Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,540 in Monterey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

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

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Monterey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,540

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,540 in Monterey, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Monterey, CA $3,540
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,060 in Monterey, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Monterey, CA $5,060
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,580 in Monterey, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Monterey, CA $6,580
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Monterey, CA is roughly 163% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$7.76 Q 59.3

158.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$49.88 Q 381

61.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.72 Q 59.0

56.35%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$3.31 Q 25.28

59.82%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.17 Q 8.98

165.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.01 Q 7.75

69.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.18 Q 24.29

145.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.71 Q 36.00

24.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.08 Q 15.88

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.11 Q 23.78

-3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.12 Q 16.19

18.87%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.44 Q 18.68

89.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 $9.14

$6.19 Q 47.28

47.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.64 Q 73.7

35.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.97 $5.97

$13.48 Q 103

-55.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.98 Q 30.43

-12.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.65 Q 12.58

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.83 Q 21.66

16.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.63 Q 12.48

143.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.53 Q 11.70

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.18 Q 16.63

-10.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.69 Q 5.26

163.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.17 Q 8.94

6.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$4.01 Q 30.62

192.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.32 $17.32

$8.08 Q 61.7

114.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.79 Q 13.71

49.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.68 Q 20.46

-29.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.01 Q 7.69

96.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.5 $70.5

$11.11 Q 84.9

534.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$5.17 Q 39.48

-49.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.65 $34.65

$10.66 Q 81.5

225.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.37 Q 10.47

10.22%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

6.13%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

4.94%

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

$236 $236

$73.1 Q 559

222.70%

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

$77.2 $77.2

$29.48 Q 225

161.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$45.73 Q 349

62.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.4 $89.4

$38.04 Q 291

135.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 $10.41

$12.79 Q 97.8

-18.61%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$6.57 Q 50.2

101.52%

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

$567 $567

$338 Q 2,582

67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.4K $33.4K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

111.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 $78.0

$49.96 Q 382

56.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$90.6 $90.6

$47.37 Q 362

91.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 $131

$119 Q 908

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$111 Q 845

22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,574 $2,574

$835 Q 6,383

208.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 $2,088

$538 Q 4,114

287.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,931 $3,931

$1,568 Q 12.0K

150.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,441 $3,441

$823 Q 6,292

317.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,943 $9,943

$2,041 Q 15.6K

387.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,551 $7,551

$1,099 Q 8,398

587.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,267 $4,267

$846 Q 6,463

404.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.62

-43.03%

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

Last update for Monterey, 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

Monterey, CA

$2.1K 59%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 74.2% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey, CA

$387 10.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 61.7% $239

Eating Out

Monterey, CA

$330 9.3%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 51.9% $171

Groceries & Markets

Monterey, CA

$330 9.3%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 14.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey, CA

$196 5.5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 24.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey, CA

$116 3.3%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 55.8% $65

Getting Around

Monterey, CA

$92 2.6%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 78% $72

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 $2,574 in Monterey, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterey, CA pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Monterey, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

2 h ahead of Monterey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,803

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterey, CA Guatemala City 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterey, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Monterey, 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 Monterey, CA is about 5 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: $2,574 in Monterey, 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 $80 in Monterey, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,540 per month in Monterey, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 62% 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.

For families, Guatemala City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterey, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Monterey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.