Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chiquimula

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $819 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Chiquimula, Guatemala
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Chiquimula
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$819
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Chiquimula

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $819 in Chiquimula, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Chiquimula $819

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,359 in Chiquimula, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Chiquimula $1,359

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,900 in Chiquimula, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Chiquimula $1,900

Mexico City costs about 96% more than Chiquimula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Chiquimula is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$9.04 Q 69.1
17.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$51.5 Q 393
-6.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$8.35 Q 63.8
23.95%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$4.13 Q 31.54
-10.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$2.13 Q 16.24
-21.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$1.53 Q 11.67
-16.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$3.89 Q 29.71
-17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$5.83 Q 44.57
-8.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$2.09 Q 15.98
-17.70%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$3.70 Q 28.28
-17.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.90 Q 14.54
2.11%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$2.41 Q 18.38
19.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$5.30 Q 40.47
106.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$14.00 Q 107
-33.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$10.31 Q 78.8
46.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$4.78 Q 36.53
-36.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$2.35 Q 17.93
-17.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$5.21 Q 39.81
-61.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$1.65 Q 12.62
40.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$1.84 Q 14.08
10.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$1.74 Q 13.29
3.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$1.35 Q 10.30
9.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$1.34 Q 10.22
-5.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$3.83 Q 29.22
38.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$7.68 Q 58.7
109.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$2.81 Q 21.46
-29.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$3.59 Q 27.42
18.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$4.71 Q 35.96
-60.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.27 Q 9.72
18.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$23.2K Q 176.9K
-6.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$21.6K Q 164.9K
11.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$57.0 Q 436
10.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$38.13 Q 291
-28.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$61.9 Q 473
-42.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$8.26 Q 63.1
-22.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$544 Q 4,152
-20.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
$14.2K Q 108.5K
-19.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$44.26 Q 338
54.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$54.2 Q 414
-1.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$92.5 Q 706
16.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$80.4 Q 614
45.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Chiquimula
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
0
-

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiquimula: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Chiquimula
–
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Chiquimula
–
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Chiquimula
–
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Chiquimula
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Chiquimula
–
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Chiquimula
–
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Chiquimula
–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $51 in Chiquimula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $326 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇹 Chiquimula
🕒 Local time
16:16 4:16 PM
16:16 4:16 PM
Same time as Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
79,815
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.5 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.118 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Chiquimula 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Chiquimula

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
Mexico City vs Chiquimula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chiquimula cheaper than Mexico City?
Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,229 in Chiquimula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Chiquimula?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $51 in Chiquimula. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $544 in Chiquimula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Chiquimula?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Chiquimula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Mexico City or in Chiquimula?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $819 in Chiquimula to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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