Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $746 a month against $1,347 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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

Jump to prices

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Guatemala City $1,347
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $1,243 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Guatemala City $2,028
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $1,740 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Guatemala City $2,710
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,740

Living in Guatemala City is roughly 81% more expensive than in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 Q 59.3

$6.96 Q 53.2

11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 Q 381

$49.15 Q 376

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$7.74 Q 59.1

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$3.31 Q 25.28

$3.27 Q 24.98

1.22%

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

$1.17 Q 8.97

$1.15 Q 8.80

1.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 Q 7.75

$0.99 Q 7.60

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.28

$3.33 Q 25.46

-4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 Q 35.99

$4.73 Q 36.13

-0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 Q 15.88

$2.00 Q 15.25

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.77

$3.14 Q 24.00

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.18

$2.06 Q 15.71

2.91%

Eggs

$2.44 Q 18.68

$2.38 Q 18.18

2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 Q 47.27

$6.25 Q 47.76

-0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 Q 73.7

$9.29 Q 71.0

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 Q 103

$13.40 Q 102

0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.42

$3.83 Q 29.29

3.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.58

$1.66 Q 12.69

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.65

$2.87 Q 21.90

-1.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.48

$1.61 Q 12.28

1.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$1.54 Q 11.77

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 Q 16.63

$2.19 Q 16.74

-0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.26

$0.74 Q 5.68

-6.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.93

$1.17 Q 8.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.62

$4.04 Q 30.87

-0.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 Q 61.7

$8.02 Q 61.3

0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Q 13.71

$1.74 Q 13.33

2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.46

$2.61 Q 19.96

2.68%

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

$5.31 Q 40.54

-2.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$10.43 Q 79.7

2.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 Q 10.46

$1.33 Q 10.15

3.01%

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

$27.1K Q 207.3K

$27.7K Q 212.0K

-2.22%

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

$24.9K Q 190.6K

$25.6K Q 195.7K

-2.57%

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

$73.1 Q 558

$71.8 Q 549

1.77%

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

$29.48 Q 225

$28.67 Q 219

2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.73 Q 349

$46.52 Q 355

-1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 Q 291

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 Q 50.2

$6.66 Q 50.9

-1.35%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$337 Q 2,576

0.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K Q 120.8K

$6,557 Q 50.1K

141.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.96 Q 382

$48.91 Q 374

2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 Q 362

$46.72 Q 357

1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 908

$119 Q 910

-0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$115 Q 875

-3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 Q 6,382

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 Q 4,113

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 Q 12.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,291

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,397

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,462

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$538 40%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$159 11.8%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$148 11%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$51 3.8%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $49 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $279 per month, with Santa Lucía Milpas Altas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

Same time as Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

12,234

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala City Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 19 km

From you

Guatemala City
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Lucía Milpas Altas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,021 in Guatemala City and $1,119 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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.

Childcare runs $338 in Guatemala City versus $337 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,347 per month in Guatemala City versus $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas – Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $1,347 in Guatemala City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Lucía Milpas Altas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.