Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Fullerton, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,467 in Fullerton, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guatemala City, Guatemala
Fullerton, CA, United States
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Fullerton, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,467
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Fullerton, 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 Fullerton, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,347 per month in Guatemala City vs $3,467 in Fullerton, CA, rent included.

  • Guatemala City $1,347
  • Fullerton, CA $3,467

A couple spends around $2,028 per month in Guatemala City vs $5,366 in Fullerton, CA, rent included.

  • Guatemala City $2,028
  • Fullerton, CA $5,366

A family of three spends $2,710 per month in Guatemala City vs $7,266 in Fullerton, CA, rent included.

  • Guatemala City $2,710
  • Fullerton, CA $7,266

Guatemala City is about 61% cheaper than Fullerton, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.76 Q 59.3
$24.65 $24.65
-68.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.88 Q 381
$77.3 $77.3
-35.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.72 Q 59.0
$11.69 $11.69
-33.96%
Cappuccino
$3.31 Q 25.28
$5.59 $5.59
-40.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.98
$2.78 $2.78
-57.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 Q 7.75
$1.94 $1.94
-47.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 Q 24.29
$7.41 $7.41
-57.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 Q 36.00
$10.01 $10.01
-52.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 Q 15.88
$1.41 $1.41
47.52%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 Q 23.78
$5.17 $5.17
-39.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 Q 16.19
$4.27 $4.27
-50.35%
Eggs
$2.44 Q 18.68
$4.99 $4.99
-51.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.19 Q 47.28
$12.24 $12.24
-49.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.64 Q 73.7
$9.05 $9.05
6.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.48 Q 103
$15.59 $15.59
-13.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 Q 30.43
$4.67 $4.67
-14.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 Q 12.58
$1.76 $1.76
-6.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 Q 21.66
$4.06 $4.06
-30.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.63 Q 12.48
$6.58 $6.58
-75.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 Q 11.70
$3.69 $3.69
-58.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 Q 16.63
$3.23 $3.23
-32.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 Q 5.26
$2.17 $2.17
-68.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.94
$2.45 $2.45
-52.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.01 Q 30.62
$11.94 $11.94
-66.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.08 Q 61.7
$14.80 $14.80
-45.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 Q 13.71
$1.69 $1.69
5.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 Q 20.46
$3.80 $3.80
-29.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 Q 7.69
$2.29 $2.29
-55.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.11 Q 84.9
$63.5 $63.5
-82.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.17 Q 39.48
$4.60 $4.60
12.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.81 $1.81
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.66 Q 81.5
$36.02 $36.02
-70.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 Q 10.47
$1.52 $1.52
-9.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K Q 207.4K
$28.1K $28.1K
-3.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K Q 190.7K
$26.0K $26.0K
-4.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 Q 559
$214 $214
-65.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.48 Q 225
$84.8 $84.8
-65.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.73 Q 349
$73.6 $73.6
-37.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.04 Q 291
$40.78 $40.78
-6.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.79 Q 97.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 Q 50.2
$11.92 $11.92
-44.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 Q 2,582
$1,383 $1,383
-75.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K Q 120.8K
$12.8K $12.8K
23.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.96 Q 382
$74.2 $74.2
-32.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.37 Q 362
$41.17 $41.17
15.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 Q 908
$89.4 $89.4
32.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 Q 845
$120 $120
-7.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$835 Q 6,383
$2,632 $2,632
-68.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$538 Q 4,114
$2,007 $2,007
-73.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 Q 12.0K
$4,048 $4,048
-61.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$823 Q 6,292
$4,074 $4,074
-79.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,041 Q 15.6K
$5,434 $5,434
-62.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,099 Q 8,398
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guatemala City
Fullerton, CA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$846 Q 6,463
$4,646 $4,646
-81.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
6.31
84.15%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Fullerton, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
$538
Fullerton, CA
$2K 273% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
$283
Fullerton, CA
$416 47% $133
Eating Out
Guatemala City
$159
Fullerton, CA
$375 136% $216
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
$148
Fullerton, CA
$372 151% $224
Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
$147
Fullerton, CA
$146 0.7% $1.1
Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
$51
Fullerton, CA
$65 26.3% $13
Getting Around
Guatemala City
$20 *
Fullerton, CA
$86 325% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $835 in Guatemala City versus $2,632 in Fullerton, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fullerton, CA are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Guatemala City versus $77 in Fullerton, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $416 – making Guatemala City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🇺🇸 Fullerton, CA
🕒 Local time
05:49 5:49 AM
03:49 3:49 AM
2 h behind Guatemala City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,450,212 Capital
135,161
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 Fullerton, CA 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guatemala City
  • Fullerton, 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 Fullerton, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Guatemala City and in Fullerton, CA compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City, $3,467 in Fullerton, CA – Guatemala City comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Guatemala City compared to Fullerton, CA?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,021 per month in Guatemala City and $5,201 in Fullerton, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Guatemala City and Fullerton, CA?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guatemala City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $835 there versus $2,632 in Fullerton, CA.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Guatemala City and Fullerton, CA?
Kindergarten costs $338 per month in Guatemala City and $1,383 in Fullerton, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 47% more in Fullerton, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,347 in Guatemala City and $3,467 in Fullerton, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Guatemala City and Fullerton, CA?
It depends on your priorities. Fullerton, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,347 in Guatemala City to $3,467 in Fullerton, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Guatemala City and Fullerton, CA?
If budget matters most, go with Guatemala City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fullerton, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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