Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala: $1,352 a month against $2,453 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala
Learn more

Guatemala Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,352

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,352 in Guatemala versus $2,453 in the United Kingdom.

Guatemala $1,352
United Kingdom $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,108 in Guatemala versus $3,548 in the United Kingdom.

Guatemala $2,108
United Kingdom $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,865 in Guatemala versus $4,643 in the United Kingdom.

Guatemala $2,865
United Kingdom $4,643

Living in Guatemala costs about 45% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Guatemala 0% above, the United Kingdom 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 Q 60.1

$20.82 £15.62

-62.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.36 Q 377

$86.3 £64.7

-42.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$10.76 £8.07

-24.81%

Cappuccino

$3.60 Q 27.55

$4.87 £3.65

-26.08%

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

$1.37 Q 10.47

$2.55 £1.91

-46.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.83

$1.85 £1.39

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 Q 25.14

$6.75 £5.06

-51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 Q 41.00

$6.49 £4.87

-17.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 Q 15.63

$1.64 £1.23

24.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 Q 25.12

$1.66 £1.24

98.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 Q 15.77

$2.17 £1.63

-5.07%

Eggs

$2.46 Q 18.83

$4.02 £3.01

-38.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.98 Q 45.76

$9.40 £7.05

-36.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 Q 75.9

$8.99 £6.74

10.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.39 Q 94.7

$14.55 £10.92

-14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 Q 31.65

$2.90 £2.17

42.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 Q 14.98

$1.60 £1.20

22.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 Q 33.43

$2.78 £2.08

57.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.72

$3.39 £2.54

-51.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Q 14.08

$1.78 £1.34

3.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 Q 16.47

$1.62 £1.21

32.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 Q 6.24

$1.23 £0.92

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Q 9.23

$1.66 £1.24

-27.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 Q 30.65

$23.67 £17.76

-83.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 Q 63.7

$10.67 £8.00

-21.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Q 17.81

$3.06 £2.30

-23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 Q 23.79

$3.33 £2.50

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 Q 15.16

$3.34 £2.51

-40.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.19 Q 109

$103 £77.1

-86.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 Q 39.53

$5.44 £4.08

-4.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$2.36 £1.77

-27.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.5

$26.17 £19.63

-59.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.16

$1.95 £1.46

-31.79%

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

$21.4K Q 163.3K

$38.0K £28.5K

-43.73%

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

$24.6K Q 188.1K

$40.6K £30.5K

-39.46%

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

$71.0 Q 543

$315 £236

-77.44%

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

$31.74 Q 243

$17.88 £13.41

77.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 Q 392

$42.77 £32.09

20.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 Q 317

$44.93 £33.71

-7.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 Q 118

$17.98 £13.49

-13.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 Q 50.5

$13.06 £9.80

-49.46%

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

$356 Q 2,722

$1,753 £1,315

-79.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,545 Q 57.7K

$22.5K £16.9K

-66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.46 Q 363

$90.4 £67.8

-47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 Q 378

$45.49 £34.13

8.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 Q 811

$101 £75.9

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 Q 812

$102 £76.4

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 Q 6,378

$1,339 £1,005

-37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 Q 3,851

$1,096 £822

-54.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 Q 12.1K

$2,152 £1,615

-26.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 Q 6,903

$1,699 £1,275

-46.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,306 Q 17.6K

$5,551 £4,165

-58.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 Q 8,581

$4,374 £3,282

-74.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$641 Q 4,899

$3,324 £2,494

-80.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

5.32

118.42%

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

Last update for Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala

$504 37.3%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.7% 118% $593

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala

$297 21.9%

United Kingdom

$303 12.4% 2.3% $6.8

Eating Out

Guatemala

$168 12.4%

United Kingdom

$322 13.1% 91.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala

$154 11.4%

United Kingdom

$375 15.3% 144% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala

$139 10.3%

United Kingdom

$153 6.2% 9.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala

$55 4%

United Kingdom

$71 2.9% 30.1% $16

Getting Around

Guatemala

$36 2.7%

United Kingdom

$133 5.4% 271% $97

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $174 in Guatemala, $1,252 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $828 in Guatemala City vs $2,869 in London.

National salary averages: $745 in Guatemala, $3,228 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 620% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 77% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 8600% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 333% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

01:20 1:20 AM

7 h ahead of Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,263,239

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala United Kingdom 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Guatemala
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,352 per month in Guatemala and $2,453 in the United Kingdom, there's a 82% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Guatemala: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,252 in the United Kingdom and $174 in Guatemala. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Guatemala, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom 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: Guatemala wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.