When should you exchange dollars to quetzales? We went through the daily reference rate published by the Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) for 2024, 2025 and 2026 up to 8 October, downloaded from its TipoCambio service on 8 October 2026. The short answer: on 8 October 2026 the gap between banks (Q0.14 per dollar) was larger than the best-to-worst-day gap of any year 2024-2026 (largest: Q0.13269 in 2024).

Quick summary: Between the highest and lowest day of each year, Banguat’s reference rate moved Q0.13269 per dollar in 2024, Q0.08197 in 2025 and Q0.05463 in 2026 (to 8 October). On 8 October 2026 banks were buying dollars at Q7.41 to Q7.55, against a reference rate of Q7.64200 (deguate.net, read that day). Monthly averages do not repeat a season from one year to the next.

What Banguat’s series shows, year by year

YearHighest reference rateLowest reference rateGap per dollarGap on $10,000
2024Q7.82702 (1 January)Q7.69433 (16 December)Q0.13269Q1,326.90
2025Q7.73299 (31 January)Q7.65102 (18 November)Q0.08197Q819.70
2026 (to 8 October)Q7.66827 (20 January)Q7.61364 (16 June)Q0.05463Q546.30

The last column is a theoretical maximum: it assumes exchanging on exactly the best and the worst day of the year, which nobody can know in advance. The last two columns are our arithmetic on Banguat’s figures.

Monthly averages (is there a season?)

Simple average of Banguat’s daily reference rate for each month, calculated by us from the series downloaded on 8 October 2026.

Month202420252026
JanuaryQ7.81848Q7.71578Q7.66528
FebruaryQ7.81087Q7.71461Q7.66485
MarchQ7.80317Q7.70581Q7.65589
AprilQ7.77953Q7.70196Q7.63951
MayQ7.76785Q7.67658Q7.62540
JuneQ7.76508Q7.68228Q7.61839
JulyQ7.75519Q7.67339Q7.62248
AugustQ7.73771Q7.66228Q7.62298
SeptemberQ7.72939Q7.65766Q7.62960
OctoberQ7.72743Q7.65658Q7.64008 (1-8 Oct)
NovemberQ7.71890Q7.65562—
DecemberQ7.70341Q7.65683—

Reading: in 2024 the average fell every month; in 2025 it fell in nine of the eleven month-to-month changes (it rose in June and December). In other words the quetzal strengthened almost continuously, not by season. In 2026 the low point was June and from July the reference rate rose again. An earlier version of this page advised selling dollars in October-December or March-April and avoiding June-August; those patterns do not appear in the 2024-2026 data and we removed them. We also removed a day-of-month trend table (VAT and ISR payment dates) that had no source.

Weekly patterns

  • Banguat publishes a reference rate for every date, weekends included. In the 2024-2026 series, Saturday and Sunday repeat Friday’s value.
  • That is why Monday carries three days of movement: in all three years it had the largest average change from the previous day (Q0.00475 in 2024, Q0.00338 in 2025 and Q0.00391 in 2026, in absolute terms). Even so, that is less than Q5 on $1,000.
  • The largest day-to-day jump was Q0.01527 in 2024 (25 to 26 December), Q0.01691 in 2025 (26 to 27 May) and Q0.01283 in 2026 (7 to 8 September).

These figures are our calculations on Banguat’s daily series.

The bank matters more than the date

Rates published by deguate.net for 8 October 2026 (read that day):

BankBuy (what you get per dollar)Sell (what you pay per dollar)
InmobiliarioQ7.55Q7.75
Promerica (Citi)Q7.46Q7.84
BACQ7.44Q7.84
AgromercantilQ7.44Q7.82
BanruralQ7.43Q7.83
IndustrialQ7.42Q7.82
BantrabQ7.41Q7.83

Banguat’s reference rate that day was Q7.64200. The best and worst buy rates were Q0.14 per dollar apart: Q140 on $1,000, more than the Q81.97 on $1,000 that someone who picked the best and worst day of all 2025 would have gained. Counter rates change daily; check the bank comparison before you go.

For diaspora: large transfers

If you are sending a large amount to Guatemala (property purchase, savings), the data above say that waiting for the ideal day moved the rate by at most Q0.13269 per dollar across all of 2024, and less in 2025 and 2026. Before sending, compare how many quetzales the recipient gets from each service on the same day; this page has no data on each remittance company’s rates or fees. For that, use the remittance comparison.

Sources

  • Banco de Guatemala, TipoCambio service (TipoCambioRango, daily reference rate), read 8 October 2026: banguat.gob.gt/variables/ws/TipoCambio.asmx.
  • deguate.net, exchange-rate table by bank, updated to 8 October 2026 and read that day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a specific day of the week best for exchanging dollars?

Banguat publishes a reference rate for every calendar date, Saturdays and Sundays included, and in the 2024-2026 series the Saturday and Sunday figures equal Friday’s. So Monday absorbs the weekend’s move: it had the largest average change from the previous day in 2024, 2025 and 2026, but that average never reached Q0.005 per dollar, under Q5 on $1,000 (our calculation on Banguat’s series, read 8 October 2026).

Should I wait for the dollar to go up or down?

Nobody knows the best day in advance. For scale: across all of 2025 the gap between the highest reference day (Q7.73299, 31 January) and the lowest (Q7.65102, 18 November) was Q0.08197 per dollar, about Q81.97 on $1,000 even for someone who picked both exact days. On 8 October 2026 the gap between the bank paying the most per dollar and the one paying the least was Q0.14 (Q140 on $1,000), per deguate.net.

When is the worst time to exchange dollars?

Banguat’s series shows no season that repeats. In 2024 the monthly average fell every month from January to December; in 2025 it fell in nine of the eleven month-to-month changes; in 2026 the lowest monthly average was June (Q7.61839) and it rose afterwards. An earlier version of this page said the dollar tends to be higher from June to August; the 2024-2026 data do not support that.

Does time of day affect the exchange rate?

For Banguat’s reference rate, no: the TipoCambio service returns a single value per date. Banks and remittance services set their own buy and sell rates; this page has no data on how those move during the day.