Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,294 a month against $1,347 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Guatemala City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
Learn more

Tijuana Living Index

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Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $1,294 in Tijuana.

Guatemala City $1,347
Tijuana $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $2,004 in Tijuana.

Guatemala City $2,028
Tijuana $2,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $2,713 in Tijuana.

Guatemala City $2,710
Tijuana $2,713

Living in Guatemala City is roughly 4% more expensive than in Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 Q 59.3

$12.22 MX$230

-36.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 Q 381

$33.03 MX$620

51.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 Q 59.0

$9.52 MX$179

-18.91%

Cappuccino

$3.31 Q 25.28

$4.17 MX$78.4

-20.62%

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

$1.17 Q 8.98

$1.35 MX$25.31

-13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 Q 7.75

$1.18 MX$22.22

-14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.29

$3.20 MX$60.1

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 Q 36.00

$6.50 MX$122

-27.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 Q 15.88

$1.78 MX$33.47

16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 Q 23.78

$2.85 MX$53.5

9.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 Q 16.19

$1.87 MX$35.15

13.37%

Eggs

$2.44 Q 18.68

$3.24 MX$60.9

-24.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 Q 47.28

$8.11 MX$152

-23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 Q 73.7

$7.24 MX$136

33.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 Q 103

$11.34 MX$213

18.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.43

$2.73 MX$51.3

45.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.58

$1.64 MX$30.76

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.66

$1.86 MX$34.87

52.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.48

$1.46 MX$27.40

11.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$1.49 MX$27.96

2.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 Q 16.63

$1.73 MX$32.43

26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.26

$1.43 MX$26.76

-51.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.94

$1.02 MX$19.20

14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.62

$4.19 MX$78.8

-4.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 Q 61.7

$7.92 MX$149

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Q 13.71

$2.16 MX$40.60

-17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.46

$3.91 MX$73.4

-31.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

$0.93 MX$17.44

8.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

$37.25 MX$700

-70.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.48

$2.75 MX$51.7

88.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 MX$39.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$18.58 MX$349

-42.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 Q 10.47

$1.52 MX$28.62

-9.87%

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

$27.1K Q 207.4K

$24.0K MX$450.6K

13.08%

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

$24.9K Q 190.7K

$23.6K MX$443.1K

5.74%

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

$73.1 Q 559

$47.30 MX$888

54.52%

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

$29.48 Q 225

$33.20 MX$624

-11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.73 Q 349

$28.87 MX$542

58.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 Q 291

$35.21 MX$661

8.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

$7.85 MX$147

62.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 Q 50.2

$6.52 MX$123

0.77%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$205 MX$3,856

64.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K Q 120.8K

$4,596 MX$86.3K

243.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.96 Q 382

$53.8 MX$1,010

-7.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 Q 362

$45.86 MX$861

3.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 908

$99.7 MX$1,872

19.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$69.1 MX$1,297

60.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 Q 6,383

$846 MX$15.9K

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 Q 4,114

$486 MX$9,127

10.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 Q 12.0K

$1,481 MX$27.8K

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,292

$889 MX$16.7K

-7.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

$3,091 MX$58.0K

-33.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

$2,778 MX$52.2K

-60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,463

$1,090 MX$20.5K

-22.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.6

0.17%

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

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Tijuana: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$538 40%

Tijuana

$486 37.6% 9.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$283 21%

Tijuana

$260 20.1% 8.1% $23

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$159 11.8%

Tijuana

$216 16.7% 35.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$148 11%

Tijuana

$109 8.5% 26.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Tijuana

$121 9.3% 17.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$51 3.8%

Tijuana

$48 3.7% 5.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

Tijuana

$54 4.2% 167% $34

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 $846 in Tijuana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tijuana pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $33 in Tijuana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $260 per month, with Tijuana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

2 h behind Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

1,810,645

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 = 8.58 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guatemala City Tijuana 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala City
Tijuana

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 Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tijuana wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tijuana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $846 in Tijuana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tijuana – a meal for two runs $33 versus $50 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,347 per month in Guatemala City versus $1,294 in Tijuana – Tijuana is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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