Short answer: On the ground in Guatemala, plan on roughly $40–65 (about Q300–500) per person per day on a hostel-and-comedor budget, $120–200 (about Q900–1,500) in a boutique hotel shared by two with shuttles and a guided tour most days, and from about $400 (Q3,000) for Antigua’s colonial luxury hotels, lakeside lodges and private drivers. A week therefore costs about $280–455, $840–1,400 or from about $2,800 per person, before flights. Guatemala is one of the best-value countries in the Americas: it scores 35 on our travel cost scale, where the United States is 100.
Most first trips link the “big three”, Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal, and your budget depends mostly on how you move between them and where you sleep. A plate of the day at a local comedor costs a few dollars, tourist shuttles are cheap by US standards, and even Tikal, one of the great Maya cities, costs about $20 to enter. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources where they exist, so you can build a realistic budget for your own trip to Guatemala. The currency is the quetzal (Q), and the Bank of Guatemala’s reference rate was about Q7.64 to the US dollar in early October 2026; quetzal and dollar figures here are rounded at that rate. Our Money exchange tool has today’s rate.
Guatemala daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one day in Antigua, at Lake Atitlán or around Flores and Tikal. They leave out flights to Guatemala and souvenirs.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm bed or simple guesthouse room: $10–25 | Half of a boutique hotel double at $90–180: $45–90 | Half of a colonial luxury hotel or lakeside lodge room: from about $200 |
| Food | Comedor plate of the day, street food and market fruit: $10–20 | A café lunch plus half of a Q400 ($52) dinner for two, and drinks: $35–50 | Antigua’s best restaurants with wine: about $80 |
| Transport | Chicken buses, public boats, or a share of a shuttle day: $3–20 | Tourist shuttles, tuk-tuks and lanchas: $10–30 | Private driver, or a share of the flight to Flores: about $70 |
| Sights | Walking Antigua, markets, or Tikal (Q150, about $20): $0–20 | Tikal with a guide, a volcano hike or a coffee tour: $20–40 | Private guides and sunrise visits: from about $50 |
| Total | About $40–65 (Q300–500) | About $120–200 (Q900–1,500) | From about $400 (Q3,000) |
Tikal’s fees are the Ministry of Culture’s official prices; meal figures are typical October 2026 Antigua prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index; room, transport and tour figures are our typical ranges, the same ones used in our Guatemala guides. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes, and check whether a hotel price includes tax.
What visitors actually spend in Guatemala
According to the Guatemala Tourism Institute (INGUAT), the country received 3,361,843 non-resident visitors in 2025, about 11% more than in 2024, and estimated tourism foreign-exchange income at $1,390.2 million. That works out to roughly $414 per visitor, but the total includes many same-day visitors from neighboring countries, so overnight tourists on a one- or two-week vacation spend considerably more. INGUAT does not publish a simple average per tourist in its annual bulletin, so use the figure as a rough floor rather than a budget.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), Guatemala scores 35. In plain words, a typical room, meal or bus ride costs about a third of what it would in the United States. That makes it cheaper than its neighbors Mexico (69) and Belize (59), and well below Costa Rica (67). Antigua, the most visited town, is pricier than the rest of the country, but still good value.
Accommodation costs
Guatemala has an excellent choice of hostels and small boutique hotels, many in restored colonial houses with courtyards. As typical ranges:
- Hostel dorm bed: about $10–20, a little more in Antigua than at the lake or in Flores.
- Simple guesthouse double: about $25–50, easiest to find in Panajachel, San Pedro La Laguna and Flores.
- Boutique hotel double: about $90–180 in Antigua and at the better lakeside hotels.
- Luxury and lodges: from several hundred dollars a night at Antigua’s top colonial hotels, Lake Atitlán’s lodges and the jungle lodges at Tikal.
Hotels add Guatemala’s 12% value-added tax (IVA) and a 10% tourism tax collected for INGUAT, so a hotel bill can carry 22% in taxes; check whether a quoted rate includes them. Antigua is busiest and dearest during Holy Week, when hotels fill months ahead, and at Christmas and New Year; May to October, the green season, is cheaper.
Food and drink costs
The best value is a local comedor, where the plate of the day, often chicken or beef with rice, beans, tortillas and a drink, costs a few dollars. Try pepián, a rich meat and vegetable stew, chuchitos, small tamales, and Sunday food stalls in front of village churches. Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for Antigua show a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about Q52 ($7) and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about Q400 ($52). A half-liter of local beer costs about Q25 ($3.30) and a cappuccino about Q25, often made with local beans. Prices outside Antigua are usually lower.
Menu prices usually include the 12% IVA. Drink bottled or filtered water, which many hotels and hostels refill for free or for a few quetzales.
Getting around: shuttles, chicken buses, boats and flights
- Tourist shuttles: shared minivans with hotel pick-up link Guatemala City airport, Antigua, Panajachel, Chichicastenango, Lanquín and Flores, and are the easiest way between the main stops. Antigua to Panajachel takes about three hours.
- Chicken buses: the brightly painted former US school buses that serve every town. They are the cheapest way to travel, but crowded, with luggage on the roof and several changes on longer routes.
- Lanchas at Lake Atitlán: public and private boats link Panajachel with the lake villages, with frequent connections during the day, according to INGUAT.
- Domestic flights: Guatemala City to Flores, the gateway to Tikal, takes about an hour by air against a long day by road, which is why many travelers fly one way or both.
- Taxis and tuk-tuks: at La Aurora airport, use the INGUAT-authorized taxi service; in Antigua and the lake towns, tuk-tuks are cheap for short hops, so agree the fare first.
Sightseeing fees and free things to do
Tikal National Park is managed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which sells tickets on its official site, boletos.culturaguate.gob.gt. As of October 2026, prices for foreign visitors are:
| Tikal ticket | Foreign visitor | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Park entry | Q150 (about $20) | Daily 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; children under 10 free |
| Sunrise visit | Q100 (about $13) | Entry 4–6 a.m., on top of the park ticket; a licensed guide is required |
| Sunset visit | Q100 (about $13) | 6–8 p.m., on top of the park ticket; a licensed guide is required |
| Museum | Q30 (about $4) | Site museum |
| Camping | Q50 (about $6.50) | Per person |
| Uaxactún | Q50 (about $6.50) | Nearby Maya site, about 23 km north |
Guatemalan nationals pay much less, and foreign visitors with national tickets are turned away. The official site adds a 2.30% surcharge for international cards. A licensed guide at Tikal, a hike up Pacaya or Acatenango volcano, a coffee farm tour, a trip to the pools of Semuc Champey or the lakeside site of Yaxhá all cost extra and are sold by local operators and communities at their own prices.
Plenty costs nothing. Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage city, is a pleasure to walk, from the Santa Catalina Arch to the Cathedral of San José and the volcano views from Cerro de la Cruz. The Thursday and Sunday markets in Chichicastenango, the lake villages’ streets and murals, and the Holy Week processions and sawdust carpets in Antigua are free to enjoy.
Taxes and visitor fees
- IVA: 12%, normally included in shop and menu prices.
- Hotel tourism tax: 10% for INGUAT, on top of IVA, for 22% in all on hotel bills.
- Immigration declaration: every traveler fills in the free online immigration declaration before entering and before leaving Guatemala.
- Departure tax: $30 (or the same in quetzales) when you fly out, normally included in your ticket.
- Land borders: there is no official fee to enter Guatemala by land; Belize charges its own exit fee of BZ$40 ($20) if you cross from there.
- Site fees: see the Tikal table above.
Tipping in Guatemala
In restaurants, a 10% tip is customary and is often already added to the bill as propina sugerida, so check before you leave more. Tip guides, drivers and boat captains for good service. Our tip calculator does the sums for you, in quetzales or dollars.
Money-saving tips for Guatemala
- Eat at comedores and markets, especially at lunch, and save restaurant dinners for Antigua.
- Travel in the green season. From May to October afternoons are rainy but mornings are often clear, and hotels are cheaper. Avoid Holy Week if price matters most. See our best time to visit Guatemala guide.
- Use shared shuttles instead of private transfers, and the public lanchas on Lake Atitlán.
- Fly one way to Flores and take the bus or shuttle the other, to save both time and money.
- Buy Tikal tickets on the official site rather than paying a reseller’s mark-up.
- Bring US dollars as a backup: they are the easiest foreign currency to change, while British pounds and Canadian dollars are hard to exchange.
For a route through Antigua, the lake and Tikal, see our Guatemala itinerary, and for help choosing where to go, our list of the top places to visit in Guatemala.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for Guatemala from our guides, including Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn quetzales into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in Guatemala?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly $280–455 (about Q2,100–3,500) per person on a tight budget, $840–1,400 (about Q6,400–10,700) mid-range, and from about $2,800 (about Q21,400) in comfort, before flights. A domestic flight to Flores adds to the mid-range and comfort budgets.
Is Guatemala expensive?
No. On our cost scale Guatemala scores 35 against 100 for the United States, one of the lowest in the Americas. Antigua’s boutique hotels and restaurants cost more than the rest of the country, but food, buses and entry fees are inexpensive everywhere.
Do I need cash in Guatemala?
Yes. Cards work in hotels and many restaurants in Antigua and Guatemala City, but comedores, markets, chicken buses, tuk-tuks, lanchas and tips run on quetzales. ATMs are common in Antigua, Guatemala City, Panajachel and Flores; carry small notes for the villages.
How much does it cost to visit Tikal?
As of October 2026, foreign visitors pay Q150 (about $20) for park entry, plus Q100 for a sunrise or sunset visit and Q30 for the museum. Buy tickets on the Ministry of Culture’s official site, and add a guide and transport from Flores, about an hour away.
Is there a departure tax in Guatemala?
Yes, $30 when you leave by air, but it is normally included in your plane ticket. There is no official fee to enter by land; if anyone asks for one, ask for an official receipt.
What is the cheapest month to visit Guatemala?
The rainy months from May to October bring lower hotel rates and fewer visitors, with September and October usually the quietest; Holy Week, Christmas and New Year are the most expensive times, especially in Antigua.