Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union City, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $4,061 in Union City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in Union City, CA
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Union City, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Union City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,061

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,061 in Union City, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Union City, CA $4,061
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,023 in Union City, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Union City, CA $6,023
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,984 in Union City, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Union City, CA $7,984
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Union City, CA is roughly 201% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 $22.36

$7.76 Q 59.3

188.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$49.88 Q 381

97.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$7.72 Q 59.0

71.76%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.31 Q 25.28

65.86%

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

$3.05 $3.05

$1.17 Q 8.98

160.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.01 Q 7.75

132.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$3.18 Q 24.29

158.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 $10.12

$4.71 Q 36.00

114.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.08 Q 15.88

-39.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.11 Q 23.78

45.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.12 Q 16.19

95.75%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$2.44 Q 18.68

144.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.69 $19.69

$6.19 Q 47.28

218.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$9.64 Q 73.7

39.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.60 $8.60

$13.48 Q 103

-36.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.98 Q 30.43

27.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.65 Q 12.58

16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.83 Q 21.66

-0.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.63 Q 12.48

169.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.53 Q 11.70

47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.18 Q 16.63

38.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.69 Q 5.26

249.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.17 Q 8.94

111.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 $12.01

$4.01 Q 30.62

199.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.71 $15.71

$8.08 Q 61.7

94.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.79 Q 13.71

35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.68 Q 20.46

25.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 Q 7.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 Q 84.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$5.17 Q 39.48

-32.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.29 $30.29

$10.66 Q 81.5

184.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.37 Q 10.47

10.95%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

1.06%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

7.66%

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

$274 $274

$73.1 Q 559

274.39%

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

$48.70 $48.70

$29.48 Q 225

65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.0 $81.0

$45.73 Q 349

77.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.57 $42.57

$38.04 Q 291

11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 $16.14

$6.57 Q 50.2

145.66%

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

$1,799 $1,799

$338 Q 2,582

432.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K $42.3K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

167.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.31 $40.31

$49.96 Q 382

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$47.37 Q 362

7.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$119 Q 908

-26.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$111 Q 845

7.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,558 $3,558

$835 Q 6,383

325.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$538 Q 4,114

391.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,921 $4,921

$1,568 Q 12.0K

213.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,867 $4,867

$823 Q 6,292

491.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,041 Q 15.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,265 $7,265

$846 Q 6,463

759.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.62

-41.31%

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

Last update for Union City, 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

Union City, CA

$2.6K 65.2%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 79.7% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Union City, CA

$423 10.4%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 33.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union City, CA

$403 9.9%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 63.2% $255

Eating Out

Union City, CA

$368 9.1%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 56.7% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Union City, CA

$134 3.3%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 10.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Union City, CA

$75 1.8%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 31.6% $24

Getting Around

Union City, CA

$13 * 0.3%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 56.4% $7.3

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 $3,558 in Union City, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union City, CA pays about 8.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Union City, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $283 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union City, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

2 h ahead of Union City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,930

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

Union City, CA Guatemala City 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Union City, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Union City, 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 Union City, CA is about 8.6 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: $3,558 in Union City, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,799 in Union City, CA versus $338 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $98 in Union City, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Union City, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.