Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,510 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,510

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merced, 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 Merced, CA and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,510 in Merced, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Merced, CA $2,510
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,677 in Merced, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Merced, CA $3,677
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,843 in Merced, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Merced, CA $4,843
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 86% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$7.76 Q 59.3

128.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.86 $39.86

$49.88 Q 381

-20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$7.72 Q 59.0

55.05%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$3.31 Q 25.28

72.21%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.17 Q 8.98

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.01 Q 7.75

44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.96 $8.96

$3.18 Q 24.29

181.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.71 Q 36.00

110.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.08 Q 15.88

-39.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.11 Q 23.78

45.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.12 Q 16.19

90.09%

Eggs

$5.77 $5.77

$2.44 Q 18.68

136.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.28 $19.28

$6.19 Q 47.28

211.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.64 Q 73.7

46.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.52 $21.52

$13.48 Q 103

59.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.98 Q 30.43

8.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.65 Q 12.58

16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.83 Q 21.66

98.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.63 Q 12.48

240.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.53 Q 11.70

131.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.18 Q 16.63

36.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.69 Q 5.26

237.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.17 Q 8.94

117.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$4.01 Q 30.62

191.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 $15.34

$8.08 Q 61.7

89.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.79 Q 13.71

41.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.68 Q 20.46

25.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.01 Q 7.69

45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 $58.9

$11.11 Q 84.9

429.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$5.17 Q 39.48

-41.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.18 $27.18

$10.66 Q 81.5

154.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.37 Q 10.47

-4.38%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

34.66%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

3.71%

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

$236 $236

$73.1 Q 559

223.26%

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

$29.90 $29.90

$29.48 Q 225

1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.8 $82.8

$45.73 Q 349

81.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 $33.94

$38.04 Q 291

-10.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.03 $14.03

$12.79 Q 97.8

9.70%

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 $16.18

$6.57 Q 50.2

146.27%

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

$1,846 $1,846

$338 Q 2,582

446.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

171.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$49.96 Q 382

19.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 $51.9

$47.37 Q 362

9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$119 Q 908

-14.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$111 Q 845

8.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$835 Q 6,383

93.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 $1,062

$538 Q 4,114

97.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 $1,979

$1,568 Q 12.0K

26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$823 Q 6,292

127.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,911 $2,911

$2,041 Q 15.6K

42.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,877 $2,877

$1,099 Q 8,398

161.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 $3,392

$846 Q 6,463

301.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

11.62

-45.27%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.3%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 49.3% $524

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$480 19.1%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 41.1% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$349 13.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 57.5% $201

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$327 13%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 51.3% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$150 6%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 2.3% $3.4

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$76 3%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 73.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 22.8% $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 $1,613 in Merced, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Merced, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $480 vs $283, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

2 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merced, CA Guatemala City 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, 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

Merced, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Merced, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Merced, CA is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,613 in Merced, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Merced, CA – a meal for two runs $40 versus $50 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,510 per month in Merced, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Merced, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.