Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Centro, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,722 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,722 per month in El Centro, CA vs $1,347 in Guatemala City, rent included.

El Centro, CA $2,722
Guatemala City $1,347

A couple spends around $3,943 per month in El Centro, CA vs $2,028 in Guatemala City, rent included.

El Centro, CA $3,943
Guatemala City $2,028

A family of three spends $5,164 per month in El Centro, CA vs $2,710 in Guatemala City, rent included.

El Centro, CA $5,164
Guatemala City $2,710

El Centro, CA costs about 102% more than Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.78 $14.78

$7.76 Q 59.3

90.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.04 $49.04

$49.88 Q 381

-1.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$7.72 Q 59.0

50.26%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.31 Q 25.28

70.39%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$1.17 Q 8.98

138.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.01 Q 7.75

97.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$3.18 Q 24.29

115.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$4.71 Q 36.00

88.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.08 Q 15.88

-44.23%

White Bread (500g)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.11 Q 23.78

86.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.12 Q 16.19

106.13%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.44 Q 18.68

107.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$6.19 Q 47.28

98.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.81 $20.81

$9.64 Q 73.7

115.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$13.48 Q 103

4.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$3.98 Q 30.43

42.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.65 Q 12.58

3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.83 Q 21.66

44.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$1.63 Q 12.48

303.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.53 Q 11.70

132.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.18 Q 16.63

61.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.69 Q 5.26

242.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.17 Q 8.94

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.75 $11.75

$4.01 Q 30.62

193.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.08 Q 61.7

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.79 Q 13.71

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.68 Q 20.46

42.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.01 Q 7.69

101.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.5 $68.5

$11.11 Q 84.9

516.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.63 $4.63

$5.17 Q 39.48

-10.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.13 $36.13

$10.66 Q 81.5

238.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.37 Q 10.47

19.71%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

3.47%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

4.37%

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

$212 $212

$73.1 Q 559

189.38%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$29.48 Q 225

137.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$45.73 Q 349

50.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 $42.87

$38.04 Q 291

12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 $11.82

$6.57 Q 50.2

79.91%

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

$1,867 $1,867

$338 Q 2,582

452.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K $35.2K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

122.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.1 $74.1

$49.96 Q 382

48.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 $41.48

$47.37 Q 362

-12.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 $80.6

$119 Q 908

-32.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$111 Q 845

47.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 $1,486

$835 Q 6,383

77.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$538 Q 4,114

138.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,758 $2,758

$1,568 Q 12.0K

75.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 $2,139

$823 Q 6,292

159.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,642 $2,642

$2,041 Q 15.6K

29.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,647 $2,647

$1,099 Q 8,398

140.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,463

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.62

-43.55%

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

Last update for El Centro, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 47.1%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 58% $743

Groceries & Markets

El Centro, CA

$479 17.6%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 40.9% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Centro, CA

$350 12.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 57.6% $202

Eating Out

El Centro, CA

$292 10.7%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 45.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

El Centro, CA

$162 5.9%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 9.1% $15

Getting Around

El Centro, CA

$91 3.3%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 77.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

El Centro, CA

$67 2.4%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 23.1% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,486 in El Centro, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in El Centro, CA versus $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries tell a different story – $479 in El Centro, CA vs $283 in Guatemala City – so Guatemala City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

12:14 12:14 PM

2 h ahead of El Centro, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,322

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

El Centro, CA Guatemala City 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

El Centro, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,722 in El Centro, CA, $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,082 per month in El Centro, CA and $2,021 in Guatemala City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guatemala City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $835 there versus $1,486 in El Centro, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,722 in El Centro, CA and $1,347 in Guatemala City. That makes Guatemala City about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,867 per month in El Centro, CA and $338 in Guatemala City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,722 in El Centro, CA and $1,347 in Guatemala City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Guatemala City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.