Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey Park, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

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

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,949

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Monterey Park, CA $2,949
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,287 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Monterey Park, CA $4,287
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,625 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Monterey Park, CA $5,625
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Monterey Park, CA is roughly 119% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.42 $28.42

$7.76 Q 59.3

266.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 $82.7

$49.88 Q 381

65.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.16 $15.16

$7.72 Q 59.0

96.37%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$3.31 Q 25.28

78.85%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.17 Q 8.98

159.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.01 Q 7.75

170.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 $8.55

$3.18 Q 24.29

168.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 $9.86

$4.71 Q 36.00

109.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.08 Q 15.88

-38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.11 Q 23.78

56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.12 Q 16.19

118.87%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$2.44 Q 18.68

122.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 $10.88

$6.19 Q 47.28

75.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$9.64 Q 73.7

-10.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.16 $20.16

$13.48 Q 103

49.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.98 Q 30.43

17.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.65 Q 12.58

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.83 Q 21.66

44.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$1.63 Q 12.48

246.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.53 Q 11.70

122.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.18 Q 16.63

28.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.69 Q 5.26

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.17 Q 8.94

123.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.84 $11.84

$4.01 Q 30.62

195.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$8.08 Q 61.7

82.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.79 Q 13.71

40.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.68 Q 20.46

3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.01 Q 7.69

74.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 $56.7

$11.11 Q 84.9

410.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 $3.75

$5.17 Q 39.48

-27.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.53 $38.53

$10.66 Q 81.5

261.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.37 Q 10.47

9.49%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

4.52%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

6.71%

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

$269 $269

$73.1 Q 559

267.46%

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

$85.7 $85.7

$29.48 Q 225

190.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$45.73 Q 349

70.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 $44.33

$38.04 Q 291

16.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$18.34 $18.34

$6.57 Q 50.2

179.15%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$338 Q 2,582

250.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K $13.0K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

-18.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$49.96 Q 382

26.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 $55.4

$47.37 Q 362

17.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$119 Q 908

1.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$215 $215

$111 Q 845

94.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$835 Q 6,383

87.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$538 Q 4,114

141.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,619 $2,619

$1,568 Q 12.0K

67.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$823 Q 6,292

152.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$2,041 Q 15.6K

26.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 $2,343

$1,099 Q 8,398

113.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 $1,626

$846 Q 6,463

92.30%

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 Monterey Park, CA: October 31, 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 Park, CA

$1.3K 44.1%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 58.6% $763

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey Park, CA

$432 14.7%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 65.7% $284

Eating Out

Monterey Park, CA

$429 14.6%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 63% $270

Groceries & Markets

Monterey Park, CA

$421 14.3%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 32.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey Park, CA

$205 6.9%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 28.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey Park, CA

$81 2.8%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 36.8% $30

Getting Around

Monterey Park, CA

$79 2.7%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 74.2% $58

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 $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterey Park, CA pays 92% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83 in Monterey Park, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

17:25 5:25 PM

2 h ahead of Monterey Park, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,269

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 →

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Monterey Park, CA Guatemala City 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Monterey Park, 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 runs 92% higher in Monterey Park, CA, 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: $1,565 in Monterey Park, 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 $83 in Monterey Park, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,949 per month in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 54% 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 54% less than in Monterey Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.