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.