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

🙂 Solo nomad: Guatemala is 23.5% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 21.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Guatemala is 23.4% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 26.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.03 Q 46.15
$9.67 ₡4,549
-37.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.2 Q 392
$58.6 ₡27.6K
-12.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.37 Q 48.77
$10.23 ₡4,816
-37.73%
Cappuccino
$3.49 Q 26.77
$3.97 ₡1,870
-12.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 Q 10.02
$2.17 ₡1,021
-39.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 Q 7.94
$1.73 ₡814
-39.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.30 Q 25.26
$2.89 ₡1,361
14.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 Q 40.83
$4.40 ₡2,073
21.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 Q 14.75
$2.05 ₡966
-6.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.69 Q 20.59
$3.09 ₡1,453
-12.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 Q 13.63
$2.51 ₡1,181
-29.08%
Eggs
$2.29 Q 17.56
$3.30 ₡1,552
-30.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.59 Q 58.1
$9.16 ₡4,312
-17.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.21 Q 62.9
$9.29 ₡4,374
-11.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.77 Q 74.9
$13.16 ₡6,195
-25.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.73 Q 28.59
$4.48 ₡2,108
-16.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 Q 12.44
$1.62 ₡762
-
Oranges (1kg)
$3.33 Q 25.54
$3.22 ₡1,514
3.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 Q 11.02
$2.98 ₡1,404
-51.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 Q 11.97
$3.01 ₡1,416
-48.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 Q 14.05
$2.85 ₡1,339
-35.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 Q 6.19
$1.01 ₡476
-19.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 Q 8.36
$2.51 ₡1,182
-56.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 Q 29.70
$4.94 ₡2,325
-21.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.05 Q 61.7
$15.72 ₡7,401
-48.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 Q 14.94
$2.38 ₡1,118
-18.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 Q 22.04
$2.71 ₡1,277
6.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 Q 7.86
$0.94 ₡443
9.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.21 Q 101
$48.94 ₡23.0K
-73.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.50 Q 26.82
$1.79 ₡843
95.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.01 ₡946
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.94 Q 76.2
$7.82 ₡3,683
27.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 Q 8.46
$1.51 ₡711
-27.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.2K Q 139.6K
$36.8K ₡17.3M
-50.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K Q 171.6K
$34.7K ₡16.3M
-35.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.8 Q 450
$86.8 ₡40.9K
-32.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.89 Q 221
$25.69 ₡12.1K
12.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.4 Q 409
$53.8 ₡25.3K
-0.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.94 Q 337
$55.9 ₡26.3K
-21.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.73 Q 197
$28.78 ₡13.5K
-10.60%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 Q 49.84
$9.04 ₡4,257
-27.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$258 Q 1,976
$560 ₡263.7K
-53.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,129 Q 62.3K
$10.0K ₡4.7M
-18.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.1 Q 391
$72.4 ₡34.1K
-29.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.6 Q 395
$54.4 ₡25.6K
-5.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 Q 766
$117 ₡55.1K
-14.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 Q 795
$103 ₡48.4K
0.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$673 Q 5,154
$811 ₡381.9K
-17.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 Q 3,342
$551 ₡259.2K
-20.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,289 Q 9,874
$1,482 ₡697.7K
-13.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 Q 5,344
$1,036 ₡487.6K
-32.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,245 Q 17.2K
$2,301 ₡1.1M
-2.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,116 Q 8,548
$1,575 ₡741.5K
-29.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$577 Q 4,421
$1,030 ₡484.9K
-43.97%
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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