Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $1,352 in Guatemala, rent and utilities included – about $910 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,352

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala and in Mexico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,352 in Guatemala versus $1,276 in Mexico.

Guatemala $1,352
Mexico $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,108 in Guatemala versus $2,023 in Mexico.

Guatemala $2,108
Mexico $2,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,865 in Guatemala versus $2,770 in Mexico.

Guatemala $2,865
Mexico $2,770

Living in Guatemala is roughly 6% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

Guatemala (0% above) and Mexico (5% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 Q 60.1

$10.91 MX$202

-27.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.36 Q 377

$44.51 MX$822

10.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$9.21 MX$170

-12.16%

Cappuccino

$3.60 Q 27.55

$3.55 MX$65.6

1.41%

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

$1.37 Q 10.47

$1.43 MX$26.34

-4.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.83

$1.07 MX$19.83

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 Q 25.14

$2.73 MX$50.4

20.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 Q 41.00

$4.40 MX$81.3

21.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 Q 15.63

$1.61 MX$29.74

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 Q 25.12

$2.74 MX$50.7

20.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 Q 15.77

$1.72 MX$31.76

19.77%

Eggs

$2.46 Q 18.83

$2.57 MX$47.55

-4.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.98 Q 45.76

$9.34 MX$173

-35.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 Q 75.9

$8.13 MX$150

22.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.39 Q 94.7

$11.62 MX$215

6.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 Q 31.65

$2.94 MX$54.3

40.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 Q 14.98

$1.62 MX$29.95

20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 Q 33.43

$2.08 MX$38.41

110.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.72

$1.91 MX$35.21

-13.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Q 14.08

$2.07 MX$38.22

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 Q 16.47

$2.05 MX$37.86

4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 Q 6.24

$1.44 MX$26.69

-43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Q 9.23

$1.10 MX$20.33

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.65

$4.64 MX$85.7

-13.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 Q 63.7

$10.76 MX$199

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Q 17.81

$1.79 MX$33.08

30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 Q 23.79

$3.33 MX$61.5

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 Q 15.16

$0.63 MX$11.61

214.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.19 Q 109

$27.08 MX$500

-47.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.53

$2.77 MX$51.2

86.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$2.76 MX$51.1

-37.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$11.03 MX$204

-3.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.16

$1.47 MX$27.17

-9.52%

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

$21.4K Q 163.3K

$20.8K MX$384.4K

2.68%

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

$24.6K Q 188.1K

$24.2K MX$446.9K

1.72%

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

$71.0 Q 543

$69.1 MX$1,278

2.69%

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

$31.74 Q 243

$23.20 MX$429

36.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 Q 392

$28.94 MX$535

77.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 Q 317

$36.82 MX$680

12.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 Q 118

$18.19 MX$336

-14.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$5.29 MX$97.7

24.76%

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

$356 Q 2,722

$264 MX$4,887

34.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,545 Q 57.7K

$6,272 MX$115.9K

20.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.46 Q 363

$56.8 MX$1,050

-16.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 Q 378

$41.50 MX$767

19.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 Q 811

$99.0 MX$1,828

7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 Q 812

$89.5 MX$1,654

18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 Q 6,378

$714 MX$13.2K

16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 Q 3,851

$469 MX$8,674

7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 Q 12.1K

$1,323 MX$24.5K

19.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 Q 6,903

$901 MX$16.7K

0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 Q 17.6K

$2,553 MX$47.2K

-9.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 Q 8,581

$1,467 MX$27.1K

-23.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$641 Q 4,899

$768 MX$14.2K

-16.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.44

1.57%

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

Last update for Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala

$504 37.3%

Mexico

$469 36.8% 6.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala

$297 21.9%

Mexico

$273 21.4% 8% $24

Eating Out

Guatemala

$168 12.4%

Mexico

$190 14.9% 13.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala

$154 11.4%

Mexico

$121 9.5% 21.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala

$139 10.3%

Mexico

$129 10.1% 7.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala

$55 4%

Mexico

$47 3.7% 13.2% $7.2

Getting Around

Guatemala

$36 2.7%

Mexico

$46 3.6% 28.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $174 in Guatemala, $617 in Mexico. Capital cities: $828 in Guatemala City vs $1,051 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $745 in Guatemala, $735 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 255% higher in Mexico.

Public transport is 1100% more expensive in Mexico.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,263,239

124,777,324

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guatemala Mexico 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala
Mexico

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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,352 per month in Guatemala and $1,276 in Mexico, there's a 6% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Mexico 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 Mexico, $2,500 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: Mexico wins on affordability; Guatemala may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.