Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairfield, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,978 in Fairfield, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

190

Cost of Living Index in Fairfield, CA
Learn more

Fairfield, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index

Jump to prices

Fairfield, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,978

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,978 in Fairfield, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Fairfield, CA $3,978
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,242 in Fairfield, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Fairfield, CA $5,242
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,507 in Fairfield, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Fairfield, CA $6,507
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Fairfield, CA is roughly 195% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.62 $21.62

$7.76 Q 59.3

178.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 $88.7

$49.88 Q 381

77.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.01 $12.01

$7.72 Q 59.0

55.57%

Cappuccino

$6.94 $6.94

$3.31 Q 25.28

109.67%

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

$3.49 $3.49

$1.17 Q 8.98

198.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.01 Q 7.75

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.18 Q 24.29

150.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.71 Q 36.00

52.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.08 Q 15.88

-32.21%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$3.11 Q 23.78

42.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.12 Q 16.19

120.75%

Eggs

$5.54 $5.54

$2.44 Q 18.68

127.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 $14.08

$6.19 Q 47.28

127.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$9.64 Q 73.7

57.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.77 $17.77

$13.48 Q 103

31.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.98 Q 30.43

53.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.65 Q 12.58

56.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.83 Q 21.66

124.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.60 $6.60

$1.63 Q 12.48

304.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.53 Q 11.70

154.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.18 Q 16.63

62.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.69 Q 5.26

237.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.17 Q 8.94

76.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.87 $11.87

$4.01 Q 30.62

196.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 $10.18

$8.08 Q 61.7

25.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.79 Q 13.71

17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.68 Q 20.46

-20.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.01 Q 7.69

94.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 $87.1

$11.11 Q 84.9

683.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$5.17 Q 39.48

-42.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.14 $29.14

$10.66 Q 81.5

173.36%

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)

$28.2K $28.2K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

3.86%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

4.69%

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

$193 $193

$73.1 Q 559

163.63%

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

$48.25 $48.25

$29.48 Q 225

63.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$45.73 Q 349

59.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$38.04 Q 291

229.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$73.7 $73.7

$12.79 Q 97.8

476.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 $14.61

$6.57 Q 50.2

122.37%

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

$1,293 $1,293

$338 Q 2,582

282.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

41.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$49.96 Q 382

2.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.08 $37.08

$47.37 Q 362

-21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$119 Q 908

-9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$111 Q 845

0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,396 $2,396

$835 Q 6,383

186.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 $2,432

$538 Q 4,114

351.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,100 $3,100

$1,568 Q 12.0K

97.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 $2,967

$823 Q 6,292

260.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,719 $3,719

$2,041 Q 15.6K

82.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,665 $3,665

$1,099 Q 8,398

233.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,749 $4,749

$846 Q 6,463

461.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

11.62

-44.23%

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

Last update for Fairfield, 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

Fairfield, CA

$2.4K 61.1%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 77.9% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Fairfield, CA

$463 11.7%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 38.9% $180

Eating Out

Fairfield, CA

$369 9.3%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 56.8% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairfield, CA

$314 7.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 52.7% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Fairfield, CA

$155 3.9%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 66.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Fairfield, CA

$138 3.5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 6.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Fairfield, CA

$108 2.7%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 81.1% $87

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 $2,396 in Fairfield, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairfield, CA pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Fairfield, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $463 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairfield, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

2 h ahead of Fairfield, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,133

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fairfield, CA Guatemala City 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairfield, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Fairfield, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fairfield, CA is about 5.6 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: $2,396 in Fairfield, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,978 per month in Fairfield, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Guatemala City runs roughly 87% less than in Fairfield, 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.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Fairfield, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.