Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panajachel and Antigua Guatemala

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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Panajachel

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Panajachel 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 Panajachel and in Antigua Guatemala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Panajachel $745
Antigua Guatemala $1,271

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

Panajachel $1,242
Antigua Guatemala $2,135

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

Panajachel $1,739
Antigua Guatemala $3,000

Living in Panajachel costs roughly 41% less than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.89 Q 52.6

$7.56 Q 57.7

-8.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 Q 378

$53.1 Q 406

-6.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 Q 60.4

$7.93 Q 60.5

-0.25%

Cappuccino

$3.42 Q 26.11

$3.96 Q 30.27

-13.64%

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

$1.16 Q 8.83

$1.17 Q 8.96

-0.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.08

$1.02 Q 7.76

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 Q 24.29

$3.19 Q 24.36

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 Q 36.01

$4.70 Q 35.89

0.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.00

$2.10 Q 16.04

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 Q 23.54

$3.02 Q 23.05

1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.27

$1.98 Q 15.09

7.58%

Eggs

$2.35 Q 17.92

$2.32 Q 17.68

1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 Q 48.32

$5.30 Q 40.50

19.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 Q 72.9

$9.19 Q 70.1

3.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 Q 103

$10.28 Q 78.5

30.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 Q 28.90

$3.85 Q 29.38

-1.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 Q 12.63

$1.65 Q 12.58

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 Q 21.66

$2.93 Q 22.40

-3.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 Q 12.45

$1.65 Q 12.59

-1.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 Q 11.70

$1.50 Q 11.43

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 Q 15.89

$1.73 Q 13.23

20.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.18

$0.74 Q 5.62

-8.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 Q 8.90

$1.21 Q 9.23

-3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 Q 30.73

$3.83 Q 29.22

4.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 Q 62.9

$7.75 Q 59.2

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 Q 13.06

$1.74 Q 13.32

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 Q 20.78

$2.73 Q 20.82

-0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 Q 20.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 Q 39.57

$4.59 Q 35.06

12.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 Q 81.0

$10.66 Q 81.4

-0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 Q 10.24

$1.32 Q 10.07

1.52%

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

$27.1K Q 206.6K

$22.8K Q 173.9K

18.77%

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

$25.2K Q 192.7K

$21.2K Q 161.6K

19.27%

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

$72.7 Q 555

$57.4 Q 438

26.59%

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

$29.08 Q 222

$29.55 Q 226

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.40 Q 347

$45.68 Q 349

-0.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 Q 312

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 Q 214

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 Q 48.84

$6.59 Q 50.3

-2.88%

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

$338 Q 2,582

$335 Q 2,555

1.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,571 Q 50.2K

$14.0K Q 107.0K

-53.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.15 Q 375

$44.55 Q 340

10.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.06 Q 359

$46.87 Q 358

0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 Q 880

$93.4 Q 713

23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Q 845

$77.9 Q 595

42.13%

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 Panajachel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$519 40.9%

Groceries & Markets

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$265 20.9%

Eating Out

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$166 13.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$133 10.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$118 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3%

Getting Around

Panajachel

–

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇬🇹 Panajachel

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

Same time as Panajachel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,142

46,054

💱 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

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Panajachel Antigua Guatemala 50 km

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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

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

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

You’d need roughly $1,117 in Panajachel and $1,906 in Antigua Guatemala 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 $338 in Panajachel versus $335 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 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.