Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chico, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,500 in Chico, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Chico, CA
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Chico, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Chico, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Chico, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Chico, CA $2,500
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,686 in Chico, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Chico, CA $3,686
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,873 in Chico, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Chico, CA $4,873
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Chico, CA is roughly 86% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$7.76 Q 59.3

221.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.84 $49.84

$49.88 Q 381

-0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$7.72 Q 59.0

52.85%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.31 Q 25.28

73.11%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.17 Q 8.98

128.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.01 Q 7.75

114.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.61 $7.61

$3.18 Q 24.29

139.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.71 Q 36.00

66.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.08 Q 15.88

-47.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.11 Q 23.78

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.12 Q 16.19

67.92%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$2.44 Q 18.68

90.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$6.19 Q 47.28

80.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$9.64 Q 73.7

28.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.97 $22.97

$13.48 Q 103

70.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$3.98 Q 30.43

37.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.65 Q 12.58

44.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.83 Q 21.66

39.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.63 Q 12.48

234.97%

Potato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.53 Q 11.70

250.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.18 Q 16.63

28.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.69 Q 5.26

265.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.17 Q 8.94

116.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.54 $11.54

$4.01 Q 30.62

187.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$8.08 Q 61.7

83.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.79 Q 13.71

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.68 Q 20.46

89.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.01 Q 7.69

102.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.54 $44.54

$11.11 Q 84.9

300.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$5.17 Q 39.48

-38.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 $29.41

$10.66 Q 81.5

175.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.37 Q 10.47

4.38%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

2.13%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

4.74%

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

$185 $185

$73.1 Q 559

153.63%

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

$49.03 $49.03

$29.48 Q 225

66.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$45.73 Q 349

44.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 $61.7

$38.04 Q 291

62.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 $13.19

$6.57 Q 50.2

100.76%

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

$1,821 $1,821

$338 Q 2,582

438.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,101 $7,101

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-55.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 $50.7

$49.96 Q 382

1.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.19 $32.19

$47.37 Q 362

-32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 $69.2

$119 Q 908

-41.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 $98.5

$111 Q 845

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 $1,241

$835 Q 6,383

48.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 $1,122

$538 Q 4,114

108.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,568 Q 12.0K

44.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 $1,939

$823 Q 6,292

135.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,528 $3,528

$2,041 Q 15.6K

72.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,807 $2,807

$1,099 Q 8,398

155.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,826 $3,826

$846 Q 6,463

352.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

11.62

-45.96%

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

Last update for Chico, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chico, CA

$1.1K 44.9%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 52% $583

Groceries & Markets

Chico, CA

$435 17.4%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 34.9% $152

Eating Out

Chico, CA

$377 15.1%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 57.8% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chico, CA

$301 12%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 50.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Chico, CA

$113 4.5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 30.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chico, CA

$88 3.5%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 41.9% $37

Getting Around

Chico, CA

$65 2.6%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 68.8% $45

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 $1,241 in Chico, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chico, CA pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Chico, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $435 vs $283, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chico, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

2 h ahead of Chico, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,316

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.58 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chico, CA Guatemala City 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chico, CA
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

Chico, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Chico, CA is about 4.5 times higher, 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: $1,241 in Chico, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,821 in Chico, CA versus $338 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Guatemala City runs roughly 75% less than in Chico, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Chico, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.