Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downey, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,062 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

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

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,062

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,062 in Downey, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Downey, CA $3,062
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,687 in Downey, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Downey, CA $4,687
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,311 in Downey, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Downey, CA $6,311
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Downey, CA is roughly 127% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$7.76 Q 59.3

222.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$49.88 Q 381

62.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.12 $15.12

$7.72 Q 59.0

95.85%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$3.31 Q 25.28

69.79%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$1.17 Q 8.98

167.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.01 Q 7.75

141.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.71 $7.71

$3.18 Q 24.29

142.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.52 $9.52

$4.71 Q 36.00

102.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.08 Q 15.88

-48.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.11 Q 23.78

28.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.12 Q 16.19

127.36%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$2.44 Q 18.68

99.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$6.19 Q 47.28

112.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$9.64 Q 73.7

37.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$13.48 Q 103

13.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.98 Q 30.43

20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.65 Q 12.58

5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.83 Q 21.66

45.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.63 Q 12.48

235.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.53 Q 11.70

146.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.18 Q 16.63

42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.69 Q 5.26

194.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.17 Q 8.94

100.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$4.01 Q 30.62

194.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$8.08 Q 61.7

83.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.79 Q 13.71

12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.68 Q 20.46

53.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$5.17 Q 39.48

-41.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.71 $36.71

$10.66 Q 81.5

244.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.37 Q 10.47

12.41%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

4.31%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

5.28%

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

$170 $170

$73.1 Q 559

132.54%

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

$66.8 $66.8

$29.48 Q 225

126.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.1 $74.1

$45.73 Q 349

61.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.49 $34.49

$38.04 Q 291

-9.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$6.57 Q 50.2

128.61%

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

$1,161 $1,161

$338 Q 2,582

243.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-20.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$49.96 Q 382

17.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.38 $44.38

$47.37 Q 362

-6.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 $92.1

$119 Q 908

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$111 Q 845

32.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,952 $1,952

$835 Q 6,383

133.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$538 Q 4,114

217.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,729 $3,729

$1,568 Q 12.0K

137.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,275 $3,275

$823 Q 6,292

297.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,602 $5,602

$2,041 Q 15.6K

174.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,623 $5,623

$1,099 Q 8,398

411.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 $4,269

$846 Q 6,463

404.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.62

-45.70%

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

Last update for Downey, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.7%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 68.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Downey, CA

$421 13.8%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 32.9% $138

Eating Out

Downey, CA

$393 12.8%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 59.5% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downey, CA

$311 10.2%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 52.3% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Downey, CA

$154 5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 4.3% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Downey, CA

$65 2.1%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Downey, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 66.5% $8.1

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 $1,952 in Downey, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Downey, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

2 h ahead of Downey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,355

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 = 0.117 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 = 0.89 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

Downey, CA Guatemala City 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Downey, 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

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

Guatemala City is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Downey, CA is about 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: $1,952 in Downey, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,062 per month in Downey, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Downey, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.