Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and New York, NY

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
234

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

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,144

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quetzaltenango is about 77% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 Q 53.1

$26.93 $26.93

-74.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.88 Q 381

$117 $117

-57.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 Q 60.1

$14.60 $14.60

-46.16%

Cappuccino

$3.25 Q 24.86

$6.54 $6.54

-50.31%

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

$1.12 Q 8.52

$3.86 $3.86

-70.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 Q 7.56

$2.95 $2.95

-66.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 Q 24.83

$8.08 $8.08

-59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 Q 36.45

$9.85 $9.85

-51.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.32

$1.31 $1.31

52.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 Q 20.57

$4.97 $4.97

-45.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 16.00

$7.70 $7.70

-72.86%

Eggs

$2.36 Q 18.03

$6.09 $6.09

-61.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 Q 48.82

$19.55 $19.55

-67.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 Q 60.4

$17.59 $17.59

-55.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.94 Q 98.9

$20.26 $20.26

-36.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 Q 21.66

$6.99 $6.99

-59.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.17

$2.21 $2.21

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 Q 21.34

$6.72 $6.72

-58.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.59

$7.12 $7.12

-76.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.67

$4.61 $4.61

-66.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Q 16.79

$4.78 $4.78

-53.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Q 5.60

$2.87 $2.87

-74.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.12

$2.69 $2.69

-55.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 Q 24.58

$19.14 $19.14

-83.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 Q 63.1

$19.63 $19.63

-57.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$3.32 $3.32

-47.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 Q 20.81

$4.19 $4.19

-35.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 Q 39.30

$3.04 $3.04

69.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.18

$2.20 $2.20

-21.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.65 Q 81.4

$41.33 $41.33

-74.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 Q 10.30

$1.13 $1.13

19.47%

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

$27.0K Q 206.7K

$34.5K $34.5K

-21.50%

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

$25.0K Q 191.4K

$25.8K $25.8K

-3.13%

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

$73.9 Q 565

$232 $232

-68.21%

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

$13.21 Q 101

$71.0 $71.0

-81.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.16 Q 353

$67.7 $67.7

-31.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.30 Q 247

$115 $115

-72.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 Q 48.99

$22.41 $22.41

-71.40%

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

$335 Q 2,560

$3,606 $3,606

-90.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,751 Q 51.6K

$68.7K $68.7K

-90.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 Q 386

$79.3 $79.3

-36.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 Q 359

$51.4 $51.4

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 Q 851

$121 $121

-8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 848

$140 $140

-20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 Q 2,939

$4,555 $4,555

-91.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 Q 2,999

$3,040 $3,040

-87.09%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

6.89

68.65%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$392 34.3%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 675% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$263 23%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 116% $304

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 179% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.6%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 22.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$133 11.7%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 178% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$45 3.9%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 255% $115

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 1102% $152

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $385 in Quetzaltenango versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 $50 in Quetzaltenango versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $567 – making Quetzaltenango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

1 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

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).

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

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quetzaltenango New York, NY 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
New York, NY

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

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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,716 per month in Quetzaltenango and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,144 in Quetzaltenango and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Quetzaltenango about 77% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $335 per month in Quetzaltenango and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,144 in Quetzaltenango and $4,906 in New York, NY. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.