Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quetzaltenango and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,148 in Quetzaltenango versus $1,012 in Lima.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,444 in Quetzaltenango versus $1,589 in Lima.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,741 in Quetzaltenango versus $2,167 in Lima.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Lima $2,167

Living in Quetzaltenango is roughly 13% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quetzaltenango 15% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$4.40 PEN 15.10

54.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$35.17 PEN 121

41.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$6.89 PEN 23.65

11.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$3.26 PEN 11.20

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$1.12 PEN 3.84

2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$0.62 PEN 2.11

46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$2.65 PEN 9.09

26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$4.41 PEN 15.15

5.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$1.63 PEN 5.61

23.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$2.56 PEN 8.78

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$1.35 PEN 4.65

57.78%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-27.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$5.98 PEN 20.52

33.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$9.78 PEN 33.59

31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$2.05 PEN 7.02

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$1.06 PEN 3.66

60.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$1.35 PEN 4.64

116.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$1.50 PEN 5.15

9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$0.88 PEN 3.03

76.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$0.92 PEN 3.15

138.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$0.90 PEN 3.10

32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-43.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-8.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-15.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$3.81 PEN 13.09

35.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-14.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$7.11 PEN 24.41

48.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-19.77%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

23.44%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-0.89%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$73.1 PEN 251

-0.45%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-20.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$27.47 PEN 94.3

68.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$31.90 PEN 110

3.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-9.93%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$182 PEN 627

87.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-48.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$53.8 PEN 185

-7.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$34.32 PEN 118

35.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$82.8 PEN 284

33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$78.2 PEN 269

43.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$721 PEN 2,476

-44.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$343 PEN 1,179

16.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

8.94

29.98%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 13.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Lima

$226 22.3% 14.3% $38

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 17.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 21.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 11.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Lima

$46 4.6% 0.9% $0.4

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 215% $30

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 $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Quetzaltenango vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quetzaltenango Lima 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango and Lima differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,148 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima 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 $1,518 in Lima 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 $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Quetzaltenango. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,148 per month in Quetzaltenango versus $1,012 in Lima – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Quetzaltenango. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Quetzaltenango. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.