Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Guatemala City vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Guatemala City $1,334
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,040 per month in Guatemala City vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Guatemala City $2,040
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,746 per month in Guatemala City vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Guatemala City $2,746
Budapest $3,489

Guatemala City is about 18% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guatemala City and Budapest sit above the global median – Guatemala City by 0%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 Q 52.2

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-51.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.83 Q 381

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-22.49%

Cappuccino

$3.24 Q 24.80

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-4.14%

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

$1.11 Q 8.46

$2.13 Ft 693

-47.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 Q 7.49

$1.87 Ft 609

-47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 Q 24.59

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-14.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 Q 37.30

$3.57 Ft 1,163

36.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 Q 16.11

$1.13 Ft 369

86.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 Q 23.22

$1.84 Ft 600

65.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$2.39 Ft 777

-12.55%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.15

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-34.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 Q 47.10

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-45.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 Q 73.0

$6.74 Ft 2,194

41.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.51 Q 103

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-8.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$1.84 Ft 598

117.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 Q 13.05

$2.01 Ft 654

-14.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.63

$2.36 Ft 767

19.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.61

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-56.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Q 11.37

$0.96 Ft 314

55.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.21

$1.03 Ft 335

105.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.20

$1.56 Ft 509

-56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Q 9.16

$0.66 Ft 216

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 Q 31.39

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-48.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 Q 61.9

$6.01 Ft 1,956

34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.30

$1.30 Ft 422

33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Q 20.83

$2.08 Ft 677

31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Q 9.88

$1.50 Ft 490

-14.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.31 Q 109

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-48.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 Q 39.46

$3.30 Ft 1,075

56.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 Q 79.9

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-47.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.17

$1.81 Ft 591

-26.52%

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

$27.3K Q 208.8K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-6.82%

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

$25.3K Q 193.6K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-25.74%

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

$73.2 Q 559

$170 Ft 55.3K

-56.94%

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

$28.62 Q 219

$23.98 Ft 7,809

19.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.27 Q 346

$23.42 Ft 7,628

93.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 Q 307

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-39.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 Q 101

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-31.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-30.67%

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

$334 Q 2,554

$537 Ft 174.8K

-37.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,809 Q 52.0K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-59.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.72 Q 380

$101 Ft 33.0K

-50.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 Q 368

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

11.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 Q 916

$113 Ft 36.7K

6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$119 Ft 38.7K

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 Q 6,396

$805 Ft 262.2K

3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 Q 4,082

$629 Ft 204.9K

-15.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 Q 11.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 Q 6,139

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-31.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,071 Q 15.8K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-63.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 Q 8,344

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-72.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 Q 6,425

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-48.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.43

80.72%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$534 39.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 17.8% $95

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 8.8% $25

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$151 11.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 48.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$148 11.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 13.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$147 11%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 47.8% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 59.7% $32

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 76.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $837 in Guatemala City versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Guatemala City versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Guatemala City vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

05:51 5:51 AM

8 h ahead of Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala City Budapest 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Guatemala City and $2,432 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Guatemala City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $334 per month in Guatemala City and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guatemala City, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Guatemala City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Guatemala City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.