Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and San Dimas, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,583 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $2,583 in San Dimas, CA.

Guatemala City $1,347
San Dimas, CA $2,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $3,870 in San Dimas, CA.

Guatemala City $2,028
San Dimas, CA $3,870

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $5,157 in San Dimas, CA.

Guatemala City $2,710
San Dimas, CA $5,157

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 48% less than in San Dimas, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 Q 59.3

$11.83 $11.83

-34.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 Q 381

$49.29 $49.29

1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$9.24 $9.24

-16.45%

Cappuccino

$3.31 Q 25.28

$5.98 $5.98

-44.65%

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

$1.17 Q 8.98

$3.43 $3.43

-65.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 Q 7.75

$2.46 $2.46

-58.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.29

$7.55 $7.55

-57.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 Q 36.00

$8.14 $8.14

-42.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 Q 15.88

$1.09 $1.09

90.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.78

$4.08 $4.08

-23.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.19

$4.71 $4.71

-54.99%

Eggs

$2.44 Q 18.68

$4.77 $4.77

-48.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 Q 47.28

$12.97 $12.97

-52.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 Q 73.7

$20.40 $20.40

-52.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 Q 103

$15.71 $15.71

-14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.43

$5.02 $5.02

-20.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.58

$1.72 $1.72

-4.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.66

$5.67 $5.67

-50.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.48

$5.76 $5.76

-71.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$3.70 $3.70

-58.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 Q 16.63

$2.22 $2.22

-1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.26

$1.95 $1.95

-64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.94

$1.93 $1.93

-39.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.62

$11.77 $11.77

-65.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 Q 61.7

$15.17 $15.17

-46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Q 13.71

$1.94 $1.94

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.46

$4.24 $4.24

-36.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

$1.71 $1.71

-40.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

$54.6 $54.6

-79.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.48

$3.15 $3.15

64.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$35.91 $35.91

-70.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 Q 10.47

$1.63 $1.63

-15.95%

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

$27.1K Q 207.4K

$29.4K $29.4K

-7.64%

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

$24.9K Q 190.7K

$27.3K $27.3K

-8.51%

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

$73.1 Q 559

$171 $171

-57.19%

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

$29.48 Q 225

$67.5 $67.5

-56.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.73 Q 349

$59.8 $59.8

-23.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 Q 291

$40.65 $40.65

-6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 Q 50.2

$15.30 $15.30

-57.06%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$1,866 $1,866

-81.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K Q 120.8K

$17.7K $17.7K

-10.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.96 Q 382

$57.9 $57.9

-13.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 Q 362

$39.78 $39.78

19.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 908

$92.4 $92.4

28.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$144 $144

-23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 Q 6,383

$1,602 $1,602

-47.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 Q 4,114

$1,258 $1,258

-57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 Q 12.0K

$2,580 $2,580

-39.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,292

$2,327 $2,327

-64.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

$2,919 $2,919

-30.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

$2,669 $2,669

-58.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,463

$4,030 $4,030

-79.02%

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 San Dimas, CA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$538 40%

San Dimas, CA

$1.3K 48.7% 134% $720

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21%

San Dimas, CA

$460 17.8% 62.5% $177

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$159 11.8%

San Dimas, CA

$272 10.5% 70.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$148 11%

San Dimas, CA

$298 11.5% 101% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.8% 2.4% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$51 3.8%

San Dimas, CA

$71 2.8% 39.2% $20

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

San Dimas, CA

$74 2.9% 265% $54

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 $1,602 in San Dimas, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Dimas, CA pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $49 in San Dimas, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $460, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

2 h behind Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

35,714

💱 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

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Between locations

Guatemala City San Dimas, CA 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
San Dimas, 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 San Dimas, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in San Dimas, CA. 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 79% lower in Guatemala City. 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: $835 in Guatemala City versus $1,602 in San Dimas, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $338 in Guatemala City versus $1,866 in San Dimas, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Guatemala City runs roughly 80% less than in San Dimas, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, San Dimas, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.