Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modesto, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,740 in Modesto, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

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

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Modesto, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,740

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Modesto, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Modesto, CA $2,740
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,936 in Modesto, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Modesto, CA $3,936
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,133 in Modesto, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Modesto, CA $5,133
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Modesto, CA is roughly 103% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.89 $14.89

$7.76 Q 59.3

91.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$49.88 Q 381

58.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 $8.91

$7.72 Q 59.0

15.41%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.31 Q 25.28

64.95%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.17 Q 8.98

129.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.01 Q 7.75

58.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.18 Q 24.29

53.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.71 Q 36.00

50.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.08 Q 15.88

-49.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.11 Q 23.78

19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.12 Q 16.19

94.34%

Eggs

$5.76 $5.76

$2.44 Q 18.68

136.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.19 Q 47.28

111.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.46 $13.46

$9.64 Q 73.7

39.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.65 $19.65

$13.48 Q 103

45.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$3.98 Q 30.43

29.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.65 Q 12.58

23.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.83 Q 21.66

92.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$1.63 Q 12.48

242.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.53 Q 11.70

134.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.18 Q 16.63

31.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.69 Q 5.26

239.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.17 Q 8.94

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.60 $11.60

$4.01 Q 30.62

189.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 $15.01

$8.08 Q 61.7

85.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.79 Q 13.71

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.68 Q 20.46

26.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.01 Q 7.69

94.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 $39.65

$11.11 Q 84.9

256.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$5.17 Q 39.48

-34.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 $2.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.09 $30.09

$10.66 Q 81.5

182.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.37 Q 10.47

6.57%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

33.82%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

3.78%

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

$264 $264

$73.1 Q 559

261.29%

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

$47.09 $47.09

$29.48 Q 225

59.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$45.73 Q 349

48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.55 $37.55

$38.04 Q 291

-1.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 $15.04

$12.79 Q 97.8

17.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 $10.81

$6.57 Q 50.2

64.54%

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

$1,852 $1,852

$338 Q 2,582

447.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,961 $9,961

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-36.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.99 $47.99

$49.96 Q 382

-3.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.42 $39.42

$47.37 Q 362

-16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 $93.7

$119 Q 908

-21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$111 Q 845

9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$835 Q 6,383

40.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$538 Q 4,114

158.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 $2,030

$1,568 Q 12.0K

29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 $2,180

$823 Q 6,292

164.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,564 $3,564

$2,041 Q 15.6K

74.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,903 $2,903

$1,099 Q 8,398

164.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,122 $4,122

$846 Q 6,463

387.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

11.62

-47.50%

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

Last update for Modesto, 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

Modesto, CA

$1.4K 50.7%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 61.3% $852

Groceries & Markets

Modesto, CA

$442 16.2%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 36.1% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modesto, CA

$379 13.8%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 60.9% $231

Eating Out

Modesto, CA

$267 9.8%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 40.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Modesto, CA

$136 5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 8.1% $11

Getting Around

Modesto, CA

$65 2.4%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 69% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Modesto, CA

$59 2.2%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 13.5% $8

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 $1,170 in Modesto, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Modesto, CA pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Modesto, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $442 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Modesto, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h ahead of Modesto, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,266

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 →

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Between locations

Modesto, CA Guatemala City 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Modesto, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Modesto, 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 Modesto, CA is about 4.9 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: $1,170 in Modesto, 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 Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $79 in Modesto, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,740 per month in Modesto, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 51% 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.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Modesto, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.