Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Long Beach, CA, United States
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Long Beach, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,170
/mo nomad
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Long Beach, CA and in Guatemala City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Long Beach, CA and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,170 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

  • Long Beach, CA $3,170
  • Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,689 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

  • Long Beach, CA $4,689
  • Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,209 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

  • Long Beach, CA $6,209
  • Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 135% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.97 $19.97
$7.76 Q 59.3
157.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.0 $81.0
$49.88 Q 381
62.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.09 $15.09
$7.72 Q 59.0
95.47%
Cappuccino
$6.05 $6.05
$3.31 Q 25.28
82.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 $3.45
$1.17 Q 8.98
194.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.01 Q 7.75
139.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.53 $7.53
$3.18 Q 24.29
136.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.64 $9.64
$4.71 Q 36.00
104.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 $1.05
$2.08 Q 15.88
-49.52%
White Bread (500g)
$4.15 $4.15
$3.11 Q 23.78
33.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$2.12 Q 16.19
123.11%
Eggs
$4.77 $4.77
$2.44 Q 18.68
95.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.84 $12.84
$6.19 Q 47.28
107.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$20.28 $20.28
$9.64 Q 73.7
110.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.61 $15.61
$13.48 Q 103
15.80%
Apples (1kg)
$4.92 $4.92
$3.98 Q 30.43
23.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.65 Q 12.58
3.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.56 $5.56
$2.83 Q 21.66
96.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.93 $5.93
$1.63 Q 12.48
263.80%
Potato (1kg)
$3.71 $3.71
$1.53 Q 11.70
142.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 $2.25
$2.18 Q 16.63
3.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.99 $1.99
$0.69 Q 5.26
188.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 $1.83
$1.17 Q 8.94
56.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.86 $11.86
$4.01 Q 30.62
195.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.24 $15.24
$8.08 Q 61.7
88.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 $1.91
$1.79 Q 13.71
6.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$2.68 Q 20.46
51.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.01 Q 7.69
21.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.3 $65.3
$11.11 Q 84.9
488.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.05 $3.05
$5.17 Q 39.48
-41.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 $1.82
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.98 $35.98
$10.66 Q 81.5
237.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.37 Q 10.47
16.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K $28.3K
$27.1K Q 207.4K
4.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K $27.4K
$24.9K Q 190.7K
9.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 $170
$73.1 Q 559
132.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$66.3 $66.3
$29.48 Q 225
125.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.0 $60.0
$45.73 Q 349
31.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.19 $36.19
$38.04 Q 291
-4.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$12.79 Q 97.8
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.20 $15.20
$6.57 Q 50.2
131.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,936 $1,936
$338 Q 2,582
472.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.7K $17.7K
$15.8K Q 120.8K
11.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 $57.5
$49.96 Q 382
15.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.27 $39.27
$47.37 Q 362
-17.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 $91.2
$119 Q 908
-23.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 $147
$111 Q 845
32.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,097 $2,097
$835 Q 6,383
151.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,759 $1,759
$538 Q 4,114
226.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,556 $3,556
$1,568 Q 12.0K
126.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,038 $3,038
$823 Q 6,292
268.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,121 $7,121
$2,041 Q 15.6K
248.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,423 $6,423
$1,099 Q 8,398
484.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Long Beach, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,670 $4,670
$846 Q 6,463
452.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.31
11.62
-45.70%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Long Beach, CA
$1.8K
Guatemala City
$538 69.4% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Long Beach, CA
$457
Guatemala City
$283 38.1% $174
Eating Out
Long Beach, CA
$358
Guatemala City
$159 55.6% $199
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Long Beach, CA
$296
Guatemala City
$148 50% $148
Clothing & Footwear
Long Beach, CA
$151
Guatemala City
$147 2.4% $3.7
Getting Around
Long Beach, CA
$82
Guatemala City
$20 * 75.4% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Long Beach, CA
$67
Guatemala City
$51 23.2% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,097 in Long Beach, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Long Beach, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🕒 Local time
04:54 4:54 AM
06:54 6:54 AM
2 h ahead of Long Beach, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
469,450
2,450,212 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.58 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Long Beach, CA Guatemala City 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Long Beach, CA
  • Guatemala City

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
Long Beach, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Long Beach, CA or Guatemala City?
Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Long Beach, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Long Beach, CA or in Guatemala City?
Average pay in Long Beach, CA is about 5.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Long Beach, CA compared to Guatemala City?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,097 in Long Beach, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Long Beach, CA and in Guatemala City?
Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $81 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Long Beach, CA compared to Guatemala City?
All in, you’ll spend $3,170 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Long Beach, CA or in Guatemala City?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Long Beach, CA or Guatemala City?
Both work as nomad bases, but Guatemala City delivers better value at $1,347 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guatemala City hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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