Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,346 a month against $2,399 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,346

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,346 in Guatemala City versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Guatemala City $1,346
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Guatemala City versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Guatemala City $2,023
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,701 in Guatemala City versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Guatemala City $2,701
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 44% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guatemala City 0% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 Q 52.2

$17.94 €15.96

-61.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 Q 385

$68.1 €60.5

-26.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 Q 59.9

$13.28 €11.81

-41.04%

Cappuccino

$3.43 Q 26.24

$3.25 €2.89

5.54%

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

$1.15 Q 8.79

$3.01 €2.67

-61.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 Q 7.48

$1.87 €1.66

-47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.28

$3.85 €3.42

-17.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 Q 35.76

$4.48 €3.98

4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 Q 15.52

$1.29 €1.15

57.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 Q 23.06

$2.04 €1.81

48.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 16.00

$1.72 €1.53

21.51%

Eggs

$2.50 Q 19.09

$4.77 €4.24

-47.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Q 48.71

$16.77 €14.92

-62.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 Q 70.0

$8.93 €7.94

2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 Q 100.0

$19.88 €17.68

-34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.46

$2.98 €2.65

33.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.19

$2.03 €1.80

-15.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 Q 21.97

$2.73 €2.43

5.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.56

$2.68 €2.38

-38.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 Q 11.21

$2.10 €1.87

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 Q 16.47

$2.08 €1.85

3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.23

$1.45 €1.29

-53.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Q 9.14

$0.89 €0.79

34.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 Q 31.83

$6.94 €6.17

-40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 Q 61.0

$7.78 €6.92

2.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.45 €1.29

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Q 20.45

$2.57 €2.29

3.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 Q 9.79

$2.99 €2.66

-57.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.30 Q 109

$25.20 €22.41

-43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 Q 39.07

$3.12 €2.77

63.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.6

$33.50 €29.80

-69.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 Q 10.64

$1.79 €1.59

-22.35%

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

$27.8K Q 212.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-19.66%

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

$25.5K Q 194.9K

$30.1K €26.7K

-15.21%

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

$71.7 Q 548

$178 €158

-59.69%

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

$29.01 Q 222

$13.32 €11.85

117.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.39 Q 355

$34.88 €31.03

33.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 Q 305

$53.3 €47.37

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.94 Q 99.0

$16.01 €14.24

-19.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 Q 49.85

$11.06 €9.84

-41.05%

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

$336 Q 2,565

$957 €851

-64.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,630 Q 50.7K

$16.6K €14.7K

-59.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.45 Q 378

$88.2 €78.4

-43.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 Q 366

$39.49 €35.12

21.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 913

$103 €91.5

16.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 875

$121 €108

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 Q 6,329

$1,653 €1,470

-49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 Q 4,130

$1,302 €1,158

-58.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 Q 11.6K

$2,557 €2,275

-40.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 Q 6,273

$1,915 €1,703

-57.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,017 Q 15.4K

$7,286 €6,481

-72.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Q 8,196

$5,080 €4,519

-78.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 Q 6,602

$2,281 €2,029

-62.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

3.28

254.27%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$540 40.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 141% $762

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$279 20.7%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 14.8% $41

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$153 11.4%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 76.4% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$149 11.1%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 6.3% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 53.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 3.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 42.5% $22

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 93.5% $23

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 $828 in Guatemala City and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 164% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Guatemala City vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $320 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

8 h ahead of Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala City Barcelona 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City and Barcelona differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,346 vs $2,399 including rent). Guatemala City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 164% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $828 in Guatemala City versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $336 in Guatemala City versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,346 in Guatemala City versus $2,399 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Guatemala City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Guatemala City and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.