Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $952 a month against $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quetzaltenango and in Colima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Quetzaltenango and in Colima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,148 in Quetzaltenango versus $952 in Colima.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Colima $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,444 in Quetzaltenango versus $1,562 in Colima.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Colima $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,741 in Quetzaltenango versus $2,173 in Colima.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Colima $2,173

Living in Quetzaltenango is roughly 21% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quetzaltenango 15% lower, Colima 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$7.58 MX$140

-10.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$33.52 MX$619

48.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$7.16 MX$132

6.98%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$2.24 MX$41.33

45.54%

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$1.00 MX$18.48

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$0.84 MX$15.45

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$2.23 MX$41.16

50.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$2.45 MX$45.24

90.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$1.55 MX$28.57

29.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$2.64 MX$48.76

0.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$1.21 MX$22.40

76.03%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$2.76 MX$51.0

-9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$8.01 MX$148

-19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$8.35 MX$154

-4.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$9.86 MX$182

30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$2.85 MX$52.7

0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$1.44 MX$26.63

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$1.78 MX$32.82

64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$2.26 MX$41.70

-27.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$2.30 MX$42.50

-32.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$2.30 MX$42.58

-4.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$1.43 MX$26.36

-51.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$1.09 MX$20.09

9.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$3.61 MX$66.8

-7.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$6.76 MX$125

19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$1.56 MX$28.83

10.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$1.77 MX$32.64

53.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.51 MX$361

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$2.40 MX$44.35

114.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$2.82 MX$52.1

-38.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$9.41 MX$174

12.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.43 MX$26.45

-3.50%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$20.9K MX$386.3K

31.75%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$22.7K MX$419.1K

11.45%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$64.9 MX$1,198

12.15%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$20.24 MX$374

-35.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$29.71 MX$549

55.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$35.28 MX$652

-6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.72 MX$401

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$4.63 MX$85.6

37.15%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$147 MX$2,712

132.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$2,496 MX$46.1K

170.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$45.09 MX$833

10.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$25.11 MX$464

85.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$74.1 MX$1,369

48.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$102 MX$1,884

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$262 MX$4,849

51.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$261 MX$4,831

52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,826

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 MX$10.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$287 MX$5,301

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.3

2.83%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Colima

$261 27.5% 34.4% $137

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Colima

$250 26.2% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Colima

$132 13.9% 12.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Colima

$111 11.6% 22.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Colima

$115 12.1% 13.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Colima

$45 4.7% 2.3% $1

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Colima

$39 4.1% 179% $25

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 $397 in Quetzaltenango and $262 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Quetzaltenango vs $34.00 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $250 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

Same time as Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

146,965

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quetzaltenango Colima 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
Colima

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

Quetzaltenango vs Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango and Colima differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,148 vs $952 including rent). Colima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,722 in Quetzaltenango and $1,428 in Colima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $397 in Quetzaltenango versus $262 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $342 in Quetzaltenango versus $147 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colima – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $50.0 in Quetzaltenango. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Colima versus $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Quetzaltenango. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Quetzaltenango and Colima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Quetzaltenango. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.