Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Dimas, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,583 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,583

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Dimas, 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 San Dimas, CA and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,583 in San Dimas, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

San Dimas, CA $2,583
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,870 in San Dimas, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

San Dimas, CA $3,870
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in San Dimas, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

San Dimas, CA $5,157
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in San Dimas, CA is roughly 92% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.83 $11.83

$7.76 Q 59.3

52.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.29 $49.29

$49.88 Q 381

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$7.72 Q 59.0

19.69%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.31 Q 25.28

80.66%

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

$3.43 $3.43

$1.17 Q 8.98

193.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.01 Q 7.75

143.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.55 $7.55

$3.18 Q 24.29

137.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$4.71 Q 36.00

72.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.08 Q 15.88

-47.60%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.11 Q 23.78

31.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.12 Q 16.19

122.17%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.44 Q 18.68

95.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$6.19 Q 47.28

109.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.40 $20.40

$9.64 Q 73.7

111.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$13.48 Q 103

16.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.98 Q 30.43

26.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.65 Q 12.58

4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.83 Q 21.66

100.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$1.63 Q 12.48

253.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.53 Q 11.70

141.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.18 Q 16.63

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.69 Q 5.26

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.17 Q 8.94

64.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.77 $11.77

$4.01 Q 30.62

193.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$8.08 Q 61.7

87.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.79 Q 13.71

8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.68 Q 20.46

58.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.01 Q 7.69

69.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 $54.6

$11.11 Q 84.9

391.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$5.17 Q 39.48

-39.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.91 $35.91

$10.66 Q 81.5

236.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.37 Q 10.47

18.98%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

8.28%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

9.30%

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

$171 $171

$73.1 Q 559

133.60%

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

$67.5 $67.5

$29.48 Q 225

129.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$45.73 Q 349

30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 $40.65

$38.04 Q 291

6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$15.30 $15.30

$6.57 Q 50.2

132.88%

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

$1,866 $1,866

$338 Q 2,582

452.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

11.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$49.96 Q 382

15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.78 $39.78

$47.37 Q 362

-16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 $92.4

$119 Q 908

-22.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$111 Q 845

30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$835 Q 6,383

91.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$538 Q 4,114

133.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,580 $2,580

$1,568 Q 12.0K

64.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,327 $2,327

$823 Q 6,292

182.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,919 $2,919

$2,041 Q 15.6K

43.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,669 $2,669

$1,099 Q 8,398

142.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,030 $4,030

$846 Q 6,463

376.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.62

-45.70%

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

Last update for San Dimas, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Dimas, CA

$1.3K 48.7%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 57.2% $720

Groceries & Markets

San Dimas, CA

$460 17.8%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 38.5% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Dimas, CA

$298 11.5%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 50.3% $150

Eating Out

San Dimas, CA

$272 10.5%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 41.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.8%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 2.3% $3.5

Getting Around

San Dimas, CA

$74 2.9%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 72.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

San Dimas, CA

$71 2.8%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 28.2% $20

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 $1,602 in San Dimas, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Dimas, CA pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in San Dimas, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $460 vs $283, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

2 h ahead of San Dimas, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,714

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

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Between locations

San Dimas, CA Guatemala City 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Dimas, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in San Dimas, 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 San Dimas, CA is about 4.8 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: $1,602 in San Dimas, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,866 in San Dimas, CA versus $338 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Guatemala City runs roughly 80% less than in San Dimas, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, San Dimas, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.