Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quetzaltenango and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Quetzaltenango versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Quetzaltenango $1,138
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,443 in Quetzaltenango versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Quetzaltenango $1,443
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,747 in Quetzaltenango versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Quetzaltenango $1,747
Phuket $3,154

Living in Quetzaltenango costs roughly 11% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quetzaltenango 16% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.77 Q 51.7

$4.47 ฿151

51.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 Q 389

$32.41 ฿1,093

57.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 Q 58.7

$8.81 ฿297

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.69

$2.83 ฿95.4

18.73%

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

$1.10 Q 8.40

$0.87 ฿29.41

26.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 Q 7.44

$0.49 ฿16.65

97.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 Q 25.45

$2.56 ฿86.3

30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 Q 35.27

$3.68 ฿124

25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.01

$1.66 ฿55.9

26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 Q 19.64

$1.46 ฿49.31

76.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.69

$1.50 ฿50.5

36.67%

Eggs

$2.36 Q 18.05

$2.09 ฿70.5

12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Q 48.69

$19.07 ฿643

-66.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 Q 60.5

$3.30 ฿111

140.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 Q 100

$10.91 ฿368

19.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 Q 22.58

$2.93 ฿98.9

1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.14

$1.69 ฿57.0

1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.34

$2.25 ฿75.8

29.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 Q 12.20

$2.08 ฿70.0

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 Q 11.73

$1.51 ฿51.0

1.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Q 16.79

$1.38 ฿46.52

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.65

$1.07 ฿35.96

-30.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 Q 8.90

$0.52 ฿17.51

123.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.61

$4.20 ฿142

-20.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 Q 61.5

$18.79 ฿634

-57.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Q 13.57

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 Q 19.84

$2.84 ฿95.8

-8.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 Q 39.12

$3.02 ฿102

69.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.16

$1.02 ฿34.33

68.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 Q 79.0

$3.69 ฿125

180.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.14

$1.47 ฿49.76

-9.52%

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

$27.6K Q 210.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

2.95%

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

$25.8K Q 197.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-3.16%

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

$72.2 Q 551

$96.4 ฿3,251

-25.11%

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

$12.97 Q 99.1

$11.26 ฿380

15.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.36 Q 354

$16.85 ฿568

175.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 Q 254

$67.2 ฿2,268

-50.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.46

$7.50 ฿253

-15.47%

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

$342 Q 2,613

$476 ฿16.1K

-28.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,808 Q 52.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-39.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.78 Q 373

$62.4 ฿2,104

-21.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.81 Q 365

$28.41 ฿958

68.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 839

$94.3 ฿3,181

16.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 853

$85.8 ฿2,895

30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 Q 3,052

$716 ฿24.2K

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 Q 2,971

$491 ฿16.6K

-20.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

5.57

108.62%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 26.3% $102

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 1.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 5.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 78.9% $36

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 414% $57

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 $399 in Quetzaltenango and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51 in Quetzaltenango vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $266, with Quetzaltenango cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

07:08 7:08 AM

13 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quetzaltenango Phuket 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,707 in Quetzaltenango and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $399 in Quetzaltenango versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $51 in Quetzaltenango. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $342 in Quetzaltenango versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Quetzaltenango is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.