Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacramento, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,961 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
Learn more

Sacramento, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index

Jump to prices

Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,961

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sacramento, CA and in Guatemala City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,961 in Sacramento, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Sacramento, CA $2,961
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,445 in Sacramento, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Sacramento, CA $4,445
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,928 in Sacramento, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Sacramento, CA $5,928
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Sacramento, CA is roughly 120% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.37 $21.37

$7.76 Q 59.3

175.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 $93.9

$49.88 Q 381

88.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.74 $12.74

$7.72 Q 59.0

65.03%

Cappuccino

$5.00 $5.00

$3.31 Q 25.28

51.06%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.17 Q 8.98

147.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.01 Q 7.75

198.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.18 Q 24.29

158.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 $8.21

$4.71 Q 36.00

74.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.08 Q 15.88

-40.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.11 Q 23.78

28.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.12 Q 16.19

108.49%

Eggs

$5.77 $5.77

$2.44 Q 18.68

136.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 $14.98

$6.19 Q 47.28

142.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.90 $14.90

$9.64 Q 73.7

54.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 $18.44

$13.48 Q 103

36.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.98 Q 30.43

28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.65 Q 12.58

21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.83 Q 21.66

48.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$1.63 Q 12.48

254.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.53 Q 11.70

147.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.18 Q 16.63

51.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.69 Q 5.26

255.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.17 Q 8.94

129.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.88 $11.88

$4.01 Q 30.62

196.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 $13.90

$8.08 Q 61.7

72.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.79 Q 13.71

49.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.68 Q 20.46

30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.01 Q 7.69

145.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.5 $99.5

$11.11 Q 84.9

795.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$5.17 Q 39.48

-21.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.55 $24.55

$10.66 Q 81.5

130.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.37 Q 10.47

18.25%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

29.49%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

6.54%

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

$230 $230

$73.1 Q 559

214.48%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$29.48 Q 225

100.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$45.73 Q 349

51.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.76 $31.76

$38.04 Q 291

-16.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.77 $40.77

$12.79 Q 97.8

218.76%

Cinema Ticket

$16.67 $16.67

$6.57 Q 50.2

153.73%

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

$1,474 $1,474

$338 Q 2,582

336.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

40.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$49.96 Q 382

21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$47.37 Q 362

-3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 $91.8

$119 Q 908

-22.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$111 Q 845

15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 $1,977

$835 Q 6,383

136.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$538 Q 4,114

170.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 $3,136

$1,568 Q 12.0K

99.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,532 $2,532

$823 Q 6,292

207.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,402 $5,402

$2,041 Q 15.6K

164.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,343 $3,343

$1,099 Q 8,398

204.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,580 $4,580

$846 Q 6,463

441.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.62

-42.17%

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

Last update for Sacramento, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 49.2%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 63.1% $919

Groceries & Markets

Sacramento, CA

$460 15.5%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 38.4% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacramento, CA

$358 12.1%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 58.6% $210

Eating Out

Sacramento, CA

$350 11.8%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 54.6% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Sacramento, CA

$147 5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 0% $0

Getting Around

Sacramento, CA

$123 4.2%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 83.5% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Sacramento, CA

$65 2.2%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 21.4% $14

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 $1,977 in Sacramento, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Sacramento, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $460 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

2 h ahead of Sacramento, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

524,943

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.54 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sacramento, CA Guatemala City 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sacramento, CA
Guatemala City

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

Sacramento, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Sacramento, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sacramento, CA is about 5.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,977 in Sacramento, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $94 in Sacramento, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,961 per month in Sacramento, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

For families, Guatemala City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sacramento, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.