Guatemala Fuel Prices: Regular Q43.50, Super Q45.53, Diesel Q49.61

Update, September 30, 2026 — the fuel-tax exemption is law and applies from October 1. President Bernardo Arévalo sanctioned Decree 22-2026 (Ley de Exención Tributaria Temporal de Emergencia al Consumidor de Combustibles), which Congress approved on September 22 with 148 votes; it was published in the Diario de Centro América on September 30 and is in force from October 1 through December 31, 2026 (Diario de Centro América). For that period premium and regular gasoline and diesel are exempt from the fuel-distribution tax (IDP) — a fixed Q4.70, Q4.60 and Q1.30 per gallon respectively — and from VAT (IVA, 12% of the price of each gallon) (Diario de Centro América). The decree’s own estimate, using its reference values, is a cut of up to Q9.41 per gallon for premium, Q9.10 for regular and Q6.34 for diesel and gas oil — the law’s estimate, not a pump price we have observed. The whole exemption must be passed on to the price the consumer pays, and electronic invoices must show the amount of the benefit applied per gallon. Stations must report their prices to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) every day; MEM opened the reporting platform on September 30 (Diario de Centro América). MEM, DIACO and SAT supervise the pass-through, and DIACO can sanction stations that don’t apply the cut. Exporting or re-exporting the exempt fuels is temporarily banned. MEM must issue the implementing regulation within five business days of entry into force. The Diario de Centro América’s reports differ on whether the mechanism operates before that regulation is out — on September 24 it reported that a late regulation does not suspend the exemption (Diario de Centro América, September 24), while its September 30 report says operation begins with the regulation’s publication — so do not assume every station is already cheaper on October 1. Both taxes return at their ordinary rates on January 1, 2027, with no further act needed. Any MEM price on this page monitored before October 1 does not include the exemption. Meanwhile Decree 21-2026 (the Q39/Q41 price caps) was vetoed: the Diario de Centro América reported on September 30 that President Arévalo vetoed it in Council of Ministers, on the grounds that it could compromise the current national budget, since it would be financed from tax revenue while the tax exemption approved by Congress is in place (Diario de Centro América).

Guatemala’s fuel prices are monitored and published weekly by the Direccion General de Hidrocarburos at the Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MEM), which surveys stations in Guatemala City and the surrounding area every Monday. Prices vary by department, but less than most people assume: MEM’s last full department table put the gap between the cheapest and most expensive departmental capital at Q1.36 per gallon, driven by haulage distance from the Pacific and Caribbean import terminals.

In short: Guatemala sells fuel by the gallon (not liter). MEM’s latest monitored prices for Guatemala City and surrounding areas (self-service, monitored 28 September 2026): Regular Q43.26, Super Q45.29, Diesel Q49.37. Full-service pumps run about Q0.97-Q1.03 more per gallon. Diesel is now the most expensive of the three — it overtook regular gasoline in late July 2026 and now runs Q6.11 more per gallon than regular. Prices jumped because the fuel subsidy (Decreto 11-2026) ended on 2 July 2026: between 1 July and 28 September 2026 regular went from Q31.05 to Q43.26 (+39%) and diesel from Q27.25 to Q49.37 (+81%). Rural stations are often cash-only.

Current Prices

The cards and table above refresh automatically from MEM’s weekly monitoring report. The headline figures are monitored prices for Guatemala City and surrounding areas — the only prices MEM now publishes weekly. Department figures are estimated from those; see the note below the department table.

Guatemala sells fuel by the gallon (not liter). Since the July 2026 subsidy ended, Guatemalan pump prices sit above the US average rather than level with it.

Calculator

Understanding Fuel Prices by Department

A note on the department table above. MEM published a weekly price table for all 22 departmental capitals only while the Decreto 11-2026 fuel subsidy was running. That table ended with the 30 June - 6 July 2026 edition. Since then MEM publishes monitored prices weekly for Guatemala City and surrounding areas, and per-department figures only monthly. The department numbers on this page are therefore estimates: we take MEM’s current monitored capital price and add each department’s own gap to the capital, as measured in MEM’s last published departmental table. Treat them as a guide to the spread, not as quoted prices.

The spread itself is small and stable: in that last full MEM table the gap between the cheapest and most expensive departmental capital was Q1.36 per gallon. On a 15-gallon fill-up that is about Q20 — real, but far less than the Q35-40 gap this page previously claimed.

Geography drives it, but not in the direction people expect. Guatemala imports refined fuel through terminals on both coasts, so the Caribbean side is well supplied — Puerto Barrios was the cheapest departmental capital in MEM’s last table, not one of the most expensive. What actually costs money is distance from either port over difficult roads, which is why Petén stands alone at the top.

Cheapest departmental capitals

(regular gasoline, MEM’s last published departmental table, 30 June - 6 July 2026)

1. Puerto Barrios, Izabal – Q30.88, served directly by the Caribbean import terminal
2. Escuintla – Q30.96, closest to the Pacific coast terminal
3. Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez – Q31.04, short haul from the capital’s distribution hubs

Most expensive departmental capitals

1. Flores, Peten – Q32.24, far from both coasts on long jungle roads
2. Coban, Alta Verapaz – Q31.61, mountain haul into the Verapaces
3. Huehuetenango – Q31.57, remote highlands
4. Zacapa and Chiquimula – Q31.52 each, eastern dry corridor

For reference, Guatemala City sat at Q31.09 in the same table.

Price Trends

Guatemala’s fuel prices are influenced by global oil markets but also by local factors:

• International oil prices are the biggest driver. When crude rises, Guatemalan pump prices follow within 1-2 weeks

• The quetzal-dollar exchange rate matters because Guatemala imports refined fuel priced in USD. A stronger quetzal means lower fuel costs

• Transportation costs within Guatemala create the department-by-department variation

• Taxes: Guatemala charges IDP (Impuesto de Distribucion de Petroleo) at fixed rates per gallon (suspended October 1 – December 31, 2026 under Decreto 22-2026, together with VAT on fuel)

• Subsidies, when they exist, swamp all of the above. The Decreto 11-2026 subsidy held pump prices artificially low from 1 May to 2 July 2026; when it lapsed, prices rose faster in five weeks than global crude moved all year.

The single biggest move in recent memory was that subsidy ending. MEM’s own weekly averages for the capital tell the story:

Rows from 1 July onward are MEM’s weekly monitored self-service averages for Guatemala City and surrounding areas; the full charted series is in our price-history feed. The last row renders live from the current feed and is the same reading shown in the cards at the top of this page.

Diesel rose fastest because it had been subsidised most heavily. It passed regular gasoline in the week of 20 July 2026 and has stayed above it since; on the latest reading the gap is Q6.11 per gallon. Gasoline, by contrast, peaked in early August and has eased back, which is why the two grades have pulled further apart rather than converging. MEM now monitors and publishes these prices weekly rather than setting reference prices.

Fuel Types in Guatemala

Guatemala offers three standard fuel grades at most stations:

Regular (87 Octane)

The most common grade, used by the majority of vehicles — what you’ll use for most rental cars and standard vehicles. On the E10 ethanol blend, be careful what you assume: Guatemala is in the middle of rolling E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) out, and it is not yet universal. On August 25, 2026 President Bernardo Arévalo said a technical roundtable was working to have E10 in all the country’s filling stations in approximately five days, and that the same group was addressing problems that had arisen during implementation (AGN, 25 August 2026). Until that is confirmed complete, assume the blend at any given station may be E10 or conventional gasoline, and check the pump labelling if it matters for your vehicle.

Premium / Superior (95 Octane)

Higher octane for performance vehicles and some imported cars that require it. In Guatemala the gap is small: on MEM’s 28 September 2026 monitoring, super was Q45.29 against Q43.26 for regular — Q2.03 more per gallon. V-Power and equivalent branded grades add roughly another Q0.50 on top. Only necessary if your vehicle manual specifies premium fuel.

Diesel

Used by most buses, trucks, and commercial vehicles, and by some SUVs and pickups. Diesel is no longer the cheap option. It carried the largest subsidy under Decreto 11-2026, so it rose furthest when that ended — from Q27.25 on 1 July 2026 to Q49.37 on 28 September 2026, a rise of Q22.12 per gallon. It passed regular gasoline in the week of 20 July and now runs Q6.11 more per gallon than regular. If you’re renting a vehicle, always confirm the fuel type before filling up.

Other fuels

MEM also monitors kerosene and automotive LPG, but we do not yet carry either in our weekly feed. The last readings we recorded were Q50.00 for kerosene and Q19.47 for automotive LPG per gallon, from MEM’s 3 August 2026 report — treat those as a 3 August figure, not today’s. The regular, super and diesel prices elsewhere on this page do refresh weekly.

Major Gas Station Chains

Guatemala has several major fuel retail chains:

• Shell – Largest network, found nationwide including rural areas
• Uno (Chevron/Texaco) – Strong presence, often competitive pricing
• Puma – Growing network, common in urban areas
• Texaco – Some stations still carry the Texaco brand separately
• PDC – Smaller regional chain

Most stations in Guatemala City and departmental capitals accept credit cards (Visa and Mastercard). Rural and small-town stations may be cash only – always carry quetzales when driving outside major cities.

Tips for Drivers

Planning Road Trips

• Fill up before remote stretches. The road from Flores to Tikal has limited fuel options. The CA-14 through Alta Verapaz has long stretches between stations.
• The road to Semuc Champey from Coban has no gas stations for the last 2+ hours. Fill up in Coban or Lanquin.
• Pacific highway (CA-2) has frequent stations. The Pan-American Highway (CA-1) through the highlands is well-served.

Saving Money

• Escuintla, Puerto Barrios and Antigua were the cheapest departmental capitals in MEM’s last full department table; Guatemala City sat just behind them
• Self-service is cheaper than full-service by about Q0.97 per gallon on regular (Q1.03 on diesel), on MEM’s 28 September 2026 monitoring. Attendants pumping your fuel is the default in Guatemala, so if a station offers both, pumping it yourself saves roughly Q15 on a 15-gallon fill
• Some stations offer small discounts for cash payment
• Sunday prices are the same as weekday – no weekend surcharge

Rental Cars

• Most rental cars take regular (87 octane) gasoline
• Confirm fuel type at pickup – some vehicles require diesel
• Return with a full tank to avoid inflated refueling charges
• Keep fuel receipts in case of disputes

How Prices Are Set

Guatemala does not set fuel prices. The market is open; stations price their own fuel. What the state does is watch it.

The Direccion General de Hidrocarburos (DGH), inside the Ministerio de Energia y Minas (MEM), sends staff to survey stations and publishes what it finds:

1. Weekly – an Informe Ejecutivo of monitored prices for Guatemala City and surrounding areas, split by self-service and full-service, plus kerosene and automotive LPG. The monitoring is done on a Monday and the report carries that date.
2. Monthly – average prices for each department, and for LPG.

These are observations, not instructions: they record what stations charged, and no station is obliged to match them.

That is a change from earlier in 2026. While the Decreto 11-2026 subsidy was in force, Acuerdo Ministerial 189-2026 required DGH to publish weekly reference prices for all 22 departmental capitals — the table this page used to reproduce. The subsidy ended on 2 July 2026 and that reference table ended with it.

Guatemala imports most of its refined fuel and has limited refining capacity, so pump prices closely track international markets with a short delay.

Gas Prices vs Other Countries

At the Banguat reference rate of Q7.663 to the dollar carried with MEM’s 28 September 2026 monitoring, those prices convert to roughly $5.65 per gallon for regular and $6.44 for diesel — noticeably above the US average, and a steep change from early July, when the subsidy put regular at about $4.07 (Q31.05 at that week’s Q7.6242).

Given that average Guatemalan wages are far below US wages, fuel costs represent a much larger share of household budgets here — which is why the end of the subsidy was felt quickly, and why diesel buses and chicken buses remain the primary transportation for most Guatemalans. Diesel’s Q22.12-per-gallon rise since 1 July feeds straight into freight and bus operating costs.

Fuel and Your Budget

If you’re planning to drive in Guatemala — road conditions route by route are in the driving guide — budget approximately:

• City driving (Guatemala City, Antigua): Q300-500/month for moderate use
• Weekly road trips: Q150-300 per trip depending on distance
• Cross-country drive (GUA to Flores, ~500km): Q400-600 one way

The other regulated energy price moves on a different clock: electricity is fixed quarterly by CNEE, and the full schedule — every distributor, the fixed charge and the municipal levy — is on the electricity tariff page. For current exchange rates to convert these to USD, see our exchange rates page. Fuel prices alongside every other official statistic: Guatemala statistics. For overall budget planning, check our full cost of living guide with monthly budgets by city.

Data updated weekly from MEM Guatemala. See our interactive map for department-by-department data on cost of living, safety, and more. For currency conversion, check today’s exchange rate.