Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala City

For one person, living is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala: $1,267 a month against $1,346 in Guatemala City, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,267

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antigua Guatemala and in Guatemala City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Antigua Guatemala and in Guatemala City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,267 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,346 in Guatemala City.

Antigua Guatemala $1,267
Guatemala City $1,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,106 in Antigua Guatemala versus $2,023 in Guatemala City.

Antigua Guatemala $2,106
Guatemala City $2,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,945 in Antigua Guatemala versus $2,701 in Guatemala City.

Antigua Guatemala $2,945
Guatemala City $2,701

Living in Antigua Guatemala costs roughly 6% less than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Antigua Guatemala is 6% below, Guatemala City is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.60 Q 50.4

$6.83 Q 52.2

-3.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.4 Q 393

$50.3 Q 385

2.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 Q 60.5

$7.83 Q 59.9

1.02%

Cappuccino

$3.24 Q 24.80

$3.43 Q 26.24

-5.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 Q 8.84

$1.15 Q 8.79

0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 Q 7.00

$0.98 Q 7.48

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.35

$3.18 Q 24.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 Q 35.68

$4.68 Q 35.76

-0.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.02

$2.03 Q 15.52

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 Q 24.00

$3.02 Q 23.06

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 Q 15.00

$2.09 Q 16.00

-6.22%

Eggs

$2.32 Q 17.74

$2.50 Q 19.09

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 Q 41.44

$6.37 Q 48.71

-14.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 Q 70.4

$9.16 Q 70.0

0.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 Q 78.0

$13.08 Q 100.0

-21.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 Q 29.55

$3.98 Q 30.46

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.57

$1.72 Q 13.19

-4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 Q 21.50

$2.87 Q 21.97

-2.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.66

$1.64 Q 12.56

1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 Q 11.24

$1.47 Q 11.21

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.23

$2.15 Q 16.47

-19.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$0.68 Q 5.23

1.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Q 9.29

$1.20 Q 9.14

0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 Q 29.36

$4.16 Q 31.83

-7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.69 Q 58.8

$7.98 Q 61.0

-3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Q 13.67

$1.74 Q 13.32

2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.76

$2.67 Q 20.45

1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 Q 19.76

$1.28 Q 9.79

101.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.30 Q 109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 Q 35.84

$5.11 Q 39.07

-8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 Q 81.2

$10.27 Q 78.6

3.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.16

$1.39 Q 10.64

-4.32%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.7K Q 173.6K

$27.8K Q 212.7K

-18.37%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.8K Q 166.8K

$25.5K Q 194.9K

-14.43%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$57.4 Q 439

$71.7 Q 548

-19.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.74 Q 227

$29.01 Q 222

2.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.70 Q 349

$46.39 Q 355

-1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.50 Q 317

$39.85 Q 305

4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.20 Q 216

$12.94 Q 99.0

117.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 Q 48.83

$6.52 Q 49.85

-1.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$346 Q 2,645

$336 Q 2,565

3.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,755 Q 51.6K

$6,630 Q 50.7K

1.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.31 Q 339

$49.45 Q 378

-10.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 Q 367

$47.87 Q 366

0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 Q 704

$119 Q 913

-22.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 Q 611

$114 Q 875

-30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$865 Q 6,610

$828 Q 6,329

4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 Q 4,059

$540 Q 4,130

-1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,864 Q 14.3K

$1,522 Q 11.6K

22.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 Q 9,024

$821 Q 6,273

43.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,064 Q 23.4K

$2,017 Q 15.4K

51.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,227 Q 9,385

$1,072 Q 8,196

14.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 Q 4,786

$863 Q 6,602

-27.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guatemala City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Antigua Guatemala

$531 41.9%

Guatemala City

$540 40.2% 1.8% $9.3

Groceries & Markets

Antigua Guatemala

$266 21%

Guatemala City

$279 20.7% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Antigua Guatemala

$149 11.8%

Guatemala City

$153 11.4% 2.7% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antigua Guatemala

$133 10.5%

Guatemala City

$147 10.9% 10.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Antigua Guatemala

$119 9.4%

Guatemala City

$149 11.1% 25.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3%

Guatemala City

$53 3.9% 2.6% $1.4

Getting Around

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 63.3% $9.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $865 in Antigua Guatemala and $828 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guatemala City pays 38% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $51.0 in Antigua Guatemala vs $50.0 in Guatemala City. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $279, with Antigua Guatemala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

Same time as Antigua Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,054

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Antigua Guatemala Guatemala City 26 km

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Antigua Guatemala
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Antigua Guatemala vs Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala City differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,267 vs $1,346 including rent). Antigua Guatemala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Guatemala City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $865 in Antigua Guatemala versus $828 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $346 in Antigua Guatemala versus $336 in Guatemala City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $50.0 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,267 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,346 in Guatemala City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Antigua Guatemala but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Antigua Guatemala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Antigua Guatemala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Guatemala City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.