Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Guatemala 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Guatemala is 23.7% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Guatemala is 21.8% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Guatemala are 15.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Guatemala are 21.6% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Guatemala are 23.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Guatemala is 31.6% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (75.45 Q) |
2,982.00 ₡ (45.00 Q) |
-40.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (452.72 Q) |
26,506.68 ₡ (400.00 Q) |
-11.6 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (75.45 Q) |
3,313.34 ₡ (50.00 Q) |
-33.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (22.64 Q) |
1,656.67 ₡ (25.00 Q) |
+10.4 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,289.73 ₡ (34.55 Q) |
2,584.40 ₡ (39.00 Q) |
+12.9 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
2,006.41 ₡ (30.28 Q) |
1,781.31 ₡ (26.88 Q) |
-11.2 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,090.08 ₡ (16.45 Q) |
653.53 ₡ (9.86 Q) |
-40.0 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
848.73 ₡ (12.81 Q) |
508.18 ₡ (7.67 Q) |
-40.1 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,863.46 ₡ (58.30 Q) |
3,815.91 ₡ (57.58 Q) |
-1.2 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,449.85 ₡ (21.88 Q) |
1,211.79 ₡ (18.29 Q) |
-16.4 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
566.54 ₡ (8.55 Q) |
427.25 ₡ (6.45 Q) |
-24.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.06 ₡ (25.85 Q) |
1,178.88 ₡ (17.79 Q) |
-31.2 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,059.25 ₡ (31.08 Q) |
1,731.81 ₡ (26.13 Q) |
-15.9 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,121.18 ₡ (32.01 Q) |
1,835.49 ₡ (27.70 Q) |
-13.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,043.27 ₡ (45.92 Q) |
2,239.60 ₡ (33.80 Q) |
-26.4 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,030.14 ₡ (15.55 Q) |
827.02 ₡ (12.48 Q) |
-19.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
368.20 ₡ (5.56 Q) |
377.62 ₡ (5.70 Q) |
+2.6 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
706.62 ₡ (10.66 Q) |
759.08 ₡ (11.45 Q) |
+7.4 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
681.78 ₡ (10.29 Q) |
340.76 ₡ (5.14 Q) |
-50.0 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
671.27 ₡ (10.13 Q) |
351.70 ₡ (5.31 Q) |
-47.6 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
627.74 ₡ (9.47 Q) |
419.46 ₡ (6.33 Q) |
-33.2 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
509.37 ₡ (7.69 Q) |
391.80 ₡ (5.91 Q) |
-23.1 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,260.31 ₡ (19.02 Q) |
601.13 ₡ (9.07 Q) |
-52.3 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (120.72 Q) |
3,976.00 ₡ (60.00 Q) |
-50.3 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,163.40 ₡ (17.56 Q) |
935.99 ₡ (14.12 Q) |
-19.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,389.37 ₡ (20.97 Q) |
1,378.10 ₡ (20.80 Q) |
-0.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (37.73 Q) |
1,921.73 ₡ (29.00 Q) |
-23.1 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (7.55 Q) |
530.13 ₡ (8.00 Q) |
+6.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (377.26 Q) |
6,626.67 ₡ (100.00 Q) |
-73.5 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
920.00 ₡ (13.88 Q) |
1,905.17 ₡ (28.75 Q) |
+107.1 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,569.11 ₡ (23.68 Q) |
879.83 ₡ (13.28 Q) |
-43.9 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (58.02 Q) |
5,135.67 ₡ (77.50 Q) |
+33.6 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,825.94 ₡ (42.64 Q) |
2,099.80 ₡ (31.69 Q) |
-25.7 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,450,000.00 ₡ (278,420.36 Q) |
9,277,338.68 ₡ (140,000.00 Q) |
-49.7 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,660,636.28 ₡ (266,508.44 Q) |
11,753,907.67 ₡ (177,372.75 Q) |
-33.4 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
43,745.81 ₡ (660.15 Q) |
30,698.79 ₡ (463.26 Q) |
-29.8 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,964.61 ₡ (195.64 Q) |
14,262.83 ₡ (215.23 Q) |
+10.0 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,333.59 ₡ (412.48 Q) |
27,262.09 ₡ (411.40 Q) |
-0.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
29,281.51 ₡ (441.87 Q) |
22,451.78 ₡ (338.81 Q) |
-23.3 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
14,522.18 ₡ (219.15 Q) |
12,375.31 ₡ (186.75 Q) |
-14.8 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,500.00 ₡ (67.91 Q) |
3,280.20 ₡ (49.50 Q) |
-27.1 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
277,090.27 ₡ (4,181.44 Q) |
126,034.18 ₡ (1,901.92 Q) |
-54.5 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
5,052,035.91 ₡ (76,237.92 Q) |
3,433,646.13 ₡ (51,815.56 Q) |
-32.0 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,709.29 ₡ (553.96 Q) |
25,815.61 ₡ (389.57 Q) |
-29.7 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,762.93 ₡ (418.96 Q) |
26,838.02 ₡ (405.00 Q) |
-3.3 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
60,950.37 ₡ (919.77 Q) |
50,047.11 ₡ (755.24 Q) |
-17.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,464.54 ₡ (806.81 Q) |
53,330.46 ₡ (804.79 Q) |
-0.3 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
394,155.88 ₡ (5,948.02 Q) |
353,776.42 ₡ (5,338.68 Q) |
-10.2 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,748.91 ₡ (4,010.29 Q) |
216,535.26 ₡ (3,267.63 Q) |
-18.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
737,385.51 ₡ (11,127.54 Q) |
692,736.05 ₡ (10,453.76 Q) |
-6.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
507,821.23 ₡ (7,663.29 Q) |
348,897.32 ₡ (5,265.05 Q) |
-31.3 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
120,687.25 ₡ (1,821.24 Q) |
69,612.03 ₡ (1,050.48 Q) |
-42.3 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
65,882.45 ₡ (994.20 Q) |
50,294.90 ₡ (758.98 Q) |
-23.7 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Guatemala Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
506,764.76 ₡ (7,647.35 Q) |
271,026.89 ₡ (4,089.94 Q) |
-46.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.53 | 8.74 | -17.0 % |
| Last update: | 22 May 2025 | 16 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 122 | 79 |
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