Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua Guatemala and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,138 a month against $1,259 in Antigua Guatemala, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,259

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango.

Antigua Guatemala $1,259
Quetzaltenango $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,108 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,443 in Quetzaltenango.

Antigua Guatemala $2,108
Quetzaltenango $1,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,958 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,747 in Quetzaltenango.

Antigua Guatemala $2,958
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Living in Antigua Guatemala is roughly 11% more expensive than in Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Antigua Guatemala 7% lower, Quetzaltenango 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 Q 53.1

$6.77 Q 51.7

2.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.1 Q 398

$50.9 Q 389

2.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 Q 61.6

$7.68 Q 58.7

5.08%

Cappuccino

$3.37 Q 25.79

$3.36 Q 25.69

0.30%

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

$1.16 Q 8.83

$1.10 Q 8.40

5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.96

$0.97 Q 7.44

-6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 Q 25.50

$3.33 Q 25.45

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 Q 35.22

$4.62 Q 35.27

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.33

$2.10 Q 16.01

-4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 Q 23.87

$2.57 Q 19.64

21.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 Q 15.12

$2.05 Q 15.69

-3.41%

Eggs

$2.40 Q 18.34

$2.36 Q 18.05

1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 Q 40.97

$6.37 Q 48.69

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 Q 70.8

$7.92 Q 60.5

17.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 Q 78.5

$13.09 Q 100

-21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 Q 29.00

$2.96 Q 22.58

28.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.15

$1.72 Q 13.14

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 Q 21.15

$2.92 Q 22.34

-5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 Q 12.73

$1.60 Q 12.20

4.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.65

$1.54 Q 11.73

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 Q 13.63

$2.20 Q 16.79

-19.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.28

$0.74 Q 5.65

-6.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$1.16 Q 8.90

2.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 Q 29.68

$3.35 Q 25.61

15.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 Q 61.5

$8.04 Q 61.5

0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.78 Q 13.57

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 Q 19.75

$2.60 Q 19.84

-0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 Q 19.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 Q 35.58

$5.12 Q 39.12

-8.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.16

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.39 Q 79.4

$10.34 Q 79.0

0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 Q 9.80

$1.33 Q 10.14

-3.76%

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

$22.7K Q 173.3K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-17.70%

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

$21.9K Q 167.5K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

-15.20%

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

$58.5 Q 447

$72.2 Q 551

-18.90%

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

$29.40 Q 225

$12.97 Q 99.1

126.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 Q 349

$46.36 Q 354

-1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.10 Q 314

$33.27 Q 254

23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.98 Q 214

Cinema Ticket

$6.32 Q 48.32

$6.34 Q 48.46

-0.32%

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

$345 Q 2,638

$342 Q 2,613

0.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,620 Q 50.6K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

-2.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.61 Q 333

$48.78 Q 373

-10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 Q 360

$47.81 Q 365

-1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 Q 718

$110 Q 839

-14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 Q 608

$112 Q 853

-28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 Q 6,702

$399 Q 3,052

119.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 Q 3,954

$389 Q 2,971

33.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 Q 14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 Q 9,016

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 Q 23.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,227 Q 9,378

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$616 Q 4,705

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 25, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antigua Guatemala

$517 41.1%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 24.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Antigua Guatemala

$266 21.1%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 1% $2.8

Eating Out

Antigua Guatemala

$154 12.3%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 1.8% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antigua Guatemala

$134 10.6%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 1.5% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Antigua Guatemala

$119 9.5%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 20.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 14.5% $7.8

Getting Around

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 7.7% $1.2

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 $877 in Antigua Guatemala and $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Antigua Guatemala vs $51 in Quetzaltenango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $263 per month, with Quetzaltenango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

Same time as Antigua Guatemala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,054

500,000

💱 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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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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,259 in Antigua Guatemala and $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, so Quetzaltenango is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,888 in Antigua Guatemala and $1,707 in Quetzaltenango 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $877 in Antigua Guatemala versus $399 in Quetzaltenango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $345 in Antigua Guatemala versus $342 in Quetzaltenango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,259 per month in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,138 in Quetzaltenango – Quetzaltenango is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Quetzaltenango is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.