Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tustin, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,369 in Tustin, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tustin, CA, United States
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Tustin, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$4,369
/mo nomad
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,369 in Tustin, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

  • Tustin, CA $4,369
  • Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Tustin, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

  • Tustin, CA $6,003
  • Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,636 in Tustin, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

  • Tustin, CA $7,636
  • Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Tustin, CA is roughly 224% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.20 $25.20
$7.76 Q 59.3
224.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.1 $71.1
$49.88 Q 381
42.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.24 $15.24
$7.72 Q 59.0
97.41%
Cappuccino
$5.57 $5.57
$3.31 Q 25.28
68.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 $3.18
$1.17 Q 8.98
171.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.01 Q 7.75
126.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.04 $7.04
$3.18 Q 24.29
121.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.84 $9.84
$4.71 Q 36.00
108.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$2.08 Q 15.88
-44.23%
White Bread (500g)
$5.29 $5.29
$3.11 Q 23.78
70.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.65 $4.65
$2.12 Q 16.19
119.34%
Eggs
$5.11 $5.11
$2.44 Q 18.68
109.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.00 $16.00
$6.19 Q 47.28
158.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.33 $13.33
$9.64 Q 73.7
38.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 $15.40
$13.48 Q 103
14.24%
Apples (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$3.98 Q 30.43
20.35%
Banana (1kg)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.65 Q 12.58
47.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$2.83 Q 21.66
45.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.70 $5.70
$1.63 Q 12.48
249.69%
Potato (1kg)
$3.52 $3.52
$1.53 Q 11.70
130.07%
Onion (1kg)
$3.02 $3.02
$2.18 Q 16.63
38.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 $2.18
$0.69 Q 5.26
215.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 $2.79
$1.17 Q 8.94
138.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.71 $11.71
$4.01 Q 30.62
192.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.83 $14.83
$8.08 Q 61.7
83.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 $2.40
$1.79 Q 13.71
34.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 $4.30
$2.68 Q 20.46
60.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.01 Q 7.69
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.43 $34.43
$11.11 Q 84.9
209.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.03 $3.03
$5.17 Q 39.48
-41.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 $1.81
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.48 $30.48
$10.66 Q 81.5
185.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 $1.57
$1.37 Q 10.47
14.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K $29.0K
$27.1K Q 207.4K
6.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$24.9K Q 190.7K
7.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$218 $218
$73.1 Q 559
197.88%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$87.2 $87.2
$29.48 Q 225
195.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.5 $72.5
$45.73 Q 349
58.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$98.6 $98.6
$38.04 Q 291
159.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.20 $25.20
$12.79 Q 97.8
97.03%
Cinema Ticket
$16.92 $16.92
$6.57 Q 50.2
157.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,442 $1,442
$338 Q 2,582
326.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.1K $30.1K
$15.8K Q 120.8K
90.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.2 $74.2
$49.96 Q 382
48.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.30 $40.30
$47.37 Q 362
-14.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 $104
$119 Q 908
-12.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 $151
$111 Q 845
36.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,050 $3,050
$835 Q 6,383
265.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,791 $2,791
$538 Q 4,114
418.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,293 $4,293
$1,568 Q 12.0K
173.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,208 $4,208
$823 Q 6,292
411.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,816 $7,816
$2,041 Q 15.6K
283.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,481 $5,481
$1,099 Q 8,398
398.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tustin, CA
Guatemala City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,900 $4,900
$846 Q 6,463
479.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.56
11.62
-43.55%

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

Last update for Tustin, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tustin, CA
$2.8K
Guatemala City
$538 80.7% $2.3K
Groceries & Markets
Tustin, CA
$457
Guatemala City
$283 38.1% $174
Eating Out
Tustin, CA
$391
Guatemala City
$159 59.3% $232
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tustin, CA
$377
Guatemala City
$148 60.7% $229
Clothing & Footwear
Tustin, CA
$166
Guatemala City
$147 11.6% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Tustin, CA
$132
Guatemala City
$51 61.4% $81
Getting Around
Tustin, CA
$55
Guatemala City
$20 * 62.8% $34

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 $3,050 in Tustin, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tustin, CA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Tustin, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Tustin, CA
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🕒 Local time
08:22 8:22 AM
10:22 10:22 AM
2 h ahead of Tustin, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
69,665
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
  • Tustin, CA Guatemala City 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tustin, 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
Tustin, CA vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tustin, CA or Guatemala City?
Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Tustin, 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 Tustin, CA or in Guatemala City?
Average pay in Tustin, CA is about 5.8 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 Tustin, CA compared to Guatemala City?
Rent for a central apartment: $3,050 in Tustin, 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 Tustin, CA and in Guatemala City?
Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $71 in Tustin, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Tustin, CA compared to Guatemala City?
All in, you’ll spend $4,369 per month in Tustin, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City – Guatemala City is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Tustin, 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 offers a better quality of life: Tustin, CA or Guatemala City?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Guatemala City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Tustin, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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