Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,352 in Guatemala, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala
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Guatemala Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,352

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guatemala and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,352 in Guatemala versus $793 in China.

Guatemala $1,352
China $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,108 in Guatemala versus $1,261 in China.

Guatemala $2,108
China $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,865 in Guatemala versus $1,730 in China.

Guatemala $2,865
China $1,730

Living in Guatemala is roughly 70% more expensive than in China on average.

Guatemala (0% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 Q 60.1

$2.96 ¥19.76

165.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.36 Q 377

$22.74 ¥152

117.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$5.34 ¥35.70

51.50%

Cappuccino

$3.60 Q 27.55

$3.04 ¥20.35

18.42%

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

$1.37 Q 10.47

$0.48 ¥3.22

185.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.83

$0.28 ¥1.85

310.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 Q 25.14

$1.03 ¥6.92

219.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 Q 41.00

$2.27 ¥15.16

136.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 Q 15.63

$1.80 ¥12.02

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 Q 25.12

$1.69 ¥11.28

94.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 Q 15.77

$1.00 ¥6.69

106.00%

Eggs

$2.46 Q 18.83

$1.56 ¥10.42

57.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.98 Q 45.76

$13.44 ¥89.8

-55.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 Q 75.9

$3.48 ¥23.28

185.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.39 Q 94.7

$11.49 ¥76.8

7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 Q 31.65

$1.79 ¥12.00

131.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 Q 14.98

$1.26 ¥8.41

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 Q 33.43

$1.48 ¥9.92

195.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.72

$1.31 ¥8.76

26.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Q 14.08

$0.72 ¥4.84

155.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 Q 16.47

$0.93 ¥6.24

131.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 Q 6.24

$0.61 ¥4.11

34.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Q 9.23

$0.58 ¥3.89

108.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.65

$3.84 ¥25.65

4.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 Q 63.7

$11.87 ¥79.4

-29.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Q 17.81

$0.86 ¥5.72

170.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 Q 23.79

$1.69 ¥11.33

84.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 Q 15.16

$0.31 ¥2.07

538.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.19 Q 109

$22.36 ¥150

-36.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.53

$1.47 ¥9.82

251.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$0.38 ¥2.53

352.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$7.03 ¥47.04

51.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.16

$1.24 ¥8.32

7.26%

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

$21.4K Q 163.3K

$19.2K ¥128.5K

11.10%

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

$24.6K Q 188.1K

$17.3K ¥115.6K

42.22%

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

$71.0 Q 543

$54.3 ¥363

30.78%

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

$31.74 Q 243

$8.34 ¥55.7

280.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 Q 392

$10.77 ¥72.0

376.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 Q 317

$40.39 ¥270

2.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 Q 118

$14.77 ¥98.8

4.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$6.89 ¥46.08

-4.21%

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

$356 Q 2,722

$457 ¥3,057

-22.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,545 Q 57.7K

$20.1K ¥134.2K

-62.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.46 Q 363

$45.10 ¥302

5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 Q 378

$35.65 ¥238

38.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 Q 811

$77.9 ¥521

36.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 Q 812

$78.0 ¥522

36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 Q 6,378

$391 ¥2,615

113.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 Q 3,851

$232 ¥1,549

117.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 Q 12.1K

$816 ¥5,457

93.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 Q 6,903

$459 ¥3,070

96.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 Q 17.6K

$4,585 ¥30.7K

-49.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 Q 8,581

$2,309 ¥15.4K

-51.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$641 Q 4,899

$1,084 ¥7,247

-40.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

3.46

235.84%

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

Last update for Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala

$504 37.3%

China

$232 29.2% 54% $272

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala

$297 21.9%

China

$211 26.6% 28.8% $85

Eating Out

Guatemala

$168 12.4%

China

$89 11.2% 47% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala

$154 11.4%

China

$73 9.3% 52.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala

$139 10.3%

China

$107 13.4% 23.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala

$55 4%

China

$54 6.8% 0.8% $0.4

Getting Around

Guatemala

$36 2.7%

China

$27 3.4% 24.9% $9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $174 in Guatemala, $298 in China. Capital cities: $828 in Guatemala City vs $940 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $745 in Guatemala, $871 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 71% higher in China.

Dining out costs 124% more in Guatemala.

Public transport is 1600% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 17% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

14 h ahead of Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,263,239

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala China 13,340 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala
China

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 vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,352 in Guatemala, there's a 70% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Guatemala it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Guatemala may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.