Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Aliso Viejo, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,002 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guatemala City, Guatemala
Aliso Viejo, CA, United States
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Aliso Viejo, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$4,002
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Aliso Viejo, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guatemala City and in Aliso Viejo, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $4,002 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

  • Guatemala City $1,347
  • Aliso Viejo, CA $4,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $5,996 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

  • Guatemala City $2,028
  • Aliso Viejo, CA $5,996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $7,990 in Aliso Viejo, CA.

  • Guatemala City $2,710
  • Aliso Viejo, CA $7,990

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 66% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.76 Q 59.3
$24.74 $24.74
-68.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.88 Q 381
$101 $101
-50.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.72 Q 59.0
$14.10 $14.10
-45.25%
Cappuccino
$3.31 Q 25.28
$5.98 $5.98
-44.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.98
$3.59 $3.59
-67.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 Q 7.75
$2.75 $2.75
-63.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 Q 24.29
$8.58 $8.58
-62.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 Q 36.00
$10.07 $10.07
-53.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 Q 15.88
$1.14 $1.14
82.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 Q 23.78
$4.85 $4.85
-35.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 Q 16.19
$4.74 $4.74
-55.27%
Eggs
$2.44 Q 18.68
$4.98 $4.98
-51.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.19 Q 47.28
$10.89 $10.89
-43.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.64 Q 73.7
$16.01 $16.01
-39.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.48 Q 103
$17.85 $17.85
-24.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 Q 30.43
$5.57 $5.57
-28.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 Q 12.58
$1.71 $1.71
-3.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 Q 21.66
$4.99 $4.99
-43.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.63 Q 12.48
$6.68 $6.68
-75.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 Q 11.70
$3.57 $3.57
-57.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 Q 16.63
$2.79 $2.79
-21.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 Q 5.26
$2.27 $2.27
-69.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.94
$2.54 $2.54
-53.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.01 Q 30.62
$11.99 $11.99
-66.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.08 Q 61.7
$14.82 $14.82
-45.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 Q 13.71
$1.81 $1.81
-1.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 Q 20.46
$2.79 $2.79
-3.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 Q 7.69
$2.93 $2.93
-65.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.11 Q 84.9
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.17 Q 39.48
$4.41 $4.41
17.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.20 $2.20
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.66 Q 81.5
$36.69 $36.69
-70.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 Q 10.47
$1.64 $1.64
-16.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K Q 207.4K
$34.5K $34.5K
-21.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K Q 190.7K
$26.8K $26.8K
-6.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 Q 559
$213 $213
-65.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.48 Q 225
$70.4 $70.4
-58.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.73 Q 349
$72.5 $72.5
-36.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.04 Q 291
$38.99 $38.99
-2.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.79 Q 97.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 Q 50.2
$17.76 $17.76
-63.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 Q 2,582
$1,741 $1,741
-80.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K Q 120.8K
$35.9K $35.9K
-56.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.96 Q 382
$74.0 $74.0
-32.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.37 Q 362
$68.4 $68.4
-30.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 Q 908
$116 $116
2.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 Q 845
$158 $158
-29.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$835 Q 6,383
$2,812 $2,812
-70.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$538 Q 4,114
$2,501 $2,501
-78.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 Q 12.0K
$4,099 $4,099
-61.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$823 Q 6,292
$4,574 $4,574
-82.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,041 Q 15.6K
$7,239 $7,239
-71.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,099 Q 8,398
$6,433 $6,433
-82.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guatemala City
Aliso Viejo, CA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$846 Q 6,463
$7,833 $7,833
-89.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
6.91
68.16%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
$538
Aliso Viejo, CA
$2.5K 365% $2K
Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
$283
Aliso Viejo, CA
$457 61.4% $174
Eating Out
Guatemala City
$159
Aliso Viejo, CA
$400 152% $241
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
$148
Aliso Viejo, CA
$355 140% $207
Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
$147
Aliso Viejo, CA
$187 27.4% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
$51
Aliso Viejo, CA
$75 45.6% $23
Getting Around
Guatemala City
$20 *
Aliso Viejo, CA
$27 * 33.6% $6.8

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 $835 in Guatemala City and $2,812 in Aliso Viejo, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $101 in Aliso Viejo, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $457 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA
🕒 Local time
12:54 12:54 PM
10:54 10:54 AM
2 h behind Guatemala City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,450,212 Capital
41,489
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guatemala City Aliso Viejo, CA 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guatemala City
  • Aliso Viejo, CA

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
Guatemala City vs Aliso Viejo, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Guatemala City and in Aliso Viejo, CA?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,347 in Guatemala City and $4,002 in Aliso Viejo, CA, so Guatemala City is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Guatemala City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Guatemala City and in Aliso Viejo, CA?
Rent for a central apartment: $835 in Guatemala City versus $2,812 in Aliso Viejo, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Guatemala City or Aliso Viejo, CA?
All in, you’ll spend $1,347 per month in Guatemala City versus $4,002 in Aliso Viejo, CA – Guatemala City is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 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.
Where should families live: Guatemala City or Aliso Viejo, CA?
For families, Guatemala City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aliso Viejo, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
How do I decide between Guatemala City and Aliso Viejo, CA?
It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Aliso Viejo, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Guatemala City vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?