Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala

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.

66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
Learn more

Guatemala City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
Learn more

Antigua Guatemala Living Index

Jump to prices

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,346

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 Q 52.2

$6.60 Q 50.4

3.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 Q 385

$51.4 Q 393

-2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 Q 59.9

$7.91 Q 60.5

-1.01%

Cappuccino

$3.43 Q 26.24

$3.24 Q 24.80

5.86%

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

$1.15 Q 8.79

$1.16 Q 8.84

-0.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 Q 7.48

$0.92 Q 7.00

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.28

$3.18 Q 24.35

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 Q 35.76

$4.67 Q 35.68

0.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 Q 15.52

$2.10 Q 16.02

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 Q 23.06

$3.14 Q 24.00

-3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 16.00

$1.96 Q 15.00

6.63%

Eggs

$2.50 Q 19.09

$2.32 Q 17.74

7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Q 48.71

$5.42 Q 41.44

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 Q 70.0

$9.21 Q 70.4

-0.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 Q 100.0

$10.21 Q 78.0

28.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 Q 30.46

$3.86 Q 29.55

3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.19

$1.64 Q 12.57

4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 Q 21.97

$2.81 Q 21.50

2.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.56

$1.66 Q 12.66

-1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 Q 11.21

$1.47 Q 11.24

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 Q 16.47

$1.73 Q 13.23

24.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.23

$0.69 Q 5.31

-1.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Q 9.14

$1.21 Q 9.29

-0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 Q 31.83

$3.84 Q 29.36

8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 Q 61.0

$7.69 Q 58.8

3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Q 13.32

$1.79 Q 13.67

-2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Q 20.45

$2.71 Q 20.76

-1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 Q 9.79

$2.58 Q 19.76

-50.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.30 Q 109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 Q 39.07

$4.69 Q 35.84

8.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.6

$10.63 Q 81.2

-3.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 Q 10.64

$1.33 Q 10.16

4.51%

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

$27.8K Q 212.7K

$22.7K Q 173.6K

22.50%

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

$25.5K Q 194.9K

$21.8K Q 166.8K

16.87%

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

$71.7 Q 548

$57.4 Q 439

24.92%

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

$29.01 Q 222

$29.74 Q 227

-2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.39 Q 355

$45.70 Q 349

1.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 Q 305

$41.50 Q 317

-3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.94 Q 99.0

$28.20 Q 216

-54.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 Q 49.85

$6.39 Q 48.83

2.03%

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

$336 Q 2,565

$346 Q 2,645

-3.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,630 Q 50.7K

$6,755 Q 51.6K

-1.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.45 Q 378

$44.31 Q 339

11.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 Q 366

$48.03 Q 367

-0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 Q 913

$92.1 Q 704

29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 875

$80.0 Q 611

43.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 Q 6,329

$865 Q 6,610

-4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 Q 4,130

$531 Q 4,059

1.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 Q 11.6K

$1,864 Q 14.3K

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 Q 6,273

$1,180 Q 9,024

-30.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,017 Q 15.4K

$3,064 Q 23.4K

-34.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Q 8,196

$1,227 Q 9,385

-12.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$863 Q 6,602

$626 Q 4,786

37.95%

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 Guatemala City: October 12, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guatemala City

$540 40.2%

Antigua Guatemala

$531 41.9% 1.7% $9.3

Groceries & Markets

Guatemala City

$279 20.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$266 21% 4.5% $13

Eating Out

Guatemala City

$153 11.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$149 11.8% 2.7% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Guatemala City

$149 11.1%

Antigua Guatemala

$119 9.4% 20.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guatemala City

$147 10.9%

Antigua Guatemala

$133 10.5% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Guatemala City

$53 3.9%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 2.6% $1.4

Getting Around

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 38.8% $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 $828 in Guatemala City and $865 in Antigua Guatemala. 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: $50.0 in Guatemala City vs $51.0 in Antigua Guatemala. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $266, with Antigua Guatemala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

Same time as Guatemala City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,450,212 Capital

46,054

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guatemala City Antigua Guatemala 26 km

From you

Guatemala City
Antigua Guatemala

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

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

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

Average pay runs 38% higher in Guatemala City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $336 in Guatemala City versus $346 in Antigua Guatemala. 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, Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala 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.