Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala: $1,358 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala
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Guatemala Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,358

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala and in Costa Rica

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

A single person spends $1,358 per month in Guatemala vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Guatemala $1,358
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Guatemala vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Guatemala $2,099
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Guatemala vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Guatemala $2,840
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114) than in Guatemala ($743–$1,342), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Guatemala is roughly 25% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 Q 61.8

$11.26 ₡5,085

-28.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 Q 391

$54.5 ₡24.6K

-6.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 Q 60.9

$11.02 ₡4,975

-27.68%

Cappuccino

$3.58 Q 27.37

$4.43 ₡1,999

-19.19%

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

$1.43 Q 10.90

$2.34 ₡1,055

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 Q 8.69

$1.84 ₡829

-38.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 Q 25.51

$3.26 ₡1,473

2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 Q 40.34

$4.55 ₡2,054

16.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.03

$2.45 ₡1,105

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 Q 25.52

$3.56 ₡1,608

-6.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 Q 15.53

$2.76 ₡1,245

-26.45%

Eggs

$2.44 Q 18.64

$3.97 ₡1,794

-38.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.08 Q 46.46

$10.47 ₡4,728

-41.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 Q 76.0

$9.98 ₡4,507

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Q 93.2

$13.91 ₡6,278

-12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 Q 30.85

$5.06 ₡2,283

-20.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Q 15.39

$1.69 ₡764

18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 Q 34.08

$3.45 ₡1,558

29.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 Q 13.04

$3.23 ₡1,460

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 Q 14.45

$3.44 ₡1,555

-45.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 Q 16.50

$3.25 ₡1,465

-33.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Q 5.77

$1.09 ₡492

-31.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 Q 9.37

$2.67 ₡1,204

-53.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 Q 29.44

$5.38 ₡2,427

-28.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 Q 63.3

$15.50 ₡6,996

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Q 17.85

$2.75 ₡1,241

-14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Q 24.82

$3.30 ₡1,489

-1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Q 9.87

$1.13 ₡509

14.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.89 Q 83.2

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-83.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 Q 40.71

$2.17 ₡979

145.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 Q 13.08

$2.02 ₡913

-15.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.49 Q 80.1

$8.94 ₡4,036

17.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 Q 10.44

$1.61 ₡726

-14.91%

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

$21.4K Q 163.4K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-38.01%

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

$24.5K Q 187.1K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-34.46%

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

$70.2 Q 537

$94.9 ₡42.9K

-26.03%

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

$31.89 Q 244

$31.42 ₡14.2K

1.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 Q 393

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.60 Q 295

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 Q 117

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-31.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 Q 50.9

$8.10 ₡3,656

-17.65%

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

$350 Q 2,671

$722 ₡325.9K

-51.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,517 Q 57.4K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.37 Q 354

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-38.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 Q 387

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-10.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 Q 808

$128 ₡57.9K

-17.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 Q 824

$108 ₡48.8K

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 Q 6,327

$960 ₡433.4K

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 Q 3,939

$708 ₡319.6K

-27.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 Q 11.9K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

-10.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 Q 6,728

$1,215 ₡548.5K

-27.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 Q 17.5K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-13.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 Q 8,849

$1,839 ₡830.1K

-37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$660 Q 5,040

$1,058 ₡477.8K

-37.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

9.56

21.55%

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

Last update for Guatemala: October 27, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala

$515 38%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 37.4% $193

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala

$298 21.9%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 27.6% $82

Eating Out

Guatemala

$169 12.5%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 29.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala

$154 11.3%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 20.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala

$140 10.3%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 18.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala

$52 3.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 57.7% $30

Getting Around

Guatemala

$30 2.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 175% $52

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $698 in Guatemala vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $816 in Guatemala City and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $741 in Guatemala vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 22% higher in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 509% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 47% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,263,239

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala Costa Rica 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala
Costa Rica

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 Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 25% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $698 in Guatemala.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Guatemala – part of why living there is about 25% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Guatemala, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Guatemala is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.