Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,449 in Santa Rosa, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Rosa, CA, United States
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Santa Rosa, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,449
/mo nomad
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,449 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

  • Santa Rosa, CA $3,449
  • Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,047 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

  • Santa Rosa, CA $5,047
  • Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,646 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

  • Santa Rosa, CA $6,646
  • Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Santa Rosa, CA is roughly 156% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.26 $27.26
$7.76 Q 59.3
251.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.6 $88.6
$49.88 Q 381
77.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 $11.79
$7.72 Q 59.0
52.72%
Cappuccino
$7.04 $7.04
$3.31 Q 25.28
112.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 $3.32
$1.17 Q 8.98
183.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 $3.28
$1.01 Q 7.75
224.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.83 $7.83
$3.18 Q 24.29
146.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$4.71 Q 36.00
79.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 $1.43
$2.08 Q 15.88
-31.25%
White Bread (500g)
$4.51 $4.51
$3.11 Q 23.78
45.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.58 $4.58
$2.12 Q 16.19
116.04%
Eggs
$5.46 $5.46
$2.44 Q 18.68
123.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.62 $22.62
$6.19 Q 47.28
265.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.97 $14.97
$9.64 Q 73.7
55.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.11 $21.11
$13.48 Q 103
56.60%
Apples (1kg)
$6.06 $6.06
$3.98 Q 30.43
52.26%
Banana (1kg)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.65 Q 12.58
52.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.89 $6.89
$2.83 Q 21.66
143.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.59 $6.59
$1.63 Q 12.48
304.29%
Potato (1kg)
$3.95 $3.95
$1.53 Q 11.70
158.17%
Onion (1kg)
$3.60 $3.60
$2.18 Q 16.63
65.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.17 $3.17
$0.69 Q 5.26
359.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.17 Q 8.94
75.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.70 $11.70
$4.01 Q 30.62
191.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.89 $11.89
$8.08 Q 61.7
47.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.79 Q 13.71
17.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$2.68 Q 20.46
-19.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 $1.52
$1.01 Q 7.69
50.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.9 $50.9
$11.11 Q 84.9
358.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.04 $4.04
$5.17 Q 39.48
-21.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 $1.95
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.68 $28.68
$10.66 Q 81.5
169.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 $1.58
$1.37 Q 10.47
15.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K $27.5K
$27.1K Q 207.4K
1.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K $26.7K
$24.9K Q 190.7K
7.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$194 $194
$73.1 Q 559
164.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.58 $49.58
$29.48 Q 225
68.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.9 $72.9
$45.73 Q 349
59.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.8 $61.8
$38.04 Q 291
62.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.23 $14.23
$12.79 Q 97.8
11.26%
Cinema Ticket
$14.59 $14.59
$6.57 Q 50.2
122.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,289 $1,289
$338 Q 2,582
281.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.8K $30.8K
$15.8K Q 120.8K
94.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 $50.2
$49.96 Q 382
0.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.98 $35.98
$47.37 Q 362
-24.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 $105
$119 Q 908
-11.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 $125
$111 Q 845
13.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,463 $2,463
$835 Q 6,383
194.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,902 $1,902
$538 Q 4,114
253.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,581 $3,581
$1,568 Q 12.0K
128.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,143 $3,143
$823 Q 6,292
281.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,192 $5,192
$2,041 Q 15.6K
154.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,757 $4,757
$1,099 Q 8,398
332.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Rosa, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,809 $4,809
$846 Q 6,463
468.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.48
11.62
-44.23%

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

Last update for Santa Rosa, 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
Santa Rosa, CA
$1.9K
Guatemala City
$538 71.7% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Santa Rosa, CA
$506
Guatemala City
$283 44.1% $224
Eating Out
Santa Rosa, CA
$420
Guatemala City
$159 62.2% $261
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Rosa, CA
$316
Guatemala City
$148 53.1% $168
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Rosa, CA
$142
Guatemala City
$147 3.3% $4.7
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Rosa, CA
$91
Guatemala City
$51 43.8% $40
Getting Around
Santa Rosa, CA
$71
Guatemala City
$20 * 71.3% $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 $2,463 in Santa Rosa, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Rosa, CA pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Santa Rosa, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $506 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Santa Rosa, CA
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🕒 Local time
04:48 4:48 AM
06:48 6:48 AM
2 h ahead of Santa Rosa, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
174,972
2,450,212 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.58 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santa Rosa, CA Guatemala City 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Rosa, 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
Santa Rosa, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Santa Rosa, CA or Guatemala City?
Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Santa Rosa, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Santa Rosa, CA or in Guatemala City?
Average pay in Santa Rosa, CA is about 5.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Santa Rosa, CA compared to Guatemala City?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,463 in Santa Rosa, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Santa Rosa, CA and in Guatemala City?
Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $89 in Santa Rosa, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Santa Rosa, CA compared to Guatemala City?
All in, you’ll spend $3,449 per month in Santa Rosa, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Santa Rosa, CA or in Guatemala City?
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.
Which city is better for families?
For families, Guatemala City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santa Rosa, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Santa Rosa, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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