Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Antigua Guatemala

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Quetzaltenango $1,138
Antigua Guatemala $1,259

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

Quetzaltenango $1,443
Antigua Guatemala $2,108

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

Quetzaltenango $1,747
Antigua Guatemala $2,958

Living in Quetzaltenango costs roughly 10% less than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.77 Q 51.7

$6.95 Q 53.1

-2.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 Q 389

$52.1 Q 398

-2.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 Q 58.7

$8.07 Q 61.6

-4.83%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.69

$3.37 Q 25.79

-0.30%

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

$1.10 Q 8.40

$1.16 Q 8.83

-5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 Q 7.44

$0.91 Q 6.96

6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 Q 25.45

$3.34 Q 25.50

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 Q 35.27

$4.61 Q 35.22

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 Q 16.01

$2.01 Q 15.33

4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 Q 19.64

$3.12 Q 23.87

-17.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.69

$1.98 Q 15.12

3.54%

Eggs

$2.36 Q 18.05

$2.40 Q 18.34

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Q 48.69

$5.36 Q 40.97

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 Q 60.5

$9.27 Q 70.8

-14.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 Q 100

$10.27 Q 78.5

27.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 Q 22.58

$3.79 Q 29.00

-21.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.14

$1.72 Q 13.15

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.34

$2.77 Q 21.15

5.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 Q 12.20

$1.67 Q 12.73

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 Q 11.73

$1.53 Q 11.65

0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Q 16.79

$1.78 Q 13.63

23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Q 5.65

$0.69 Q 5.28

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 Q 8.90

$1.19 Q 9.10

-2.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.61

$3.88 Q 29.68

-13.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 Q 61.5

$8.05 Q 61.5

-0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Q 13.57

$1.75 Q 13.36

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 Q 19.84

$2.59 Q 19.75

0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 Q 19.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 Q 39.12

$4.66 Q 35.58

9.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 Q 13.16

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 Q 79.0

$10.39 Q 79.4

-0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 Q 10.14

$1.28 Q 9.80

3.91%

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

$27.6K Q 210.6K

$22.7K Q 173.3K

21.51%

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

$25.8K Q 197.5K

$21.9K Q 167.5K

17.93%

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

$72.2 Q 551

$58.5 Q 447

23.31%

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

$12.97 Q 99.1

$29.40 Q 225

-55.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.36 Q 354

$45.61 Q 349

1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 Q 254

$41.10 Q 314

-19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.98 Q 214

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.46

$6.32 Q 48.32

0.32%

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

$342 Q 2,613

$345 Q 2,638

-0.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,808 Q 52.0K

$6,620 Q 50.6K

2.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.78 Q 373

$43.61 Q 333

11.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.81 Q 365

$47.16 Q 360

1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 839

$94.0 Q 718

16.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 853

$79.6 Q 608

40.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 Q 3,052

$877 Q 6,702

-54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 Q 2,971

$517 Q 3,954

-24.86%

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 Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2%

Antigua Guatemala

$517 41.1% 33.1% $129

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1%

Antigua Guatemala

$266 21.1% 1% $2.8

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$154 12.3% 1.8% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6%

Antigua Guatemala

$119 9.5% 16.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6%

Antigua Guatemala

$134 10.6% 1.6% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 16.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 8.4% $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 $399 in Quetzaltenango and $877 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

Same time as Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

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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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

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

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

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

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

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,138 per month in Quetzaltenango versus $1,259 in Antigua Guatemala – 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.