Costa Rica vs Guatemala - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Guatemala
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1328
$992
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3222
$2319
🏠 One person rent
$625
$459
🏘️ Family rent
$982
$680
🍽️ Food expenses
$489
$367
🚐 Transport expenses
$67.1
$65.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1013
$410
💸 GDP per capita
$18587
$6150
😃 Human freedom index
8.36
7.07
❤️ Life expectancy
80.8
72.6
👮 Corruption perceptions index
56
26
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
1%
🎓 Higher education
75
46
😀 Quality of life
65
37
🏙️ Population
5.13M
18.4M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1328) is 34% more expensive than in Guatemala ($992). Costa Rica ranked 52nd vs 100th for Guatemala in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Costa Rica compared to 0.4 months in Guatemala. Ranked 59th and 137th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Guatemala

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Guatemala as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 10 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Costa Rica Guatemala
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.94
$5.99
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$48.4
$45
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.69
$7.15
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.68
$3.48
 Cappuccino
$4.25
$3.6
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.1
$1.31
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$700
$481
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$471
$360
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1192
$819
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$811
$560
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$61.4
$48
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$94.1
$73.3
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$50.2
$50.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
9.37%
10.03%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2325
$1751
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1680
$975
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1
$1.09
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$59.9
$14.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$14.5
$15.7
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.42
$1.12
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.23
$2.06
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.45
$3.08
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.26
$1.73
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.88
$2.5
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.1
$7.11
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$9.37
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.5
$11.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.23
$3.8
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.48
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.83
$3.37
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.05
$1.79
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.18
$1.9
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.83
$2.14
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.69
$0.79
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.29
$2.51
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$17
$8.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.36
$2.22
🚬 Cigarette pack
$5.27
$3.93
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.13
$6.7
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$9.94
$7.67
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.51
$2.77
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$4.3
$2.38
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$55.6
$38.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$7.79
$6.86
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$96.2
$39.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$15.9
$11.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$64.1
$52.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$125
$109
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$642
$266
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13147
$9164

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs Guatemala

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1454
335K
Limon
$1332
71.5K
Alajuela
$1323
44.4K
Liberia
$957
65.9K
Puntarenas
$825
41.5K
Cartago
$1290
22.8K
Heredia
$1378
16.7K
Tamarindo
$1832
7.13K
Santa Teresa
$1273
3K

In Guatemala

City Cost of living Population
Guatemala City
$1168
995K
Mixco
$720
528K
Jalapa
$1062
193K
Coban
$936
229K
Quetzaltenango
$847
208K
San Miguel Petapa
$1065
151K
Momostenango
$934
140K
Mazatenango
$938
83.8K
Flores
$990
44.7K
Panajachel
$900
16.1K