Cost of living comparison

compared to

North Carolina vs. Guatemala Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 2.2 times more expensive than Guatemala overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.2 times more in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 57.4% more in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 2.1 times more in North Carolina
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 4.8 times more in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 54.7% more in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 10.6% less in North Carolina

The cost of childcare, restaurants, housing, transportation, groceries, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in Guatemala. Notably, childcare, restaurants, and housing are significantly more expensive in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Guatemala Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Guatemala, you would:

pay 2.2 times more for restaurants

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.22
GTQ39.91
$17.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.33
GTQ48.39
$10.47
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.20
GTQ9.15
$2.28
 

Improve prices ·

pay 57.4% more for groceries

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$3.11
GTQ23.79
$3.79
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.85
GTQ29.47
$6.80
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.68
GTQ58.76
$3.73
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.1 times more for transportation

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.07
GTQ31.12
$2.98
 
Monthly public transit pass $13.61
GTQ104.08
$60.67
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,570.53
GTQ149,659.41
$33,588.64
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$46.52
GTQ355.75
$72.77
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $811.38
GTQ6,204.76
$1,488.15
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $485.36
GTQ3,711.67
$1,261.77
 

Improve prices ·

pay 4.8 times more for childcare

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $230.93
GTQ1,765.98
$1,261.89
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,889.42
GTQ45,037.51
$24,633.15
 

Improve prices ·

pay 54.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.56
GTQ27.19
$5.12
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.31
GTQ25.34
$4.82
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.98
GTQ30.43
$7.77
 

Improve prices ·

pay 10.6% less for clothing

 
Guatemala
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$49.09
GTQ375.38
$49.30
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$53.27
GTQ407.36
$37.76
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$111.74
GTQ854.49
$88.37
 

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Guatemala vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Guatemala and United States.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about North Carolina or Guatemala. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.