Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pokhara and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Pokhara: $495 a month against $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Pokhara
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Pokhara Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Pokhara

🇳🇵 Nepal

$495

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pokhara 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 Pokhara and in Quetzaltenango actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $495 per month in Pokhara vs $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Pokhara $495
Quetzaltenango $1,148

A couple spends around $758 per month in Pokhara vs $1,444 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Pokhara $758
Quetzaltenango $1,444

A family of three spends $1,021 per month in Pokhara vs $1,741 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Pokhara $1,021
Quetzaltenango $1,741

Pokhara is about 57% cheaper than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pokhara and Quetzaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Pokhara 63% lower, Quetzaltenango 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 NPR 389

$6.78 Q 51.9

-62.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.29 NPR 2,019

$49.64 Q 380

-73.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 NPR 1,014

$7.66 Q 58.6

-12.92%

Cappuccino

$1.08 NPR 165

$3.26 Q 24.91

-66.87%

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

$0.51 NPR 77.9

$1.15 Q 8.77

-55.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 NPR 23.58

$0.91 Q 6.97

-82.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 NPR 387

$3.35 Q 25.60

-23.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 NPR 542

$4.66 Q 35.65

-23.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 NPR 124

$2.01 Q 15.36

-59.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 NPR 102

$2.66 Q 20.33

-74.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 NPR 100

$2.13 Q 16.30

-69.01%

Eggs

$1.79 NPR 273

$2.51 Q 19.16

-28.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.74 NPR 872

$6.44 Q 49.23

-10.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 NPR 470

$7.96 Q 60.9

-61.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.66 NPR 860

$12.86 Q 98.3

-55.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 NPR 383

$2.86 Q 21.90

-11.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 NPR 190

$1.70 Q 13.02

-26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 NPR 181

$2.92 Q 22.30

-59.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 NPR 99.5

$1.64 Q 12.55

-60.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 NPR 62.1

$1.55 Q 11.81

-73.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NPR 131

$2.19 Q 16.71

-60.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 NPR 60.6

$0.69 Q 5.31

-42.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 NPR 44.57

$1.19 Q 9.10

-75.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 NPR 392

$3.35 Q 25.64

-22.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 NPR 1,662

$8.09 Q 61.9

35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 NPR 364

$1.72 Q 13.18

39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 NPR 574

$2.71 Q 20.70

39.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 NPR 30.36

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.35 NPR 2,940

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 NPR 241

$5.15 Q 39.38

-69.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NPR 115

$1.73 Q 13.22

-56.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 NPR 394

$10.56 Q 80.8

-75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 NPR 179

$1.38 Q 10.57

-14.49%

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

$32.5K NPR 4.9M

$27.5K Q 210.6K

18.14%

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

$34.9K NPR 5.3M

$25.3K Q 193.3K

37.92%

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

$64.4 NPR 9,782

$72.7 Q 556

-11.49%

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

$5.20 NPR 790

$13.06 Q 99.9

-60.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 NPR 1,056

$46.29 Q 354

-84.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.67 NPR 2,989

$32.89 Q 251

-40.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 NPR 1,276

Cinema Ticket

$2.48 NPR 377

$6.35 Q 48.54

-60.94%

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

$48.45 NPR 7,362

$342 Q 2,611

-85.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,976 NPR 300.2K

$6,757 Q 51.7K

-70.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.79 NPR 2,854

$50.0 Q 382

-62.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.53 NPR 5,550

$46.61 Q 356

-21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.20 NPR 5,348

$110 Q 844

-68.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.88 NPR 4,692

$112 Q 857

-72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 NPR 19.4K

$397 Q 3,037

-67.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 NPR 13.1K

$398 Q 3,046

-78.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 NPR 36.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 NPR 24.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,801 NPR 273.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$603 NPR 91.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 NPR 27.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

11.62

7.57%

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

Last update for Pokhara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Pokhara

$152 30.7%

Quetzaltenango

$264 23% 73.4% $112

Accommodation & Living

Pokhara

$86 17.4%

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7% 364% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pokhara

$77 15.5%

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5% 72.6% $56

Eating Out

Pokhara

$76 15.4%

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1% 98.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Pokhara

$55 11%

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5% 163% $89

Getting Around

Pokhara

$26 5.2%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 45.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Pokhara

$25 5%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 85% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Pokhara versus $397 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 $13.00 in Pokhara versus $50.0 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $264 – making Pokhara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Pokhara

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

11 h 45 min behind Pokhara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pokhara Quetzaltenango 15,200 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Pokhara
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

Pokhara vs Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $495 in Pokhara, $1,148 in Quetzaltenango – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $743 per month in Pokhara and $1,722 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pokhara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $495 in Pokhara and $1,148 in Quetzaltenango. That's a gap of about 132%.

Kindergarten costs $48.45 per month in Pokhara and $342 in Quetzaltenango. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pokhara, where all-in costs run around $495, than in Quetzaltenango at $1,148. In Pokhara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quetzaltenango it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Pokhara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $495 in Pokhara to $1,148 in Quetzaltenango. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Pokhara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Quetzaltenango makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.