Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,342 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,342

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,342 in Guatemala City versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango.

Guatemala City $1,342
Quetzaltenango $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,012 in Guatemala City versus $1,443 in Quetzaltenango.

Guatemala City $2,012
Quetzaltenango $1,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,682 in Guatemala City versus $1,747 in Quetzaltenango.

Guatemala City $2,682
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Living in Guatemala City is roughly 18% more expensive than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.70 Q 51.2

$6.77 Q 51.7

-1.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 Q 384

$50.9 Q 389

-1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 Q 59.1

$7.68 Q 58.7

0.65%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.64

$3.36 Q 25.69

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

$1.10 Q 8.40

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 Q 7.16

$0.97 Q 7.44

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.63

$3.33 Q 25.45

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 Q 35.89

$4.62 Q 35.27

1.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 Q 15.94

$2.10 Q 16.01

-0.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 Q 23.06

$2.57 Q 19.64

17.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 Q 15.41

$2.05 Q 15.69

-1.46%

Eggs

$2.46 Q 18.79

$2.36 Q 18.05

4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 Q 47.58

$6.37 Q 48.69

-2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 Q 70.5

$7.92 Q 60.5

16.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 Q 101

$13.09 Q 100

1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 Q 30.30

$2.96 Q 22.58

33.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.15

$1.72 Q 13.14

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 Q 22.26

$2.92 Q 22.34

-0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 Q 12.29

$1.60 Q 12.20

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.72

$1.54 Q 11.73

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 Q 16.52

$2.20 Q 16.79

-1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.62

$0.74 Q 5.65

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.82

$1.16 Q 8.90

-0.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 Q 30.21

$3.35 Q 25.61

17.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 Q 63.6

$8.04 Q 61.5

3.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.78 Q 13.57

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 Q 20.21

$2.60 Q 19.84

1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 Q 7.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.02 Q 84.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 Q 40.89

$5.12 Q 39.12

4.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.16

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 Q 79.5

$10.34 Q 79.0

0.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 Q 10.25

$1.33 Q 10.14

0.75%

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

$26.9K Q 205.9K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-2.27%

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

$25.1K Q 192.0K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

-2.78%

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

$73.9 Q 565

$72.2 Q 551

2.40%

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

$28.90 Q 221

$12.97 Q 99.1

122.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.99 Q 351

$46.36 Q 354

-0.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.09 Q 283

$33.27 Q 254

11.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 Q 101

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 Q 48.15

$6.34 Q 48.46

-0.63%

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

$347 Q 2,651

$342 Q 2,613

1.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,617 Q 50.6K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

-2.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.69 Q 372

$48.78 Q 373

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.32 Q 369

$47.81 Q 365

1.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 Q 903

$110 Q 839

7.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 849

$112 Q 853

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 Q 6,237

$399 Q 3,052

104.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 Q 4,166

$389 Q 2,971

40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 Q 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 Q 6,279

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,038 Q 15.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,100 Q 8,403

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$866 Q 6,615

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

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

Last update for Guatemala City: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$545 40.6%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 28.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$280 20.8%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 5.9% $16

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$151 11.3%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$149 11.1%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 11.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 2.5% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$50 3.7%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 7.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 32.5% $6.6

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 $816 in Guatemala City and $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $51 in Quetzaltenango. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $263, with Quetzaltenango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

Same time as Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quetzaltenango the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,013 in Guatemala City and $1,707 in Quetzaltenango 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: $816 in Guatemala City versus $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,342 per month in Guatemala City versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango – Quetzaltenango is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Guatemala City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Quetzaltenango 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.