Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and Costa Rica

🙂 Solo nomad: Guatemala is 25.9% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 22.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Guatemala is 25.1% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 24.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.81 Q 44.63
$9.65 ₡4,833
-39.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.29 Q 379
$58.6 ₡29.3K
-15.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.67 Q 51.2
$9.9 ₡4,957
-32.63%
Cappuccino
$3.55 Q 27.26
$3.9 ₡1,954
-8.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 Q 10.05
$2.2 ₡1,100
-40.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 Q 7.91
$1.65 ₡827
-37.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.3 Q 25.32
$3.03 ₡1,517
8.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 Q 40.32
$4.55 ₡2,278
15.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 Q 14.79
$2.06 ₡1,033
-6.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 Q 20.62
$3.06 ₡1,530
-12.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 Q 14.07
$2.52 ₡1,261
-27.38%
Eggs
$2.34 Q 17.96
$3.29 ₡1,646
-28.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.48 Q 57.5
$9.29 ₡4,650
-19.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.82 Q 60.1
$9.54 ₡4,775
-18.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.95 Q 76.4
$13.6 ₡6,808
-26.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.75 Q 28.8
$4.67 ₡2,337
-19.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 Q 13.01
$1.56 ₡782
8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.27 Q 25.15
$3.34 ₡1,672
-2.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.5 Q 11.49
$3.01 ₡1,507
-50.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 Q 11.62
$3.04 ₡1,524
-50.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.86 Q 14.32
$2.85 ₡1,426
-34.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 Q 5.79
$1.01 ₡506
-25.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 Q 8.72
$2.54 ₡1,273
-55.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.76 Q 28.91
$4.86 ₡2,434
-22.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.8 Q 59.9
$14.87 ₡7,442
-47.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 Q 14.75
$2.27 ₡1,137
-15.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 Q 21.85
$2.73 ₡1,366
4.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 Q 8.2
$0.95 ₡476
12.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.16 Q 101
$49.46 ₡24.8K
-73.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 Q 27.11
$1.81 ₡904
95.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.93 ₡969
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.23 Q 78.6
$7.69 ₡3,850
33.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 Q 8.58
$1.47 ₡735
-23.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18K Q 138.6K
$37.4K ₡18.7M
-51.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K Q 173.7K
$34.8K ₡17.4M
-35.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.6 Q 458
$86.9 ₡43.5K
-31.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.47 Q 226
$25.46 ₡12.7K
15.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 Q 404
$54.7 ₡27.4K
-3.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.32 Q 340
$57.8 ₡28.9K
-23.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.89 Q 199
$28.42 ₡14.2K
-8.90%
Cinema Ticket
$6.47 Q 49.68
$9.08 ₡4,546
-28.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$258 Q 1,983
$551 ₡275.9K
-53.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,089 Q 62.1K
$9,816 ₡4.9M
-17.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.8 Q 398
$72.3 ₡36.2K
-28.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.2 Q 393
$55.2 ₡27.6K
-7.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.6 Q 750
$118 ₡59.3K
-17.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 Q 785
$104 ₡52.1K
-1.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$669 Q 5,143
$817 ₡408.8K
-18.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$434 Q 3,334
$539 ₡269.6K
-19.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,313 Q 10.1K
$1,495 ₡748.3K
-12.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$693 Q 5,325
$1,019 ₡510.2K
-31.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,461 Q 11.2K
$2,511 ₡1.3M
-41.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,016 Q 7,804
$1,384 ₡693K
-26.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$550 Q 4,223
$996 ₡498.8K
-44.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.71
10.53
-17.28%

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

Last update for Guatemala: October 27, 2025

Last update for Costa Rica: October 28, 2025

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