Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $41,300 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
232

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
Learn more

Los Gatos, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA.

Guatemala City $1,347
Los Gatos, CA $4,787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $7,200 in Los Gatos, CA.

Guatemala City $2,028
Los Gatos, CA $7,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $9,613 in Los Gatos, CA.

Guatemala City $2,710
Los Gatos, CA $9,613

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 72% less than in Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 Q 59.3

$25.47 $25.47

-69.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 Q 381

$98.0 $98.0

-49.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$15.24 $15.24

-49.34%

Cappuccino

$3.31 Q 25.28

$6.51 $6.51

-49.16%

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

$1.17 Q 8.98

$2.92 $2.92

-59.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 Q 7.75

$2.57 $2.57

-60.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.29

$7.90 $7.90

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 Q 36.00

$8.05 $8.05

-41.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 Q 15.88

$1.28 $1.28

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.78

$4.20 $4.20

-25.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.19

$4.77 $4.77

-55.56%

Eggs

$2.44 Q 18.68

$6.62 $6.62

-63.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 Q 47.28

$24.66 $24.66

-74.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 Q 73.7

$11.61 $11.61

-16.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 Q 103

$13.16 $13.16

2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.43

$5.35 $5.35

-25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.58

$3.17 $3.17

-47.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.66

$4.91 $4.91

-42.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.48

$5.93 $5.93

-72.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$3.29 $3.29

-53.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 Q 16.63

$3.97 $3.97

-45.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.26

$3.05 $3.05

-77.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.94

$2.63 $2.63

-55.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.62

$11.98 $11.98

-66.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 Q 61.7

$13.10 $13.10

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Q 13.71

$2.13 $2.13

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.46

$2.47 $2.47

8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.48

$4.11 $4.11

25.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$35.36 $35.36

-69.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 Q 10.47

$1.57 $1.57

-12.74%

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

$27.1K Q 207.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

-2.90%

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

$24.9K Q 190.7K

$26.8K $26.8K

-7.02%

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

$73.1 Q 559

$371 $371

-80.28%

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

$29.48 Q 225

$58.7 $58.7

-49.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.73 Q 349

$64.3 $64.3

-28.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 Q 291

$145 $145

-73.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 Q 50.2

$16.95 $16.95

-61.24%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$2,150 $2,150

-84.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K Q 120.8K

$20.3K $20.3K

-21.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.96 Q 382

$51.3 $51.3

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 Q 362

$39.25 $39.25

20.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 908

$75.2 $75.2

57.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$60.2 $60.2

83.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 Q 6,383

$3,504 $3,504

-76.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 Q 4,114

$3,124 $3,124

-82.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 Q 12.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,292

$6,054 $6,054

-86.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

$3,481 $3,481

-41.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,463

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.69

73.69%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$538 40%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3% 480% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21%

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8% 66.3% $187

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$159 11.8%

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5% 155% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$148 11%

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3% 233% $345

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 30.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$51 3.8%

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7% 250% $128

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3% 34.8% $7.1

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 $835 in Guatemala City and $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $98 in Los Gatos, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $470 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

2 h behind Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

30,222

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala City Los Gatos, CA 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Los Gatos, 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 Los Gatos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Los Gatos, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,021 in Guatemala City and $7,181 in Los Gatos, CA 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: $835 in Guatemala City versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $338 in Guatemala City versus $2,150 in Los Gatos, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $98 in Los Gatos, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.