Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,334 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Guatemala City $1,334
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,040 in Guatemala City versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Guatemala City $2,040
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Guatemala City versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Guatemala City $2,746
Montreal $4,092

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 33% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guatemala City 0% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 Q 52.2

$19.31 CA$27.46

-64.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.83 Q 381

$75.5 CA$107

-34.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$10.63 CA$15.11

-27.38%

Cappuccino

$3.24 Q 24.80

$3.93 CA$5.58

-17.56%

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

$1.11 Q 8.46

$1.92 CA$2.73

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 Q 7.49

$1.48 CA$2.11

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 Q 24.59

$6.30 CA$8.96

-48.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 Q 37.30

$7.19 CA$10.22

-32.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 Q 16.11

$2.22 CA$3.16

-4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 Q 23.22

$3.06 CA$4.35

-0.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$2.94 CA$4.18

-28.91%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.15

$3.53 CA$5.02

-28.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 Q 47.10

$13.19 CA$18.76

-53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 Q 73.0

$11.24 CA$15.98

-15.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.51 Q 103

$13.81 CA$19.65

-2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$3.40 CA$4.84

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 Q 13.05

$1.44 CA$2.05

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.63

$3.26 CA$4.64

-13.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.61

$2.88 CA$4.09

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 Q 11.37

$1.86 CA$2.64

-19.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.21

$1.82 CA$2.60

16.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.20

$2.43 CA$3.45

-72.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Q 9.16

$1.52 CA$2.17

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 Q 31.39

$11.45 CA$16.29

-64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 Q 61.9

$10.36 CA$14.73

-21.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.30

$2.22 CA$3.15

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Q 20.83

$2.82 CA$4.01

-3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Q 9.88

$2.58 CA$3.66

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.31 Q 109

$76.9 CA$109

-81.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 Q 39.46

$3.25 CA$4.63

58.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 Q 79.9

$33.04 CA$46.99

-68.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.17

$1.36 CA$1.93

-2.21%

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

$27.3K Q 208.8K

$27.4K CA$39.0K

-0.36%

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

$25.3K Q 193.6K

$20.0K CA$28.4K

26.79%

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

$73.2 Q 559

$76.1 CA$108

-3.86%

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

$28.62 Q 219

$34.68 CA$49.32

-17.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.27 Q 346

$42.69 CA$60.7

6.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 Q 307

$28.94 CA$41.17

38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 Q 101

$20.33 CA$28.91

-34.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$11.21 CA$15.94

-41.12%

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

$334 Q 2,554

$505 CA$718

-33.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,809 Q 52.0K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-57.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.72 Q 380

$58.5 CA$83.2

-15.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 Q 368

$38.00 CA$54.1

26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 Q 916

$92.7 CA$132

29.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$106 CA$150

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 Q 6,396

$1,240 CA$1,764

-32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 Q 4,082

$986 CA$1,402

-45.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 Q 11.7K

$2,102 CA$2,990

-26.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 Q 6,139

$1,615 CA$2,297

-50.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,071 Q 15.8K

$5,043 CA$7,173

-58.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 Q 8,344

$3,830 CA$5,447

-71.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 Q 6,425

$2,920 CA$4,154

-71.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

4.46

160.54%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$534 39.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 84.6% $452

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21.1%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 21.6% $61

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$151 11.3%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 94% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$148 11.1%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 10.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$147 11%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 4.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 3.8% $2

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 297% $73

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 $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 247% 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 $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $344 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

2 h ahead of Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala City Montreal 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 247% lower in Montreal. 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 $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,334 per month in Guatemala City versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,334 in Guatemala City versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guatemala City but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Guatemala City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guatemala City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,334 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guatemala City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Guatemala City and Montreal 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 50% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.