Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,623 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

219

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

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,623

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,623 in San Rafael, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

San Rafael, CA $4,623
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,253 in San Rafael, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

San Rafael, CA $6,253
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,883 in San Rafael, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

San Rafael, CA $7,883
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in San Rafael, CA is roughly 243% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.25 $25.25

$7.76 Q 59.3

225.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$49.88 Q 381

137.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$7.72 Q 59.0

55.83%

Cappuccino

$4.82 $4.82

$3.31 Q 25.28

45.62%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.17 Q 8.98

150.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.01 Q 7.75

195.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.18 Q 24.29

156.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.71 Q 36.00

45.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.08 Q 15.88

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.11 Q 23.78

49.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.79 $9.79

$2.12 Q 16.19

361.79%

Eggs

$5.41 $5.41

$2.44 Q 18.68

121.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.27 $23.27

$6.19 Q 47.28

275.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.02 $15.02

$9.64 Q 73.7

55.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.38 $18.38

$13.48 Q 103

36.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.98 Q 30.43

86.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.65 Q 12.58

74.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.83 Q 21.66

124.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.30 $8.30

$1.63 Q 12.48

409.20%

Potato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$1.53 Q 11.70

274.51%

Onion (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.18 Q 16.63

150.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 $3.17

$0.69 Q 5.26

359.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.17 Q 8.94

232.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.22 $11.22

$4.01 Q 30.62

179.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.80 $12.80

$8.08 Q 61.7

58.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.79 Q 13.71

19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.68 Q 20.46

16.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.01 Q 7.69

95.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.36 $39.36

$11.11 Q 84.9

254.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$5.17 Q 39.48

-50.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.24 $4.24

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.80 $28.80

$10.66 Q 81.5

170.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.37 Q 10.47

3.65%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

4.44%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

7.68%

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

$251 $251

$73.1 Q 559

243.54%

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

$85.3 $85.3

$29.48 Q 225

189.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$45.73 Q 349

35.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$124 $124

$38.04 Q 291

226.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.66 $29.66

$12.79 Q 97.8

131.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 $12.93

$6.57 Q 50.2

96.80%

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

$2,154 $2,154

$338 Q 2,582

537.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

99.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$49.96 Q 382

19.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.18 $43.18

$47.37 Q 362

-8.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 $93.8

$119 Q 908

-21.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 $128

$111 Q 845

15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,810 $2,810

$835 Q 6,383

236.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,910 $2,910

$538 Q 4,114

440.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,160 $4,160

$1,568 Q 12.0K

165.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,930 $3,930

$823 Q 6,292

377.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,287 $8,287

$2,041 Q 15.6K

306.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,657 $5,657

$1,099 Q 8,398

414.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,497 $5,497

$846 Q 6,463

550.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.62

-43.03%

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

Last update for San Rafael, CA: November 3, 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 Rafael, CA

$2.9K 63%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 81.5% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael, CA

$573 12.4%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 50.6% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael, CA

$398 8.6%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 62.8% $250

Eating Out

San Rafael, CA

$374 8.1%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 57.5% $215

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.2%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 65.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael, CA

$146 3.2%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

San Rafael, CA

$71 1.5%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 71.4% $51

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 $2,810 in San Rafael, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $119 in San Rafael, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $573 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

2 h ahead of San Rafael, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,704

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 Rafael, CA Guatemala City 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in San Rafael, 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 Rafael, CA is about 6.5 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: $2,810 in San Rafael, 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 $119 in San Rafael, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,623 per month in San Rafael, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 71% 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.

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 Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in San Rafael, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.