Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Bethel, AK

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,380 in Bethel, AK, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Bethel, AK
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Bethel, AK Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Bethel, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Bethel, AK

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $2,380 in Bethel, AK.

Guatemala City $1,347
Bethel, AK $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Guatemala City versus $3,720 in Bethel, AK.

Guatemala City $2,033
Bethel, AK $3,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,719 in Guatemala City versus $5,060 in Bethel, AK.

Guatemala City $2,719
Bethel, AK $5,060

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 43% less than in Bethel, AK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guatemala City is 1% below, Bethel, AK is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.8

$19.36 $19.36

-64.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 Q 387

$70.7 $70.7

-28.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 Q 59.9

$11.78 $11.78

-33.53%

Cappuccino

$3.40 Q 25.97

$4.91 $4.91

-30.75%

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

$1.16 Q 8.88

$2.49 $2.49

-53.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.09

$2.16 $2.16

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 Q 25.11

$6.60 $6.60

-50.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 Q 37.22

$6.31 $6.31

-22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$0.97 $0.97

106.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 Q 23.90

$3.94 $3.94

-20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 Q 15.50

$4.74 $4.74

-57.17%

Eggs

$2.48 Q 18.94

$4.35 $4.35

-42.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.31 Q 48.22

$11.54 $11.54

-45.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 Q 74.0

$13.23 $13.23

-26.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 Q 103

$18.29 $18.29

-26.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 Q 30.04

$5.62 $5.62

-30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.71

$1.42 $1.42

16.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 Q 22.43

$4.08 $4.08

-28.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 Q 12.22

$5.14 $5.14

-68.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.84

$3.14 $3.14

-50.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 Q 16.59

$2.64 $2.64

-17.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.26

$2.45 $2.45

-71.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.76

$1.95 $1.95

-41.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 Q 31.27

$8.64 $8.64

-52.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 Q 63.8

$13.68 $13.68

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.19

$2.06 $2.06

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Q 19.98

$3.48 $3.48

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 Q 9.77

$1.83 $1.83

-30.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.41 Q 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 Q 40.19

$2.82 $2.82

86.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 Q 81.4

$28.49 $28.49

-62.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.17

$1.00 $1.00

33.00%

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

$27.8K Q 212.9K

$26.0K $26.0K

7.13%

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

$25.7K Q 196.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-5.75%

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

$71.3 Q 545

$175 $175

-59.26%

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

$29.00 Q 222

$53.8 $53.8

-46.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.71 Q 349

$72.5 $72.5

-36.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 Q 302

$43.66 $43.66

-9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 Q 101

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 Q 50.4

$15.58 $15.58

-57.70%

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

$346 Q 2,648

$1,600 $1,600

-78.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,573 Q 50.3K

$21.0K $21.0K

-68.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 Q 385

$53.8 $53.8

-6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.66 Q 357

$41.07 $41.07

13.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 Q 901

$95.3 $95.3

23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 Q 876

$123 $123

-7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,291

$1,742 $1,742

-52.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 Q 4,129

$1,117 $1,117

-51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 Q 12.0K

$2,259 $2,259

-30.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 Q 6,357

$2,265 $2,265

-63.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,020 Q 15.4K

$3,049 $3,049

-33.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 Q 8,328

$2,332 $2,332

-53.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 Q 6,545

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.57

76.86%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bethel, AK: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$540 40.1%

Bethel, AK

$1.1K 46.9% 107% $577

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$282 21%

Bethel, AK

$412 17.3% 46% $130

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$153 11.4%

Bethel, AK

$313 13.2% 105% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$148 11%

Bethel, AK

$141 5.9% 4.8% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$146 10.8%

Bethel, AK

$301 12.7% 106% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 3.9%

Bethel, AK

$75 3.1% 42.2% $22

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Bethel, AK

$20 * 0.8% 18.9% $4.7

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 $823 in Guatemala City and $1,742 in Bethel, AK. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51.0 in Guatemala City vs $71.0 in Bethel, AK for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $412 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇺🇸 Bethel, AK

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

2 h behind Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

6,300

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala City Bethel, AK 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Bethel, AK

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 Bethel, AK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City and Bethel, AK differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($1,347 vs $2,380 including rent). Guatemala City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,021 in Guatemala City and $3,570 in Bethel, AK to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $823 in Guatemala City versus $1,742 in Bethel, AK. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Bethel, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,347 per month in Guatemala City versus $2,380 in Bethel, AK – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $2,380 in Bethel, AK, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Bethel, AK. 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.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Bethel, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.