Planning a trip to stunning Guatemala and wondering how much it’ll cost? We spent a month there in February 2025 and tracked most expenses – here’s the full breakdown.
Exchange rate during our trip
In Guatemala, the currency is the Guatemalan quetzal, often abbreviated as 'GTQ' or simply 'Q'.
Some amounts in this article are rounded for simplicity.
How Much Do Flights Cost?
Flights from Europe to Guatemala
We flew from Brussels Airport (Belgium) to Guatemala City, with a stopover in Madrid, via Iberia. We booked our tickets three months in advance.
Price including 23 kg checked baggage: € 751.50 per person.
If you travel without checked baggage, it can be cheaper.
Domestic Flights
Guatemala isn’t very big, so taking a domestic flight isn’t essential. You can get around easily by shuttle. But if you don’t fancy spending 8 hours in a minibus, you can fly from Guatemala City to Flores, or vice versa. The flight takes less than an hour.
The flight from Guatemala City to Flores cost us € 104.50 per person, including checked baggage.
Total Flight Costs
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What Does Transport Cost?
Bus
The bus is the cheapest way to get around, but also one of the slowest, as it makes frequent stops.
Prices depend on the distance, but expect to pay around Q10 – Q25 (€ 1.15 – € 2.85) for short trips between nearby towns or villages. For longer journeys, like a few hours on the road, fares usually range from Q40 – Q80 (€ 4.56 – € 9.12).
Buses typically depart from central terminals or markets. It’s common to just hop on and pay the driver onboard. Keep in mind that the chicken buses — old, colourful American school buses — are cheap and a real experience, but not very comfortable and can get crowded. It also helps if you speak a bit of Spanish!
Shuttles
Shuttles aren’t the cheapest option, but they’ll get you to your destination faster and are fairly comfortable.
Most of the time, you don’t need to book shuttles online or far in advance. You can easily arrange them a day before at a local travel office or through your hotel(s). Note: if you’re leaving from Rio Dulce, it’s sometimes necessary to book your shuttle two days ahead.
Below are the prices we paid in February 2025, per person:
- Guatemala City – Antigua: Q150 – € 17.10
- Flores airport – Flores town: Q25 – € 2.85
- Flores – Rio Dulce: Q175 – € 20
- Rio Dulce – Lanquin (Semuc Champey): Q300 – € 34
- Lanquin – San Pedro: Q300 – € 34
- San Pedro – El Paredon: Q225 – € 25.70
- El Paredon – Antigua: Q120 – € 13.70
Prefer to book your shuttle in advance? You can do so via Bookaway.
Lancha Boats
The lancha boats on Lake Atitlán are the quickest way to travel between the villages around the lake.
You’ll usually pay Q25 (€ 2.85) for a one-way trip. A return ticket from San Pedro to Panajachel, for example, costs Q50 (€ 5.70), though sometimes return fares can be a bit cheaper. There are some fixed departure times, but typically boats leave as soon as enough passengers have gathered.
Taxis and Tuk-Tuks
In most towns and cities, you’ll easily find tuk-tuks for short journeys. The usual fare is around Q15 (€ 1.71) per person per zone, but it’s a good idea to agree on a price beforehand. For longer trips or rides at night, expect to pay a bit more.
Taxis are less common outside the larger cities and are usually more expensive. In tourist spots like Antigua or Flores, it’s normal to negotiate the price, especially if there’s no meter — make sure to do this before setting off.
In the bigger cities, you can also conveniently use ride-hailing apps like Uber and InDrive.
Don’t have Uber yet?
Download the app using this link or enter the code ‘mgbe3vuhrbeb’ to get 50% off your first 5 rides.
Renting a Car
We always rent our holiday car through SunnyCars. This way, you’re covered for most things that can go wrong, including damage. Renting a car typically costs around € 65 per day. We didn’t rent a car ourselves, so we can’t really offer personal advice here.
Total Transport Costs
In total, we spent around € 450 for two people on shuttles, taxis, lanchas, and tuk-tuks. That's € 225 per person.
We could have saved about € 90 by taking a shuttle or bus from the airport to Antigua and back. However, there were many road blocks during our trip, so we decided a taxi was the better option.
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How Much Does Accommodation Cost?
Accommodation in Guatemala turned out to be quite a bit more expensive than we initially expected.
We consistently chose double rooms with private bathrooms in good locations. For example, in Antigua and Flores we stayed fairly close to the town centres, just outside the busiest areas. In Semuc Champey and Rio Dulce, we opted for more remote lodgings to fully enjoy the surroundings.
At the end of our trip, we treated ourselves to a special stay — the most expensive cabin in Hobbitenango, which cost €163.87 per night.
Without that stay in Hobbitenango, our average was €62.60 per night.
Total Accommodation Costs
In total, we paid €1,892 for accommodation over 27 nights for 2 people, which averages out to €70.10 per night.
We chose nice hotels, staying in double rooms with private bathrooms.
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The Cost of Excursions and Activities
When you’re in Guatemala, you’ll naturally want to do some excursions. Think of the famous Acatenango hike or visiting the Mayan ruins in Tikal.
We’ve listed the costs of most excursions for you!
All prices are per person.
Antigua
- Two-day Acatenango hike (4-person cabin): Q 1,225 – € 140
- Pacaya ATV tour: Q1,050 – € 120
- Village ATV tour: Q550 – € 63
- Massage: Q225 – € 25
Flores
- Yaxha: Q200 – € 23
- Tikal: Q130 – € 15
- Jorge’s rope: Q50 – € 5.70
Semuc Champey
- Entry to Semuc Champey: Q50 – € 5.70
- Tubing including 1 beer and transport (long route): Q110 – € 12.50
El Paredon
- Massage (1 hour): Q300 – € 34
- Waterfall – Playa Blanca & Livingston
- Transport (boat): Q130 – € 15
- Waterfall entrance: Q20 – € 2.30
- Beach entrance (incl. drink): Q35 – € 4
- Sunrise boat tour: Q160 – € 18
- Hot Springs: Q50 – € 5.70
- Waterfall (name?): Q10 – € 1.14
- Kayak rental (1 day, 2 people): Q80 – € 9.15
- Massage (1 hour): Q200 – € 23
Lake Atitlan
- Guided hike up San Pedro volcano: Q300 – € 34.30
- Reserva Natural Atitlán incl. CableBike: Q190 – € 21.70
- Cerro Tzankujil: Q20 – € 2.30
- Traditional Mayan ceremony: Q810 – € 93
- Indian Nose hike: Q100 – € 11.50
- Massage (1 hour): Q250 – € 29
Total Excursion Costs
In total, we spent €541.50 per person on excursions and entrance fees. If you want to save money, this is definitely an area where you can cut costs easily.
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What Does Food & Drink Cost?
A typical típico breakfast in Guatemala costs between Q35-50 (€3.99 – €5.70).
A tostada is around Q20 (€2.28), a chicken sandwich Q30 (€3.42). A good burger will set you back about Q55 (€6.27). In a regular restaurant, expect to pay around Q75 (€8.55) for a main course.
Prices are a bit higher in some hotels. For example, we paid Q60 (€6.84) for nachos with guacamole and Q70 (€7.98) for a Greek salad. A pizza or a pita shawarma cost about Q100 (€11.40) each.
Want to save a bit? Try eating at a comedor, where you can often get a decent meal for just Q50 (€5.70), sometimes including a drink.
What Does Alcohol Cost in Guatemala?
A local beer (Gallo) from the supermarket costs about Q20 (€2.28) per half litre.
In a café or restaurant, a small pint usually costs between Q15 (€1.71) and Q25 (€2.85).
Wine typically costs Q35 (€3.99) to Q45 (€5.13) per glass. A bottle of wine will set you back around Q135 (€15.39) to Q180 (€20.52).
A cocktail costs roughly between Q35 (€3.99) and Q65 (€7.41).
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Bank Fees in Guatemala
Withdrawing cash in Guatemala usually costs around Q50 or $4 per transaction. You can often withdraw between Q2,000 (€228.00) and Q3,000 (€342.00) at once.
In some restaurants and hotels, you can pay by card, which cost us nothing extra thanks to Wise & Revolut.
Even if you book accommodation through Booking, in most cases you need to pay in cash on site. This means you’ll need to withdraw cash from ATMs quite regularly.
We saved a lot on bank fees thanks to our Wise and Revolut cards. Had we used our own Belgian banks, we would have paid much more. Read more about it here!
In total, we paid €140 in local bank fees and exchange charges.
Total Bank Fees
In total, we paid €140 in local bank fees plus charges applied by Revolut and Wise, spread over 13 withdrawals.
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Conclusion: How Much Does a Month of Travel in Guatemala Cost?
Our 4-week trip to Guatemala for two people cost around €5,000, excluding international flights. Including flights, the total comes to about €6,500.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Domestic flights: €209 – €104.50 per person
- Accommodation: €1,892 – €70 per night
- Excursions: €1,083 – €541 per person
- Transport between destinations: €415 – €207.50 per person
- ATM fees: €140
Altogether that adds up to €3,739. That means we spent an additional €22 per person per day on food, drinks, tips, laundry, souvenirs, and other expenses.
What Does Guatemala Cost Per Person Per Day?
We spent about €90 per person per day – excluding international flights. But there’s a big caveat: we did a lot of cool (and pricey) excursions, stayed in popular hotels, took shuttles and taxis instead of public transport, went out a few times, and drank quite a few beers 😉
We always ate out and only occasionally had meals at a comedor.
So it can definitely be much cheaper — don’t let this put you off. You can easily save money on accommodation, transport, excursions, and other expenses. For around €50 per person per day, you can comfortably travel Guatemala if you keep an eye on your budget.
Compared to Mexico and Panama, Guatemala is a relatively affordable country. However, prices here seem to have risen quite a bit recently.
Keep Track of Your Travel Expenses
There’s a super handy app that makes it easy to keep track of your travel expenses. You can use the app for free. Want to unlock premium features? Use the code ‘KILADERA’ to get 50% off an annual subscription! 👉 Download TravelSpend
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