Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Guatemala 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Guatemala is 25.4% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Guatemala is 24.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Guatemala are 20.2% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Guatemala are 25.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Guatemala are 24.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Guatemala is 36.9% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (76.78 Q) |
2,604.71 ₡ (40.00 Q) |
-47.9 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (460.70 Q) |
26,047.09 ₡ (400.00 Q) |
-13.2 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (76.78 Q) |
3,255.89 ₡ (50.00 Q) |
-34.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (23.04 Q) |
1,627.94 ₡ (25.00 Q) |
+8.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,400.00 ₡ (36.86 Q) |
2,409.36 ₡ (37.00 Q) |
+0.4 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,993.12 ₡ (30.61 Q) |
1,671.65 ₡ (25.67 Q) |
-16.1 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,095.47 ₡ (16.82 Q) |
626.24 ₡ (9.62 Q) |
-42.8 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
845.32 ₡ (12.98 Q) |
475.67 ₡ (7.30 Q) |
-43.7 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,796.91 ₡ (58.31 Q) |
3,736.78 ₡ (57.38 Q) |
-1.6 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,445.77 ₡ (22.20 Q) |
1,172.60 ₡ (18.01 Q) |
-18.9 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
541.22 ₡ (8.31 Q) |
416.19 ₡ (6.39 Q) |
-23.1 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,712.54 ₡ (26.30 Q) |
1,140.25 ₡ (17.51 Q) |
-33.4 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,051.70 ₡ (31.51 Q) |
1,613.97 ₡ (24.79 Q) |
-21.3 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,145.78 ₡ (32.95 Q) |
1,763.98 ₡ (27.09 Q) |
-17.8 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,005.95 ₡ (46.16 Q) |
2,148.83 ₡ (33.00 Q) |
-28.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
999.75 ₡ (15.35 Q) |
835.67 ₡ (12.83 Q) |
-16.4 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
369.52 ₡ (5.67 Q) |
383.36 ₡ (5.89 Q) |
+3.7 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
731.33 ₡ (11.23 Q) |
781.64 ₡ (12.00 Q) |
+6.9 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
691.01 ₡ (10.61 Q) |
351.58 ₡ (5.40 Q) |
-49.1 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
665.48 ₡ (10.22 Q) |
352.19 ₡ (5.41 Q) |
-47.1 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
644.64 ₡ (9.90 Q) |
413.81 ₡ (6.35 Q) |
-35.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
505.79 ₡ (7.77 Q) |
395.46 ₡ (6.07 Q) |
-21.8 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,243.91 ₡ (19.10 Q) |
595.36 ₡ (9.14 Q) |
-52.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (122.85 Q) |
3,907.06 ₡ (60.00 Q) |
-51.2 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,172.85 ₡ (18.01 Q) |
973.38 ₡ (14.95 Q) |
-17.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,377.11 ₡ (21.15 Q) |
1,392.14 ₡ (21.38 Q) |
+1.1 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (38.39 Q) |
1,823.30 ₡ (28.00 Q) |
-27.1 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (7.68 Q) |
520.94 ₡ (8.00 Q) |
+4.2 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (383.92 Q) |
6,511.77 ₡ (100.00 Q) |
-74.0 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
910.00 ₡ (13.97 Q) |
1,953.53 ₡ (30.00 Q) |
+114.7 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₡ (24.71 Q) |
838.37 ₡ (12.87 Q) |
-47.9 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (59.05 Q) |
5,046.62 ₡ (77.50 Q) |
+31.3 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,833.28 ₡ (43.51 Q) |
2,065.84 ₡ (31.72 Q) |
-27.1 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,250,000.00 ₡ (280,261.65 Q) |
9,116,480.96 ₡ (140,000.00 Q) |
-50.0 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,803,262.39 ₡ (273,401.19 Q) |
11,386,394.28 ₡ (174,858.61 Q) |
-36.0 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
44,581.45 ₡ (684.63 Q) |
29,826.64 ₡ (458.04 Q) |
-33.1 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
13,087.10 ₡ (200.98 Q) |
14,231.31 ₡ (218.55 Q) |
+8.7 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,489.22 ₡ (422.15 Q) |
25,464.42 ₡ (391.05 Q) |
-7.4 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
28,906.16 ₡ (443.91 Q) |
22,498.15 ₡ (345.50 Q) |
-22.2 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15,308.33 ₡ (235.09 Q) |
12,160.73 ₡ (186.75 Q) |
-20.6 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (61.43 Q) |
3,581.47 ₡ (55.00 Q) |
-10.5 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
275,391.19 ₡ (4,229.13 Q) |
113,830.79 ₡ (1,748.08 Q) |
-58.7 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,966,129.05 ₡ (76,263.86 Q) |
3,417,522.71 ₡ (52,482.22 Q) |
-31.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,964.42 ₡ (567.66 Q) |
25,065.31 ₡ (384.92 Q) |
-32.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,836.38 ₡ (427.48 Q) |
26,807.35 ₡ (411.68 Q) |
-3.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
62,644.33 ₡ (962.02 Q) |
51,674.60 ₡ (793.56 Q) |
-17.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,963.63 ₡ (828.71 Q) |
51,451.05 ₡ (790.12 Q) |
-4.7 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
396,048.35 ₡ (6,082.04 Q) |
338,232.40 ₡ (5,194.17 Q) |
-14.6 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,714.23 ₡ (4,080.52 Q) |
213,800.67 ₡ (3,283.29 Q) |
-19.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
733,428.01 ₡ (11,263.11 Q) |
631,870.36 ₡ (9,703.51 Q) |
-13.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
502,665.25 ₡ (7,719.33 Q) |
329,674.20 ₡ (5,062.74 Q) |
-34.4 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
125,155.56 ₡ (1,921.99 Q) |
67,176.30 ₡ (1,031.61 Q) |
-46.3 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
69,752.77 ₡ (1,071.18 Q) |
50,482.31 ₡ (775.25 Q) |
-27.6 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
503,041.30 ₡ (7,725.11 Q) |
240,171.36 ₡ (3,688.26 Q) |
-52.3 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.29 | 8.77 | -14.8 % |
| Last update: | March 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 112 | 72 |
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