Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua Guatemala and Panajachel

For one person, living is cheaper in Panajachel: $745 a month against $1,271 in Antigua Guatemala, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index

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Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,271

/mo nomad

Panajachel

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Panajachel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Antigua Guatemala versus $745 in Panajachel.

Antigua Guatemala $1,271
Panajachel $745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,135 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,242 in Panajachel.

Antigua Guatemala $2,135
Panajachel $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,739 in Panajachel.

Antigua Guatemala $3,000
Panajachel $1,739

Living in Antigua Guatemala is roughly 71% more expensive than in Panajachel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Antigua Guatemala 6% lower, Panajachel 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.56 Q 57.7

$6.89 Q 52.6

9.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 Q 406

$49.46 Q 378

7.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 Q 60.5

$7.91 Q 60.4

0.25%

Cappuccino

$3.96 Q 30.27

$3.42 Q 26.11

15.79%

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

$1.17 Q 8.96

$1.16 Q 8.83

0.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 Q 7.76

$0.93 Q 7.08

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 Q 24.36

$3.18 Q 24.29

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 Q 35.89

$4.72 Q 36.01

-0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.04

$2.10 Q 16.00

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 Q 23.05

$3.08 Q 23.54

-1.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 Q 15.09

$2.13 Q 16.27

-7.04%

Eggs

$2.32 Q 17.68

$2.35 Q 17.92

-1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.30 Q 40.50

$6.33 Q 48.32

-16.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 Q 70.1

$9.54 Q 72.9

-3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.28 Q 78.5

$13.46 Q 103

-23.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 Q 29.38

$3.78 Q 28.90

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.58

$1.65 Q 12.63

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 Q 22.40

$2.84 Q 21.66

3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.59

$1.63 Q 12.45

1.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 Q 11.43

$1.53 Q 11.70

-1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 Q 13.23

$2.08 Q 15.89

-16.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.62

$0.68 Q 5.18

8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Q 9.23

$1.17 Q 8.90

3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 Q 29.22

$4.02 Q 30.73

-4.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 Q 59.2

$8.24 Q 62.9

-5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.71 Q 13.06

1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Q 20.82

$2.72 Q 20.78

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 Q 20.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 Q 35.06

$5.18 Q 39.57

-11.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 Q 81.4

$10.60 Q 81.0

0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 Q 10.07

$1.34 Q 10.24

-1.49%

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

$22.8K Q 173.9K

$27.1K Q 206.6K

-15.80%

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

$21.2K Q 161.6K

$25.2K Q 192.7K

-16.16%

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

$57.4 Q 438

$72.7 Q 555

-21.00%

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

$29.55 Q 226

$29.08 Q 222

1.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.68 Q 349

$45.40 Q 347

0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 Q 312

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 Q 214

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 Q 50.3

$6.40 Q 48.84

2.97%

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

$335 Q 2,555

$338 Q 2,582

-1.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K Q 107.0K

$6,571 Q 50.2K

113.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 Q 340

$49.15 Q 375

-9.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.87 Q 358

$47.06 Q 359

-0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 Q 713

$115 Q 880

-18.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Q 595

$111 Q 845

-29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 Q 6,792

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 Q 3,966

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 Q 14.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 Q 9,123

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,014 Q 23.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,228 Q 9,373

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 Q 4,823

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Panajachel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antigua Guatemala

$519 40.9%

Panajachel

–

Groceries & Markets

Antigua Guatemala

$265 20.9%

Panajachel

–

Eating Out

Antigua Guatemala

$166 13.1%

Panajachel

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antigua Guatemala

$133 10.4%

Panajachel

–

Clothing & Footwear

Antigua Guatemala

$118 9.3%

Panajachel

–

Sport & Entertainment

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3%

Panajachel

–

Getting Around

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2%

Panajachel

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $53 in Antigua Guatemala vs $49 in Panajachel. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $281, with Antigua Guatemala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Panajachel

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

Same time as Antigua Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,054

11,142

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Antigua Guatemala Panajachel 50 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Panajachel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,271 in Antigua Guatemala and $745 in Panajachel, so Panajachel is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,906 in Antigua Guatemala and $1,117 in Panajachel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $335 in Antigua Guatemala versus $338 in Panajachel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Panajachel – a meal for two runs $49 versus $53 in Antigua Guatemala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.