Cost of living comparison
compared to
Guatemala City vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Guatemala City is 1.6% more expensive than San Salvador.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.5% less in Guatemala City
- Groceries
-
pay 8.1% more in Guatemala City
- Transportation
-
pay 20.0% less in Guatemala City
- Housing
-
pay 19.9% less in Guatemala City
- Childcare
-
pay 16.8% more in Guatemala City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.1% more in Guatemala City
- Clothing
-
pay 0.7% more in Guatemala City
The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and clothing in Guatemala City are more expensive than in San Salvador. Expenses including transportation, housing, and restaurants are lower in Guatemala City.
Guatemala City vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Guatemala City instead of San Salvador, you would:
pay 6.5% less for restaurants
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
$5.22
GTQ39.86
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.08
|
$6.33
GTQ48.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC9.90
|
$1.20
GTQ9.13
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
SVC7.95
|
$0.95
GTQ7.24
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.1% more for groceries
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
$3.11
GTQ23.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
$3.93
GTQ30.01
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.84
SVC59.68
|
$7.96
GTQ60.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.01
SVC26.26
|
$2.55
GTQ19.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.99
SVC26.05
|
$3.82
GTQ29.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
SVC15.46
|
$1.76
GTQ13.48
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
$0.76
GTQ5.80
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
$1.41
GTQ10.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
$0.86
GTQ6.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
$0.78
GTQ5.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
$1.20
GTQ9.20
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of groceries
pay 20.0% less for transportation
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.82
SVC33.34
|
$4.07
GTQ31.08
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
$13.61
GTQ103.97
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,500.00
SVC222,494.28
|
$19,565.40
GTQ149,458.53
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.93
SVC261.12
|
$13.83
GTQ105.62
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of transportation
pay 19.9% less for housing
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$43.33
SVC378.09
|
$46.51
GTQ355.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$900.00
SVC7,852.74
|
$745.66
GTQ5,696.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$758.33
SVC6,616.66
|
$422.61
GTQ3,228.30
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$82.16
SVC716.84
|
$61.38
GTQ468.89
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of housing
pay 16.8% more for childcare
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
$230.87
GTQ1,763.61
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
$5,887.88
GTQ44,977.05
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of childcare
pay 32.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
$3.26
GTQ24.91
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.25
SVC28.35
|
$3.31
GTQ25.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
$4.04
GTQ30.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.80
SVC268.74
|
$48.62
GTQ371.43
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.25
SVC45.81
|
$7.17
GTQ54.80
|
|
San Salvador vs. Guatemala City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.7% more for clothing
|
San Salvador
|
Guatemala City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
$51.42
GTQ392.83
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
$53.26
GTQ406.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
$122.72
GTQ937.44
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
$121.74
GTQ929.96
|
|
San Salvador 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
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cost of living in El Salvador vs. Guatemala.
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