Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,144 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $45,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New York, NY, United States
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
New York, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,906
/mo nomad
Quetzaltenango
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,144
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,144 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

  • New York, NY $4,906
  • Quetzaltenango $1,144

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $1,444 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

  • New York, NY $7,273
  • Quetzaltenango $1,444

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $1,745 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

  • New York, NY $9,641
  • Quetzaltenango $1,745

New York, NY costs about 329% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Quetzaltenango is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.93 $26.93
$6.95 Q 53.1
287.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$117 $117
$49.88 Q 381
134.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.60 $14.60
$7.86 Q 60.1
85.75%
Cappuccino
$6.54 $6.54
$3.25 Q 24.86
101.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 $3.86
$1.12 Q 8.52
244.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$0.99 Q 7.56
197.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 $8.08
$3.25 Q 24.83
148.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.85 $9.85
$4.77 Q 36.45
106.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$2.00 Q 15.32
-34.50%
White Bread (500g)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.69 Q 20.57
84.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.70 $7.70
$2.09 Q 16.00
268.42%
Eggs
$6.09 $6.09
$2.36 Q 18.03
158.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.55 $19.55
$6.39 Q 48.82
205.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.59 $17.59
$7.91 Q 60.4
122.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 $20.26
$12.94 Q 98.9
56.57%
Apples (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$2.83 Q 21.66
147.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.72 Q 13.17
28.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.72 $6.72
$2.79 Q 21.34
140.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.12 $7.12
$1.65 Q 12.59
331.52%
Potato (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.53 Q 11.67
201.31%
Onion (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$2.20 Q 16.79
117.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.87 $2.87
$0.73 Q 5.60
293.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.19 Q 9.12
126.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.14 $19.14
$3.22 Q 24.58
494.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.63 $19.63
$8.26 Q 63.1
137.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.73 Q 13.22
91.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 $4.19
$2.72 Q 20.81
54.04%
🚌 Getting Around
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 $3.02
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 $139
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.04 $3.04
$5.14 Q 39.30
-40.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.73 Q 13.18
27.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.33 $41.33
$10.65 Q 81.4
288.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 $1.13
$1.35 Q 10.30
-16.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K $34.5K
$27.0K Q 206.7K
27.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$25.0K Q 191.4K
3.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 $232
$73.9 Q 565
214.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$71.0 $71.0
$13.21 Q 101
437.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$46.16 Q 353
46.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$115 $115
$32.30 Q 247
257.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$76.8 $76.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$22.41 $22.41
$6.41 Q 48.99
249.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,606 $3,606
$335 Q 2,560
976.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$68.7K $68.7K
$6,751 Q 51.6K
917.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.3 $79.3
$50.5 Q 386
56.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$47.01 Q 359
9.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 $121
$111 Q 851
8.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 $140
$111 Q 848
26.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,555 $4,555
$385 Q 2,939
1084.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,040 $3,040
$392 Q 2,999
674.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$9,742 $9,742
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$5,331 $5,331
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K $18.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,685 $6,685
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
New York, NY
Quetzaltenango
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,096 $5,096
-
-
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 Quetzaltenango: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New York, NY
$3K
Quetzaltenango
$392 87.1% $2.6K
Groceries & Markets
New York, NY
$567
Quetzaltenango
$263 53.6% $304
Eating Out
New York, NY
$425
Quetzaltenango
$152 64.1% $273
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New York, NY
$371
Quetzaltenango
$133 64.1% $238
Clothing & Footwear
New York, NY
$176
Quetzaltenango
$144 18.4% $33
Getting Around
New York, NY
$165
Quetzaltenango
$14 * 91.7% $152
Sport & Entertainment
New York, NY
$160
Quetzaltenango
$45 71.8% $115

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $385 in Quetzaltenango. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $50 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $263 – making Quetzaltenango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New York, NY
🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango
🕒 Local time
19:49 7:49 PM
18:49 6:49 PM
1 h behind New York, NY
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,804,190
500,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New York, NY Quetzaltenango 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • New York, NY
  • Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New York, NY or Quetzaltenango?
New York, NY costs about 329% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New York, NY and in Quetzaltenango?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $1,716 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New York, NY or Quetzaltenango?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $385 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.
How much does it cost to live in New York, NY compared to Quetzaltenango?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,144 in Quetzaltenango. That makes Quetzaltenango about 77% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in New York, NY and in Quetzaltenango?
Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $335 in Quetzaltenango. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in New York, NY or in Quetzaltenango?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,144 in Quetzaltenango. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Quetzaltenango – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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