Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colima and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Colima versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango.

Colima $941
Quetzaltenango $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Colima versus $1,443 in Quetzaltenango.

Colima $1,533
Quetzaltenango $1,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Colima versus $1,747 in Quetzaltenango.

Colima $2,125
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Living in Colima costs roughly 17% less than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colima 31% lower, Quetzaltenango 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 MX$138

$6.77 Q 51.7

8.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.08 MX$602

$50.9 Q 389

-36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 MX$134

$7.68 Q 58.7

-6.90%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MX$39.23

$3.36 Q 25.69

-37.80%

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

$0.97 MX$18.25

$1.10 Q 8.40

-11.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.52

$0.97 Q 7.44

-14.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$3.33 Q 25.45

-33.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$46.62

$4.62 Q 35.27

-46.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$2.10 Q 16.01

-28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.64

$2.57 Q 19.64

-1.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.37

$2.05 Q 15.69

-44.39%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.0

$2.36 Q 18.05

17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$6.37 Q 48.69

28.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 MX$156

$7.92 Q 60.5

4.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MX$182

$13.09 Q 100

-25.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.6

$2.96 Q 22.58

-5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.42

$1.72 Q 13.14

-21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.65

$2.92 Q 22.34

-42.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.79

$1.60 Q 12.20

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 MX$43.04

$1.54 Q 11.73

48.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$42.59

$2.20 Q 16.79

3.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$0.74 Q 5.65

98.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.89

$1.16 Q 8.90

-4.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$70.1

$3.35 Q 25.61

11.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$119

$8.04 Q 61.5

-20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.96

$1.78 Q 13.57

-16.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.53

$2.60 Q 19.84

-33.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MX$46.74

$5.12 Q 39.12

-51.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 MX$52.0

$1.72 Q 13.16

61.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.16 MX$172

$10.34 Q 79.0

-11.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$1.33 Q 10.14

3.76%

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

$22.1K MX$415.8K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-19.65%

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

$22.0K MX$412.4K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

-15.01%

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

$65.5 MX$1,229

$72.2 Q 551

-9.28%

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

$19.85 MX$373

$12.97 Q 99.1

53.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$537

$46.36 Q 354

-38.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MX$650

$33.27 Q 254

4.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$402

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$88.0

$6.34 Q 48.46

-26.18%

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

$141 MX$2,652

$342 Q 2,613

-58.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,527 MX$47.4K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

-62.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MX$837

$48.78 Q 373

-8.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.99 MX$469

$47.81 Q 365

-47.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MX$1,376

$110 Q 839

-33.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MX$1,840

$112 Q 853

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 MX$4,825

$399 Q 3,052

-35.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 MX$4,931

$389 Q 2,971

-32.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,926

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 MX$5,261

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.62

-2.75%

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

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colima

$263 27.9%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 48% $126

Groceries & Markets

Colima

$245 26%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 7.4% $18

Eating Out

Colima

$129 13.7%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 18% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colima

$114 12.1%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 15.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Colima

$108 11.5%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 32% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Colima

$44 4.7%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 4.5% $2

Getting Around

Colima

$39 4.1%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 64.4% $25

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 $257 in Colima and $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Colima vs $51 in Quetzaltenango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $263 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Colima

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

Same time as Colima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

146,965

500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colima Quetzaltenango 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Colima
Quetzaltenango

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

Colima vs Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $941 in Colima and $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, so Colima is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,412 in Colima and $1,707 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: $257 in Colima versus $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $141 in Colima 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 Colima – a meal for two runs $32 versus $51 in Quetzaltenango. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.