Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $746 a month against $1,347 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$746

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $746
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,243 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,243
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,740 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,740
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas costs roughly 45% less than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.96 Q 53.1

$7.76 Q 59.3

-10.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.15 Q 375

$49.88 Q 381

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 Q 59.1

$7.72 Q 58.9

0.26%

Cappuccino

$3.27 Q 24.97

$3.31 Q 25.26

-1.21%

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

$1.15 Q 8.79

$1.17 Q 8.97

-1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 Q 7.60

$1.01 Q 7.74

-1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 Q 25.44

$3.18 Q 24.27

4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 Q 36.11

$4.71 Q 35.97

0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.24

$2.08 Q 15.87

-3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 Q 23.99

$3.11 Q 23.76

0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 Q 15.70

$2.12 Q 16.17

-2.83%

Eggs

$2.38 Q 18.17

$2.44 Q 18.67

-2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 Q 47.73

$6.19 Q 47.24

0.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 Q 71.0

$9.64 Q 73.6

-3.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.40 Q 102

$13.48 Q 103

-0.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 Q 29.27

$3.98 Q 30.40

-3.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.69

$1.65 Q 12.57

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 Q 21.88

$2.83 Q 21.64

1.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 Q 12.28

$1.63 Q 12.47

-1.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 Q 11.76

$1.53 Q 11.69

0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.73

$2.18 Q 16.62

0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.68

$0.69 Q 5.25

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.90

$1.17 Q 8.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 Q 30.85

$4.01 Q 30.60

0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 Q 61.3

$8.08 Q 61.7

-0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.79 Q 13.70

-2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Q 19.95

$2.68 Q 20.44

-2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 Q 40.51

$5.17 Q 39.45

2.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.43 Q 79.6

$10.66 Q 81.4

-2.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.15

$1.37 Q 10.46

-2.92%

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

$27.7K Q 211.9K

$27.1K Q 207.2K

2.27%

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

$25.6K Q 195.5K

$24.9K Q 190.5K

2.64%

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

$71.8 Q 548

$73.1 Q 558

-1.74%

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

$28.67 Q 219

$29.48 Q 225

-2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 Q 355

$45.73 Q 349

1.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.04 Q 290

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 Q 50.8

$6.57 Q 50.1

1.37%

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

$337 Q 2,574

$338 Q 2,580

-0.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,557 Q 50.1K

$15.8K Q 120.7K

-58.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.91 Q 373

$49.96 Q 381

-2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.72 Q 357

$47.37 Q 362

-1.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 910

$119 Q 908

0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 Q 874

$111 Q 845

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 Q 6,378

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 Q 4,111

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 Q 12.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 Q 6,287

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,392

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$846 Q 6,458

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

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

Last update for Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: 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

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$538 40%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$283 21%

Eating Out

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$159 11.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$148 11%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$51 3.8%

Getting Around

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $283 per month, with Santa Lucía Milpas Altas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,234

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Santa Lucía Milpas Altas Guatemala City 19 km

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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

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Lucía Milpas Altas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,119 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and $2,021 in Guatemala City 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.

Childcare runs $337 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $338 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $746 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $1,347 in Guatemala City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Lucía Milpas Altas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.