Cost of living comparison
compared to
Guatemala City vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Guatemala City is 25.7% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 42.2% less in Guatemala City
- Groceries
-
pay 13.4% less in Guatemala City
- Transportation
-
pay 38.4% less in Guatemala City
- Housing
-
pay 18.2% less in Guatemala City
- Childcare
-
pay 57.4% less in Guatemala City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.9% less in Guatemala City
- Clothing
-
pay 0.7% more in Guatemala City
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, transportation, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Guatemala City.
Guatemala City vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Guatemala City instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 42.2% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,947.81
|
$5.22
GTQ39.86
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$6.33
GTQ48.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,022.01
|
$1.20
GTQ9.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC831.76
|
$0.95
GTQ7.24
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.4% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,311.09
|
$3.11
GTQ23.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,462.15
|
$3.93
GTQ30.01
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,868.62
|
$7.96
GTQ60.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,429.67
|
$2.55
GTQ19.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,971.17
|
$3.82
GTQ29.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC963.65
|
$1.76
GTQ13.48
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC324.89
|
$0.76
GTQ5.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC967.90
|
$1.41
GTQ10.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC786.24
|
$0.86
GTQ6.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC768.91
|
$0.78
GTQ5.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC711.41
|
$1.20
GTQ9.20
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of groceries
pay 38.4% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,678.58
|
$4.07
GTQ31.08
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,485.06
|
$13.61
GTQ103.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC18,712,315.88
|
$19,565.40
GTQ149,458.53
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,011.83
|
$13.83
GTQ105.62
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of transportation
pay 18.2% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,268.77
|
$46.51
GTQ355.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC443,258.89
|
$745.66
GTQ5,696.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC278,778.03
|
$422.61
GTQ3,228.30
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,242.87
|
$61.38
GTQ468.89
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of housing
pay 57.4% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC298,412.20
|
$230.87
GTQ1,763.61
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6,267,964.49
|
$5,887.88
GTQ44,977.05
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of childcare
pay 10.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,329.56
|
$3.26
GTQ24.91
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,915.58
|
$3.31
GTQ25.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,560.63
|
$4.04
GTQ30.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,831.01
|
$48.62
GTQ371.43
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$7.17
GTQ54.80
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.7% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,694.76
|
$51.42
GTQ392.83
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,512.74
|
$53.26
GTQ406.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC59,794.99
|
$122.72
GTQ937.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,182.37
|
$121.74
GTQ929.96
|
|
San Jose vs. Guatemala City - Cost of clothing
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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Costa Rica vs. Guatemala.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Costa Rica and Guatemala.
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 Guatemala City or San Jose. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.