Is Antigua Guatemala cheap or expensive?
One of the first questions digital nomads ask about a potential destination is…
“How much does it cost for a month?”
It’s a fair question that a lot of people need to factor in before simply becoming digital nomads in a certain location – no matter where it is in the world.
You’re here because you want to know the exact cost of living in Antigua Guatemala right? We spent 2.5 months as digital nomads in Antigua and we are going to share a detailed breakdown of all our expenses.
In this cost of living Antigua Guatemala guide, you’ll learn the total monthly costs, how much rent is, eating out, entertainment and so much more! If you have ever thought of visiting Antigua Guatemala – keep scrolling to see what it could cost you to stay for a month!
Why Should Digital Nomads Go To Antigua, Guatemala?
Before we go into the costs, we need to understand why digital nomads are flocking to Antigua Guatemala. In recent years, it has gained popularity amongst digital nomads in search of a great work-life balance with a low cost of living.
What makes people become Antigua digital nomads? It could be because of the…
- Beautiful nature & landscape:Antigua is surrounded by volcanoes and it is one of the most unique views you’ll ever see.
- Cobblestone streets & colonial architecture: The entire city of Antigua is a UNESCO Heritage Site that transports you back in time. The colonial architecture will have you taking photos around every corner!
- Growing digital nomad community:We made a whole bunch of digital nomad friends while living in Antigua. It was so easy because people are very welcome there and there’s places just for digital nomads to connect like coworking spaces popping up everywhere.
- Affordable cost of living:I’m going to be straight with you – it’s not the cheapest place to be a digital nomad. You also won’t get the value for money as you do in Bali or Thailand. That just seems to be the reality of being a Latin America digital nomad.
There are tons of more reasons such as countless activities to do, beautiful weather, etc. We believe it’s only going to grow in popularity as the city opens more coworking spaces, coliving spaces and improves their wifi. Guatemala is also such a beautiful country – it’s worth the visit to Guatemala at least once in your life!
QUICK OVERVIEW – How Much Did We Spend In Guatemala For 1 Month?
As digital nomads who slow travel, we like to spend 1-3 months in each location. This gives us a little more stability to build a routine and (actually) get work done!
This is why all of our cost of living guides will be based on 1 month worth of expenses. We also travel as a couple which will be reflected in the costs!
Here’s the total cost of living in Antigua, Guatemala as a digital nomad couple:
| CATEGORY | COST (USD) |
|---|---|
| Accommodation | $533 |
| Groceries | $272 |
| Dining Out | $583 |
| Transport | $67 |
| Phone Plan | $26 |
| Activities & Entertainment | $65 |
| Gym Membership | $50 |
| TOTAL: | $1,537 |
From a quick glance, it can seem like a lot. Just remember this is what WE spent based on our budget and things we like to do. You can spend more or less – there are always ways to save some money but it’s up to you what kind of lifestyle you want to have as a digital nomad in Antigua Guatemala.
In the detailed breakdown, you’ll understand why we spent what we did for our cost of living in Antigua Guatemala.
Want to learn more about the cost of living in Guatemala? Check out our complete cost of living Guatemala blog.
Cost of Living in Antigua Guatemala – Detailed Breakdown
- How much does an apartment cost in Antigua?
- Can I afford to eat out every day for every meal?
- Is it cheap or expensive to live in Antigua for a month?
Whether we like it or not, costs can play a big factor in where you go next as a digital nomad. It honestly all depends on the kind of lifestyle you’re after.
We think we spent quite a bit while living in Antigua! We made a lot of friends and our eating out bill is higher than usual and there’s just so many other factors that make up our total cost of living in Antigua Guatemala.
In the next section, I’ll share more about why we spent what we did and evaluate if Antigua Guatemala was cheap or expensive!
Accommodation Costs – $533 USD
Before you get excited about that number we spent on rent, we spent hours searching for it on Airbnb and we had to compromise on some creature comforts. For this Airbnb, we messaged the host to ask for a further discount which they accepted! They were some of the kindest hosts and worked hard to make the space great for us.
We rented a studio apartment on the west side of the city and it takes around 15 minutes to walk to the city center. It’s rather small and cramped with a double bed. The kitchen was also not that great to cook in but it still worked! While it wasn’t the most amazing place we stayed in, we think we got GREAT value for money!
To give you an idea – it can cost you anywhere between $800 USD to $1200 USD if you want to live in the city center of Antigua. Rent is where a big chunk of your budget will go! The thing is…it’s hard to find a modern apartment with up-to-date amenities in Antigua. You’ll end up paying close to $1,000 USD and it honestly might not be that great. You can forget about getting a villa with a pool like in Bali!
Grocery Costs – $272
The best place to buy groceries are La Bodegona or Supermercado La Torre Jocotenango. The latter is located in a town about 10 minutes Uber drive from the city.
Matthew and I went to Supermercado most of the time because there is so much more variety and the meat looks clean. We only used Bodegona for the small things we forgot to get at Supermercado. It does cost a little higher but this is comparatively the same as it costs for groceries around Latin America that we’ve experienced!
This is a bigger bill than we expected because we ate out more often than we thought we would. A lot of groceries went to waste which sucks but we have learned from it since then! We went once every 2 weeks and it was a pretty healthy budget to make all the meals we needed.
Dining Out Costs – $583
Ahhh…the most embarrassing number on here!
We spent nearly $600 USD on dining out in Antigua. How did it get to be so expensive?
For one, the average meal price at a mid-range restaurant in Antigua is anywhere between 70Q to 100Q ($9 – $13 USD) which is a little higher than we are used to paying. For cheap eats, you can find places for as low as 35Q ($4.50 USD) which is pretty great but it’s not your $1 pad thai or al pastor tacos…you know? It took us quite some time to adjust and accurately convert the currency in our heads.
And second, we made a lot of friends and the main thing we do together is going out for lunch or dinner which is why we also went out so often!
You can most definitely do it cheaper than us – in fact, we encourage you do! If you find yourself loving Guatemalan cuisine, it’s much cheaper to eat the local food than at the ‘western’ restaurants. There are street vendors that sell pupusas or snacks which are pretty cheap. If you want a decent lunch meal, Rincon Tipico is the best value you’ll find in all of Antigua Guatemala! We went almost every day because it was close to our former coworking space, Impact Hub.
If you don’t mind splurging a bit more on dining out, there are some really cool places to check out. Here are some of our top restaurants in Antigua Guatemala:
- Toko Baru – best cheap eats
- Caoba Farms – best brunch spot
- Cerveceria14 – beer garden & live music
- Kombu Ramen Shop – authentic Japanese ramen
Make sure to watch your budget when you’re dining out in Antigua – it’s not as cheap as it may seem. We learned the hard way that it does ALL add up in the end!
And of course, make sure you try the incredible coffee that Antigua offers! You can check out the best cafes in Antigua Guatemala to see where you can the best coffee in town.
Transport Costs – $67
Let me start by saying…Antigua Guatemala is a VERY walkable city!
If you live 10-15 minutes walking distance from the city center (and don’t mind walking the cobblestone streets), you’ll never have to take any kind of transport. This is a great thing to keep in mind before booking your place and whether you enjoy walking!
We spent the majority of our transport budget on Uber rides whenever we got lazy to walk. Trust me, it happens 😉 For Uber, we thought it was one of the cheapest places to take an Uber. It was about $1.50 USD per ride around the city which is very affordable (and tempting to take when you’re lazy like us lol).
If you want to go a little further out, Uber is the easiest and most convenient way. Whenever we went to Caoba Farms or Cerveceria14 – it’s much easier to just take an Uber. This is one of the ways our costs rose for transport.
We still think we did pretty good for transport costs and it’s a healthy budget for the month!
SIM Card & Pre-Paid Data Plan Costs – $26
Getting SIM cards in Guatemala isn’t as hard or as expensive as you might think.
There are 2 companies: Claro and Tigo. We recommend getting Tigo!
If you stay for a month like us, the plans are very affordable. It’s only 99Q ($13 USD) for 8GB of data and unlimited social media. When you first get the SIM card, you’ll need to pay for the SIM itself first and that’s around 50Q ($6.50 USD). In total, your first trip to get a SIM card will cost a little less than $20 USD and you’ll be set for the month.
Activities & Entertainment Costs – $65
There are countless things to do in Antigua, Guatemala! We had activities planned for almost every weekend and it felt like we hadn’t even scratched the surface.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Hike Acatenango Volcano
- Roast marshmallows on Pacaya Volcano
- Go on a coffee farm tour
- Visit all of the church ruins
- Buy second-hand clothes at paca (flea market)
- See the views of the city at Cerro de la Cruz
- Take a weekend getaway to Lake Atitlan
A lot of the activities – for example, Cerro de la Cruz are free! For any of the hikes up volcanoes or coffee tours – you’ll need to pay a tour company. For the coffee tour, we paid $30 USD! The hikes are a little more depending on which one you do – Pacaya was only $26 USD without the entrance fee. We found it hard to pay more than $50 USD for an activity which makes it a great place to get out and go on adventures!
Even if you plan to have a low cost of living in Antigua Guatemala, there are so many things to do – it’s hard to get bored!
Gym Membership Cost – $50
The gyms in Antigua Guatemala offer a great place to exercise on your own, join group classes or get some personal training.
A gym membership is pretty affordable. We paid $50 USD for both of us, which is only $25 USD each! Granted, it wasn’t a fancy gym – it just had a lot of machines and equipment which were somewhat new and well-maintained.
The best gym is La Fabrica Antigua – it’s everyone’s favorite place to exercise! They have friendly staff, qualified trainers and a big variety of group classes! It costs $32 USD to join La Fabrica for the unlimited monthly plan.
*Optional: Coworking Costs – $220
Coworking spaces help us get productive work done and meet like-minded people. We love signing up for coworking spaces any chance we get! The coworking spaces in Antigua Guatemala did not disappoint either.
The most popular one which we tried for a month is Impact Hub. It’s the best value for money at only $115 USD for an unlimited monthly membership. However, we switched after a month there. We just had a couple of issues with the noise levels (there was a big team that took calls all day long) and a bunch of us couldn’t stand it any longer.
We heard about a new coworking space opening up and we checked it out! It’s called El Cubo Center and it’s located 15 minutes drive from the city center but it is worth it. You have a beautiful office, ergonomic chairs and a space that actually wants to cultivate community! This cost a lot more – we paid $110 USD for a monthly unlimited membership. However, they seem to have increased the price since we were members in 2021 to $162.50 USD now.
Cost To Get To Antigua– $26
We like to add this because it gives you a bigger picture of what it would cost to travel there. Before we lived in Antigua, we were Lake Atitlan digital nomads for 2 months.
From Lake Atitlan to Antigua, we booked a shared shuttle which is a very popular way to get around Guatemala. It only cost us 100Q ($13 USD) each for a seat on the van including our digital nomad luggage. It’s the same costs if you want to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan.
Was The Cost Of Living In Antigua Guatemala Cheap Or Expensive?
Our cost of living in Antigua Guatemala was more than we were expecting to pay!
It’s definitely not as cheap as other places to live the digital nomad lifestyle in Antigua Guatemala. But we believe it’s a beautiful country to visit, tour and soak up the culture for a few months. We can see it growing in popularity for digital nomads in the future!
Is the cost of living in Antigua Guatemala higher or lower than you expected? We know this is what WE spent and chose to spend our money so it’ll be different. But overall, what do you think? I’ve got some friends that like Mexico more because you get better value for money – I just think it depends on the kind of lifestyle you want to live!
