Is Guatemala Expensive to Visit: Detailed Cost Breakdown (2023)
Guatemala, located in Central America, is a country of volcanoes, magnificent lakes, rich culture, and some of the most incredible ancient Mayan ruins buried deep within their forests. This is a country that made us feel like we could travel back in time, witnessing active volcanic lava eruptions and mystical sunsets atop Mayan pyramids that existed for over 2000 years.
As you can probably guess, we absolutely loved our time spent in Guatemala and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in adventure, nature, and history. But a question we often get asked is “Is Guatemala expensive to visit?”.
In this post, we will help you answer that question as well as provide a detailed guide of what you should expect to spend. This is broken down into spending categories which will help you understand the average costs for accommodation, transportation, activities, and food.
Let’s jump right in!
Is Guatemala expensive to visit?
Guatemala is quite an affordable country to travel to and provides very good value for your money spent. In comparison, it was definitely cheaper than Belize but slightly more expensive than Peru.
For 20-30$ a night, you can easily find comfortable accommodation but if you are willing to spend 70-100$, you will get to stay in some of the most incredible and memorable hotels.
A basic local Guatemalan meal can be had for 5-10$ per person, and a fancier meal for around 20-30$ per person.
We found the guided activities, such as climbing up Acatenango or visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, to be pricier but 100% worth the splurge. Given that we ended up staying mostly in the main tourist cities of Flores, Antigua, and Lake Atitlan, the prices were naturally higher than when going to off-the-beaten-path local towns.
All in all, we felt that Guatemala was quite affordable to visit. Not like Southeast Asia cheap, but you get great value for your dollar spent.
Our travel style
We are not extreme budget travelers. We always value spending our money on unique experiences, discovering the local food both through street food and mom-and-pop restaurants, and comfortable accommodations.
For accommodation, we don’t sleep in dormitories, but also don’t require anything luxurious.
In Guatemala, we did splurge a little bit on hotel stays because it truly made for a unique experience by staying in a colonial home in Antigua and at the beautiful Casa Del Mundo in Lake Atitlan.
We also booked guided excursions such as the 2-day hike up Acatenango as well as visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal and Yaxha. Although it is more expensive than doing it DIY, we feel that having the guide’s expertise and explanation is invaluable.
If you share these same views, then this blog post is perfect for you!
Check out below as we explain what we feel are realistic spending expectations in Guatemala.
Realistic spending expectations
Before visiting Guatemala, it is important to have a realistic expectation of what you will spend. We feel that a lot of the information online underestimates the real cost of visiting Guatemala by staying in hostel dorms, eating mostly street food, doing your own groceries, and only doing DIY tours.
Although Guatemala offers you the possibility to manage on a shoestring budget, we feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you will need to spend more to fully experience all that this country has to offer.
For example, we have seen some blogs mention a 6-10$ budget for food per person per day. Although certainly possible if only eating some very basic street food such as Pupusas and Empanadas, we feel one of the greatest joys of traveling is experiencing the local cuisine.
In fact, Guatemala had some of the best food and cocktails we’ve ever had so we highly recommend spending just a bit more to discover it!
The same applies to tours. It is possible to visit Tikal by only booking transportation, but the experience will not be complete without a guide explaining the stories and history behind these ancient structures.
We want to ensure that your experience in Guatemala is just as amazing as ours. For that reason, we have organized our trip by booking accommodations, transport, and tours that are reputable, well-reviewed, and bookable online. Although always possible to find cheaper options by messaging and negotiating with locals through WhatsApp, we feel the unpredictability is not worth it.
This cost breakdown will therefore reflect a realistic budget for a traveler who:
- Sleeps in a simple, mid-range, comfortable room
- Has the chance to fully discover the culinary scene of Guatemala, not just basic street food
- Embarks on some guided tours with English-speaking, professional, and well-reviewed companies
- Uses reliable and professional transport services that are bookable online
Where we went and Guatemala experiences
The amount you spend on your trip will highly depend on which cities you go to as well as the activities you participate in. So to help you figure out if Guatemala is expensive to visit, here is an overview of our itinerary and highlight experiences.
During our 12-day trip to Guatemala, our itinerary was:
- Flores: 3 Nights
- Antigua: 4 Nights
- Lake Atitlan: 4 Nights
These are some of the highlight experiences we had in Guatemala:
- Guided sunset tour of Tikal
- Guided sunset tour of Yaxha
- 2 day guided Acatenango Volcano trek
- Exploring the colonial church and convent ruins of Antigua
- Staying in a historical colonial home in Antigua
- 4 nights at the incredible Casa Del Mundo hotel in Lake Atitlan
- Wood-fire hot tub perched on the cliffs of Casa Del Mundo
- Local Mayan massage
Total cost of traveling in Guatemala
Note: The budget does not include the international flight since the prices vary significantly based on where you are coming from. In our budget breakdown, all prices are listed in Canadian dollars ($).
Days of travel: 12 days
Total cost: 2954$ (2140 USD)
Cost per day per couple (12 days): 246$ (178 USD)
Cost per day, per person: 123$ (89 USD)
Budget breakdown: average spending per category
Note: All prices are listed in Canadian Dollars ($) per couple unless otherwise specified.
To help you figure out if Guatemala is expensive to visit, we break down the average expense per category and show you some examples of things you will likely spend on.
Activities
Total Spent: 858$
Percentage of our total spending: 29%
Average spent per day per couple: 71$/day
Activities accounted for our largest spending but by only just a little. Your activities spending will highly depend on whether you are doing guided tours and treks. For us, our highlight experiences in Guatemala included hiking up Volcano Acatenango and visiting the Mayan ruins of Tikal and Yaxha.
Guided tours are always more expensive but we feel that they add so much value that it is worth it. To get a sense of how much these activities cost, we have shown some examples below.
2-day hike up volcano Acatanenago
Cost: 273$ (200 USD) for two people
We booked with Wicho and Charlie’s, a very reputable volcano trekking company in Antigua, and had a great experience with them. The pricing of other volcano trekking companies as well as those highly-rated guided Viator Treks are all quite similar.
You will notice some variations in pricing depending on if you are camping or sleeping in their cabins, how much food is provided, if you are using porters, and if you are doing the optional Fuego Volcano summit hike, which costs 200Q per person (35$).
The price of 273$ does not include the fee for the one porter (40-50$) we used, the Fuego optional hike, and some equipment rental which totalled an additional 129$ together.
Guided Tikal Mayan ruins tour
Total cost: 142$ (100 USD) for two people
To visit Tikal, you can choose to pay for only transportation there and back, or go on a guided tour. We opted for the guided tour since we wanted to learn more about the history of the Mayan civilization. With the guide, we also got the chance to hold a tarantula in our hands, which we DEFINITELY would not have done without their guidance.
The sunset tour itself with Los Amigos Hostel costs 165Q (29$) per person but this does not include the entrance ticket to Tikal. The entrance ticket costs 150Q (26$) per person, and if you opt to go during sunrise or sunset, then an additional 100Q (17$) per person must be paid. Therefore the total cost per person for the sunset tour with all entrance tickets is around 72$, or 142$ (100 USD) per couple.
Click here to book this 5-star Tikal Sunset tour!
If you choose to only book transportation, then it will cost around 100Q (17$) per person. So you only end up saving about 50Q per person by not having the guided tour.
It is also possible to pay for a taxi to bring you there and it will likely be cheaper but then there is no way of getting back.
To learn more about Tikal, check out our post where we discuss why Tikal is worth visiting.
Entrance ticket to Convento Santa Clara
Cost: 28$ (20 USD) for two people
90-minute massage
Cost: 105$ (76 USD) for two people
Weaving Workshop in Santa Cruz:
Cost: 52$ (37 USD) for two people
Accommodation
Total Spent accommodation: 830$
Percentage of our total spending: 28%
Average spent per day per couple: 69$/day
Accommodation is our second largest spending category. We definitely could’ve spent less here but the places we stayed at truly added something unique to our Guatemala trip.
If you are on a budget, you can find hostels with shared dormitories for about 10$ per person per night (for example Esperanza Hostel). A basic and comfortable room at a guesthouse or hotel will cost between 30-60$ per couple. For example, Maison Bougainvillea costs around 37$ and you will have your own private double room with a shared bathroom.
In Antigua, we ended up booking a beautiful historical home through AirBnB which cost us 75$ per night. The home featured historical colonial architecture and at the center was a beautiful garden courtyard which is quite common in Antigua. The host Dido was so welcoming and made us feel like family.
In Lake Atitlan, we also splurged to stay at the incredible Casa Del Mundo hotel, perched atop a remote cliffside overlooking the entire volcanic lake. It was one of the most memorable hotel stays we’ve ever had and was 100% worth the extra money we spent on it. On average, the room costs between 80-100$ per night.
Click here to book at the beautiful Casa Del Mundo Hotel, one of our favourite hotel stays ever!
If you’re interested, we thoroughly discuss our stay at Casa Del Mundo and what makes it so unique in our Lake Atitlan Itinerary post.
If you’re more on a budget, you can easily find simple and comfortable hotels at an average price of 30-50$ per night. Some examples include Mikaso Hotel in San Pedro la Laguna at around 40$ per night or Hospedaje El Viajero in Panajachel at around 30$ per night.
In Flores, you will also find similarly priced accommodations between 30-60$ for a comfortable, private-room hotel.
Overall, expect to pay around 30-50$ for a basic private room for two, or 70-100$ for a very nice hotel.
Food
Total Spent on food: 737$
Percentage of our total spending: 25%
Average spent per day per couple: 61$/day
Food is our third largest spending category. To our pleasant surprise, the culinary scene of Guatemala was absolutely amazing and included food from all over Central and South America. Overall, the local Guatemalan food was tasty but fairly simple, but if you venture out into the mid-range restaurants and cocktail bars, you are in for a treat!
As an example, a simple Guatemalan meal at one of the popular restaurants of Antigua called Rincon Tipico cost just 12$ for both of us. This included a chicken main plate each and a juice. Street food can usually be found for around 2-4$ per item.
A mid-range restaurant would be priced around 20-60$ per couple. When we were in Flores, a filling healthy lunch with Acai bowls, smoothies, and fresh fish cost 36$ together (Restaurant Maracuya). Another amazing restaurant called Bistro Puerto Del Cielo served customized Italian food including wine and was $ 48 for two.
We went to two higher-end restaurants in Antigua which cost us between 90-120$ together. Casa Escobar was one of them and we would highly recommend you try it out! We had the best steak of our lives (called Pullazo) and the cocktails were so creative and delicious. It is also set in a beautiful building with large terrace doors overlooking one of the ancient church ruins. It makes for a very romantic dinner and at 120$, we felt it was a great value!
Overall, expect to pay around 10-15$ per couple for a simple Guatemalan meal, 30$ for a mid-range meal, and around 90$ for a fancy restaurant meal.
Transportation
Total Spent on transportation: 530$ (excluding international flights)
Percentage of our total spending: 18%
Average spent per day per couple: 44$/day
Transportation was the smallest of our expenses during our Guatemala trip. We did not account for international flights in the transportation cost since it varies so greatly depending on where you are coming from.
Our biggest transportation cost was taking the flight from Flores to Guatemala City which was 301$ (218 USD) for the both of us one-way. We took TAG airlines but sometimes you can fly Avianca for as low as 58$ (42$) per person one-way.
It is possible to instead take a sleeper/recliner bus between Flores and Guatemala City which takes around 8-9 hours and costs between 45-60 USD per person. Some of the companies that offer this are Fuentes Del Norte, Maya de Oro, and ADN.
We wanted to save time and didn’t want to be tired after an 8-9 hour bus ride so we took the flight.
You will most likely need to take a shared shuttle bus to go from Guatemala City to Antigua, or Antigua to Lake Atitlan. This bus costs around 35$ (25 USD) per person each way. I have seen other travelers find transport for between 15-20$ but those are likely with non-official companies.
Learn more about the costs and transportation methods between Antigua and Lake Atitlan.
Once in Lake Atitlan, taking the public boat transport between towns will usually cost around 25 Quetzales (4$) per person each way.
Alcohol
Alcohol is quite affordable in Guatemala. On average, a beer will cost around 3$ and a glass of wine around 5$.
We were also pleasantly surprised by their very innovative cocktail scene. For example, in Antigua, we found a hidden speakeasy bar called Ulew. There, the mixologists come and ask you what style of drink you like, what flavours, sweetness, herbalness etc… and then craft a drink for you. One cocktail ends up costing around 12$ but it is a true professional cocktail.
Souvenirs
The cost of the souvenirs will depend highly on what you are buying but overall the items in Guatemala are very affordable.
We shopped in Panajachel for some leather bracelets and beaded bracelets and they cost only around 5$ each. Nan bought a very unique, hand-woven traditional Guatemalan top, and it cost only 15$.
This post is part of our series about Guatemala. If you want to learn more about Guatemala, planning your trip, and some of the best experiences there, check out the guides below:
Largest expenses during our Guatemala visit
Sometimes, the trip budget can vary significantly based on a few expensive activities, experiences, or hotel stays. If you opt to not do them, then your total budget can actually be reduced by a good amount. Below we have highlighted our 4 largest expenses during our trip.
- Acatenango 2-day hike = 273$ for the both of us, plus 129$ additional expenses for porter, equipment rental, entrance fee, and Fuego optional hike = 402$ (290 USD) together
- Hotel Casa Del Mundo = 323$ (233 USD) for 3 nights stay, or 107$/night
- Flight from Flores to Guatemala City = 301$ (217 USD) for the two of us
- Tikal guided tour including entrance tickets = 142$ (102 USD) for the two of us
Final verdict: Is Guatemala expensive to visit?
So in the end, is Guatemala expensive to visit?
Overall, we felt that Guatemala is quite an affordable country to travel to and you get great value for your money. We absolutely loved our time there and would definitely like to come back one day. We’ve heard of others taking Spanish courses in Lake Atitlan which is something we’d hope to do one day.
Now that you know Guatemala is affordable, start planning your trip by checking out our Lake Atitlan itinerary staying in Casa Del Mundo, Flores itinerary to visit Tikal, and Antigua itinerary where we climb up Volcano Acatenango.
