Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacaville, CA and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $3,699 in Vacaville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

179

Cost of Living Index in Vacaville, CA
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Vacaville, CA Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Vacaville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,699

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,699 in Vacaville, CA versus $1,347 in Guatemala City.

Vacaville, CA $3,699
Guatemala City $1,347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,871 in Vacaville, CA versus $2,028 in Guatemala City.

Vacaville, CA $4,871
Guatemala City $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,042 in Vacaville, CA versus $2,710 in Guatemala City.

Vacaville, CA $6,042
Guatemala City $2,710

Living in Vacaville, CA is roughly 175% more expensive than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$7.76 Q 59.3

157.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.79 $44.79

$49.88 Q 381

-10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 $13.13

$7.72 Q 59.0

70.08%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.31 Q 25.28

83.08%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.17 Q 8.98

175.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.01 Q 7.75

177.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.18 Q 24.29

116.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.71 Q 36.00

44.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.08 Q 15.88

-10.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.11 Q 23.78

54.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.12 Q 16.19

150.00%

Eggs

$5.40 $5.40

$2.44 Q 18.68

121.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.92 $17.92

$6.19 Q 47.28

189.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.19 $17.19

$9.64 Q 73.7

78.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.63 $23.63

$13.48 Q 103

75.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$3.98 Q 30.43

62.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.65 Q 12.58

15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.83 Q 21.66

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.62 $7.62

$1.63 Q 12.48

367.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.53 Q 11.70

117.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.18 Q 16.63

75.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 $3.18

$0.69 Q 5.26

360.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.17 Q 8.94

152.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$4.01 Q 30.62

192.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$8.08 Q 61.7

82.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.79 Q 13.71

89.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.68 Q 20.46

64.18%

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)

$4.19 $4.19

$5.17 Q 39.48

-18.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 $39.29

$10.66 Q 81.5

268.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.37 Q 10.47

18.25%

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

$33.8K $33.8K

$27.1K Q 207.4K

24.60%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.9K Q 190.7K

5.37%

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

$239 $239

$73.1 Q 559

226.52%

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

$66.7 $66.7

$29.48 Q 225

126.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.3 $80.3

$45.73 Q 349

75.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.36 $45.36

$38.04 Q 291

19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.79 Q 97.8

Cinema Ticket

$17.90 $17.90

$6.57 Q 50.2

172.45%

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

$3,071 $3,071

$338 Q 2,582

808.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$50.0K $50.0K

$15.8K Q 120.8K

216.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 $87.5

$49.96 Q 382

75.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 $52.3

$47.37 Q 362

10.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$119 Q 908

-8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$111 Q 845

29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 $2,359

$835 Q 6,383

182.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 $2,158

$538 Q 4,114

300.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,864 $2,864

$1,568 Q 12.0K

82.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 $2,852

$823 Q 6,292

246.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,754 $3,754

$2,041 Q 15.6K

83.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 Q 8,398

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,391 $5,391

$846 Q 6,463

537.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.13

11.62

-38.64%

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

Last update for Vacaville, 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

Vacaville, CA

$2.2K 58.4%

Guatemala City

$538 40% 75.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Vacaville, CA

$539 14.6%

Guatemala City

$283 21% 47.6% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacaville, CA

$386 10.4%

Guatemala City

$148 11% 61.5% $237

Eating Out

Vacaville, CA

$344 9.3%

Guatemala City

$159 11.8% 53.8% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Vacaville, CA

$176 4.8%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 16.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Vacaville, CA

$81 2.2%

Guatemala City

$51 3.8% 37% $30

Getting Around

Vacaville, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Guatemala City

$20 * 1.5% 43.7% $6.2

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 $2,359 in Vacaville, CA and $835 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vacaville, CA pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Vacaville, CA vs $50 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $539 vs $283, with Guatemala City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

2 h ahead of Vacaville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,670

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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).

GTQ to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vacaville, CA Guatemala City 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vacaville, 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

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

Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Vacaville, 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 Vacaville, CA is about 6.4 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: $2,359 in Vacaville, CA versus $835 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,071 in Vacaville, 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 Vacaville, CA – a meal for two runs $45 versus $50 in Guatemala City. 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, Vacaville, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.