Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $42,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

New York, NY $4,906
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

New York, NY $7,273
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

New York, NY $9,641
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in New York, NY is roughly 264% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$7.76 Q 59.3

247.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$49.88 Q 381

134.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$7.72 Q 59.0

89.12%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.31 Q 25.28

97.58%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.17 Q 8.98

229.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.01 Q 7.75

192.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.18 Q 24.29

154.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.71 Q 36.00

109.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.08 Q 15.88

-37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.11 Q 23.78

59.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.12 Q 16.19

263.21%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.44 Q 18.68

149.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$6.19 Q 47.28

215.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$9.64 Q 73.7

82.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$13.48 Q 103

50.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$3.98 Q 30.43

75.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.65 Q 12.58

33.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.83 Q 21.66

137.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.63 Q 12.48

336.81%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.53 Q 11.70

201.31%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.18 Q 16.63

119.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.69 Q 5.26

315.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.17 Q 8.94

129.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.01 Q 30.62

377.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$8.08 Q 61.7

142.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.79 Q 13.71

85.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.68 Q 20.46

56.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.01 Q 7.69

199.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$11.11 Q 84.9

1154.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$5.17 Q 39.48

-41.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$10.66 Q 81.5

287.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.37 Q 10.47

-17.52%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

26.98%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

3.61%

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

$232 $232

$73.1 Q 559

217.90%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$29.48 Q 225

140.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$45.73 Q 349

47.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$38.04 Q 291

203.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$12.79 Q 97.8

500.55%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$6.57 Q 50.2

241.10%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$338 Q 2,582

967.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

334.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$49.96 Q 382

58.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$47.37 Q 362

8.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$119 Q 908

1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$111 Q 845

26.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$835 Q 6,383

445.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$538 Q 4,114

464.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,568 Q 12.0K

521.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$823 Q 6,292

547.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$2,041 Q 15.6K

793.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$1,099 Q 8,398

508.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$846 Q 6,463

502.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.62

-40.71%

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

Last update for New York, NY: 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

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 82.3% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 50.1% $284

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 62.6% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 60% $223

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 16.7% $29

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 87.7% $145

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 68.1% $109

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 $4,555 in New York, NY and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

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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Highest

Between locations

New York, NY Guatemala City 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

New York, NY vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in New York, NY. 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 New York, NY is about 6 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: $4,555 in New York, NY 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 $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,906 per month in New York, NY versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 73% 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 work as nomad bases, but Guatemala City delivers better value at $1,347 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guatemala City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.