Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,148 in Quetzaltenango.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Quetzaltenango $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,444 in Quetzaltenango.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Quetzaltenango $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,741 in Quetzaltenango.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Quetzaltenango $1,741

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 44% more expensive than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Quetzaltenango is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.78 Q 51.9

181.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$49.64 Q 380

32.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.66 Q 58.6

72.32%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.26 Q 24.91

18.10%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.15 Q 8.77

73.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.91 Q 6.97

75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.35 Q 25.60

17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.66 Q 35.65

-1.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.01 Q 15.36

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.66 Q 20.33

-4.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.13 Q 16.30

-24.41%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.51 Q 19.16

13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.44 Q 49.23

59.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.96 Q 60.9

25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.86 Q 98.3

3.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.86 Q 21.90

0.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.70 Q 13.02

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.92 Q 22.30

-52.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.64 Q 12.55

20.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.55 Q 11.81

-21.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.19 Q 16.71

-42.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.69 Q 5.31

147.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.19 Q 9.10

44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.35 Q 25.64

28.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$8.09 Q 61.9

-29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.72 Q 13.18

26.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.71 Q 20.70

1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$5.15 Q 39.38

-69.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.73 Q 13.22

-40.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$10.56 Q 80.8

-25.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.38 Q 10.57

2.90%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$27.5K Q 210.6K

1.48%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$25.3K Q 193.3K

38.35%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$72.7 Q 556

168.35%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$13.06 Q 99.9

92.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$46.29 Q 354

-31.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.89 Q 251

54.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.35 Q 48.54

62.83%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$342 Q 2,611

35.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,757 Q 51.7K

30.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$50.0 Q 382

139.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$46.61 Q 356

104.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$110 Q 844

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$112 Q 857

24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$397 Q 3,037

90.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$398 Q 3,046

30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

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 11, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7% 23.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Quetzaltenango

$264 23% 6.9% $20

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1% 46.5% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5% 47.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5% 31.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 36.3% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 62.7% $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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $397 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $50.0 in Quetzaltenango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $264 per month, with Quetzaltenango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 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).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Quetzaltenango 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Quetzaltenango differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,148 including rent). Quetzaltenango is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $397 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,148 in Quetzaltenango versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quetzaltenango but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.