Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Guatemala City $1,334
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,040 in Guatemala City versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Guatemala City $2,040
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Guatemala City versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Guatemala City $2,746
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 21% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guatemala City 0% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 Q 52.2

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-63.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.83 Q 381

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-22.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-40.06%

Cappuccino

$3.24 Q 24.80

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-18.59%

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

$1.11 Q 8.46

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-45.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 Q 7.49

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 Q 24.59

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 Q 37.30

$4.60 ARS 6,968

6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 Q 16.11

$1.44 ARS 2,180

46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 Q 23.22

$2.46 ARS 3,737

23.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$1.63 ARS 2,466

28.22%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.15

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 Q 47.10

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-42.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 Q 73.0

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.51 Q 103

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$2.75 ARS 4,165

45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 Q 13.05

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-21.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.63

$1.45 ARS 2,204

95.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.61

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-17.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Q 11.37

$1.24 ARS 1,884

20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.21

$1.27 ARS 1,920

66.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.20

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Q 9.16

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-30.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 Q 31.39

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 Q 61.9

$5.80 ARS 8,787

39.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.30

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-16.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Q 20.83

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Q 9.88

$0.75 ARS 1,131

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.31 Q 109

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-47.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 Q 39.46

$1.62 ARS 2,450

218.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 Q 79.9

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

35.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.17

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-2.21%

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

$27.3K Q 208.8K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-2.44%

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

$25.3K Q 193.6K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-26.65%

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

$73.2 Q 559

$216 ARS 326.8K

-66.05%

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

$28.62 Q 219

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

11.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.27 Q 346

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

44.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 Q 307

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-19.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 Q 101

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-22.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-36.72%

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

$334 Q 2,554

$466 ARS 706.5K

-28.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,809 Q 52.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-24.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.72 Q 380

$122 ARS 185.1K

-59.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 Q 368

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-50.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 Q 916

$117 ARS 177.3K

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$140 ARS 211.8K

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 Q 6,396

$763 ARS 1.2M

9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 Q 4,082

$505 ARS 765.8K

5.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 Q 11.7K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 Q 6,139

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-32.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,071 Q 15.8K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-22.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 Q 8,344

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-41.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 Q 6,425

$954 ARS 1.4M

-11.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

57.25

-79.70%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$534 39.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 5.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$151 11.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 84.7% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$148 11.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 44.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$147 11%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 85.3% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 32.4% $17

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 48.6% $12

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 $837 in Guatemala City and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 14% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $284 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

3 h ahead of Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala City Buenos Aires 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City and Buenos Aires differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,334 vs $1,685 including rent). Guatemala City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Buenos Aires. 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: $837 in Guatemala City versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $334 in Guatemala City versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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 Buenos Aires 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 26% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.