Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $1,334 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Santiago versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Santiago $1,206
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Santiago versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Santiago $1,885
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,564 in Santiago versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Santiago $2,564
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Santiago costs roughly 10% less than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 10% below, Guatemala City is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,954

$6.84 Q 52.2

48.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

$49.83 Q 381

4.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,342

$7.72 Q 59.0

10.62%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,122

$3.24 Q 24.80

-1.54%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,641

$1.11 Q 8.46

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,194

$0.98 Q 7.49

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,110

$3.22 Q 24.59

30.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,550

$4.88 Q 37.30

-4.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,286

$2.11 Q 16.11

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,760

$3.04 Q 23.22

-40.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,547

$2.09 Q 15.96

-24.40%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,151

$2.51 Q 19.15

69.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$6.16 Q 47.10

81.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,596

$9.55 Q 73.0

-29.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

$13.51 Q 103

-21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,995

$4.00 Q 30.54

-49.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,500

$1.71 Q 13.05

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,553

$2.83 Q 21.63

-43.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,712

$1.65 Q 12.61

6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,054

$1.49 Q 11.37

-27.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,480

$2.12 Q 16.21

-28.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,148

$0.68 Q 5.20

72.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,043

$1.20 Q 9.16

-10.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,027

$4.11 Q 31.39

25.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,745

$8.11 Q 61.9

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,516

$1.74 Q 13.30

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,223

$2.73 Q 20.83

-16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 831

$1.29 Q 9.88

-34.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

$14.31 Q 109

190.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$5.16 Q 39.46

-92.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 822

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

$10.46 Q 79.9

14.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,470

$1.33 Q 10.17

12.78%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

$27.3K Q 208.8K

-33.75%

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

$25.3K Q 193.6K

-14.68%

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

$151 CLP 147.7K

$73.2 Q 559

106.46%

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

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

$28.62 Q 219

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$45.27 Q 346

-58.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

$40.18 Q 307

-15.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

$13.22 Q 101

-11.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,202

$6.60 Q 50.5

11.67%

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

$434 CLP 424.3K

$334 Q 2,554

29.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

$6,809 Q 52.0K

61.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

$49.72 Q 380

2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

$48.13 Q 368

-39.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

$120 Q 916

-43.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

$112 Q 857

-28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 542.0K

$837 Q 6,396

-33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 364.0K

$534 Q 4,082

-30.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

$1,537 Q 11.7K

-34.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 760.9K

$803 Q 6,139

-3.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

$2,071 Q 15.8K

28.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

$1,092 Q 8,344

140.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 773.5K

$841 Q 6,425

-5.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.62

-53.61%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 43.4% $162

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 19.6% $46

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 19.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 19.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 44.9% $46

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 50.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 10% $4.8

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 $555 in Santiago and $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guatemala City pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $50.0 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $283, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Guatemala City 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
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

Santiago vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Guatemala City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $555 in Santiago versus $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $50.0 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,206 per month in Santiago versus $1,334 in Guatemala City – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $1,334 in Guatemala City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santiago delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,206 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santiago hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Guatemala City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.