Guatemala’s canasta basica (basic food basket) is the government’s benchmark for what a family needs to eat. As of May 2026, the urban canasta basica costs Q941.86 per person per month — about Q3,918 for INE’s 4.16-person reference family. The 2026 non-agricultural minimum wage (Q4,252.28/month, including the Q250 incentive bonus) covers that family food basket, but not the expanded basket once housing, transport, and health are added.
This page carries three different kinds of number, and they are not interchangeable:
| Block | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale prices | Bulk quotes for La Terminal and CENMA, with the market and observation date on every row | MAGA open data (precios.maga.gob.gt), refreshed monthly |
| Canasta basica | The official basic food basket cost | INE, May 2026 |
| Retail price estimates | What we reckon 38 everyday items cost a shopper in a traditional market | DIACO for the rows marked with its name; otherwise our own estimates, last reviewed March 2026 |
The wholesale table below is live MAGA data. The retail tables further down combine explicitly labelled DIACO market observations with our own estimates. The estimates cover everyday items our wholesale table does not include - dairy, tortillas, coffee, bottled water - and should not be read as official prices.
Canasta Basica Summary (May 2026)
| Metric | Amount (GTQ) | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Urban per capita/month | Q941.86 | $122.96 |
| Rural per capita/month | Q726.00 | $94.78 |
| Urban reference family (4.16 people)/month | Q3,918.14 | $511.51 |
| Rural reference family (4.8 people)/month | Q3,484.80 | $454.93 |
| Minimum wage (2026, non-agri + Q250 bonus) | Q4,252.28 | $555.13 |
The gap: One 2026 minimum wage covers INE’s urban reference-family food basket with about Q334 (~$44) left over — before rent, transport, healthcare, or anything else. The expanded basket (canasta ampliada, which adds housing, transport, health and education) runs about Q9,486/month for that same family, roughly 2.2 minimum wages. This is why many Guatemalan families rely on remittances from the US.
Retail Price Estimates (not MAGA, not INE)
Rows marked DIACO are DIACO’s published average market prices for the department of Guatemala in its monitoring release of 22 October 2026 (urban basket sheet; oranges and white corn appear only on the rural basket sheet) (source workbook). The other prices in this section are our own estimates: no source published those figures and they were last reviewed in March 2026. They are what we would expect to pay a vendor in a traditional market; treat them as an order-of-magnitude guide, not a quote. Compare the same product, size and unit before assuming a market is cheaper than a supermarket.
For an official figure, use the MAGA wholesale table on this page - it carries the market and the observation date for each product MAGA tracks.
Grains & Staples
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black beans (frijol negro) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q7.80 | $1.02 |
| White rice (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q5.80 | $0.76 |
| White corn (maiz) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q2.85 | $0.37 |
| Corn tortillas (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | tortilla | Q0.33 | $0.04 |
| Bread roll (pan frances) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | roll | Q0.46 | $0.06 |
| Pasta (spaghetti) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 200 g pack | Q4.40 | $0.58 |
| Wheat flour | lb | Q4.50 | $0.59 |
Meats & Protein
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken (whole) | lb | Q16.50 | $2.16 |
| Beef (res) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q38.75 | $5.08 |
| Pork (cerdo) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q26.75 | $3.51 |
| Eggs (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | dozen | Q17.80 | $2.33 |
| Fresh fish (tilapia) | lb | Q25.00 | $3.28 |
Dairy
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh milk (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 450 ml | Q6.25 | $0.82 |
| Fresh cheese (queso fresco) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q22.75 | $2.98 |
| Cream (crema fresca) | lb | Q18.00 | $2.36 |
| Butter | lb | Q28.00 | $3.67 |
Vegetables
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q7.20 | $0.94 |
| Onions (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q9.00 | $1.18 |
| Potatoes (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q8.75 | $1.15 |
| Green peppers (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | pepper | Q3.10 | $0.41 |
| Carrots (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | carrot | Q2.88 | $0.38 |
| Lettuce (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | head | Q7.00 | $0.92 |
| Avocado (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | avocado | Q4.50 | $0.59 |
Fruits
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bananas (guineo) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | dozen | Q13.25 | $1.74 |
| Plantain (platano) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | plantain | Q3.30 | $0.43 |
| Oranges (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | orange | Q2.90 | $0.38 |
| Limes (limon) (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 5 limes | Q4.50 | $0.59 |
| Papaya (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | papaya | Q13.20 | $1.73 |
| Pineapple | unit | Q15.00 | $1.97 |
Other Essentials
| Product | Unit | Price (GTQ) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking oil (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 800 g bottle | Q20.75 | $2.72 |
| Sugar (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 500 g | Q5.40 | $0.71 |
| Salt (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | lb | Q1.35 | $0.18 |
| Ground coffee (DIACO, 22 Oct 2026) | 350 g | Q41.75 | $5.47 |
| Incaparina | 450g | Q8.50 | $1.11 |
| Purified water (garrafon) | 5 gal | Q12.00 | $1.57 |
Where to Shop
Compare by product, pack size and observation date:
- Traditional markets (mercados) — compare current retail quotes with supermarket prices. MAGA quotes for La Terminal and CENMA are wholesale prices.
- Despensa Familiar — Budget supermarket chain, good for packaged goods
- Walmart / Paiz — Mid-range, wide selection, decent prices
- La Torre — Supermarket with imported products; compare the same product and pack size across stores
- PriceSmart — Costco-style bulk buying, best per-unit prices for some items
For a full grocery shopping guide, see our Grocery Shopping in Guatemala guide.
Year-on-Year Price Movement (MAGA, measured)
These are MAGA’s own wholesale quotes for June 2026 against June 2025 — measured, with the market and observation date behind each figure in the table above:
| Product | MAGA unit | Jun 2025 | Jun 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red beans | quintal | Q790.00 | Q675.00 | -14.6% |
| Black beans | quintal | Q650.00 | Q525.00 | -19.2% |
| White corn | quintal | Q184.88 | Q192.40 | +4.1% |
| Yellow corn | quintal | Q170.50 | Q190.00 | +11.4% |
| Beef (carcass) | lb | Q20.50 | Q23.50 | +14.6% |
| Potato (Loman) | quintal | Q293.75 | Q445.83 | +51.8% |
| Cooking tomato | caja (45-50 lb) | Q208.25 | Q102.38 | -50.8% |
Source: MAGA open data, La Terminal, period June 2026.
Regional Price Variation (DIACO)
The per-department tables on our product pages are DIACO’s measured averages, from its 22 October 2026 price monitoring: the average price its inspectors recorded in the markets of each of the 17 departments it covers (it does not cover Alta Verapaz, Escuintla, Izabal, Quiche or Santa Rosa in that release). Each product page that DIACO covers shows its own department table with the unit DIACO prices.
Pro Tip: If you’re on a budget, shop at traditional markets for produce, eggs, and meats. Buy bulk items (rice, beans, oil, sugar) at PriceSmart or Despensa Familiar. For imported products (cheese, wine, specialty items), La Torre or PriceSmart has the best selection.
Data Sources — figure by figure
- MAGA wholesale table + year-on-year movement — MAGA open data (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Alimentacion), mayorista quotes for La Terminal and CENMA. Collected daily by us, republished by MAGA monthly. Each row shows its market and observation date.
- Canasta basica figures — INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica), May 2026.
- Retail tables — rows marked DIACO use its 22 October 2026 market monitoring, Guatemala department column (urban basket sheet; oranges and white corn from the rural basket sheet), with the unit printed in the workbook; their USD amounts use the existing Q7.63/USD table rate. Other retail estimates — no source. They are our own estimates, last reviewed March 2026, and they are not MAGA or INE data. We label them as estimates rather than drop them because our wholesale table does not include dairy, tortillas, bread, pasta, flour, cooking oil, sugar, salt, coffee, Incaparina, bottled water or Coca-Cola. MAGA does quote eggs in its weekly La Terminal report (7-11 September 2026).
- Exchange rate — Banguat daily reference, current USD/GTQ rate. USD figures in the retail estimate tables are converted at Q7.63/USD.
For complete cost of living data including rent, transport, and utilities, see our Cost of Living page.
For cardamom, see the cardamom price page: Banco de Guatemala export value and volume by month and by year, and the farm-gate prices the press has published, each with its date.
