In short: We didn’t estimate a typical budget. We read prices on 24 September 2026 and added them up. On that day the median lowest hostel dorm price was US$11.07 in Antigua (Hostelworld, 24 hostels) and US$9.41 to US$15.69 in the other towns we read. Antigua menus on Uber Eats started at Q36 for a fast-food combo; a breakfast at a típico restaurant ran Q55 to Q109, and pepián or kak’ik Q89 to Q109. Adrenalina’s shuttles from Antigua to the towns in this guide cost US$15 (to the airport) to US$70 (to Flores). Tikal is Q150 for foreigners. Three example days built only from those prices come to about US$34, US$52 and US$101 per person before transport and tickets.
Prices in quetzales are converted at Banguat’s reference rate for 24 September 2026, Q7.63682 per US$1; a live rate is on our exchange page. For what it costs to live here rather than travel, see the monthly budget to live in Guatemala.
Where you sleep: hostel dorms by town
Hostelworld’s city page shows, for each hostel, the lowest dorm price for its default dates (the page does not print which dates). We took every hostel on each page that showed a dorm price and computed the median. Five listings showing prices under US$2 (one at US$0.01) were left out, because the page does not say what they stand for.
| Town (Hostelworld page) | Hostels with a dorm price | Median dorm price | Middle half of hostels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua | 24 | US$11.07 | US$10.00 to US$14.93 |
| Panajachel | 10 | US$9.89 | US$7.54 to US$13.22 |
| San Pedro La Laguna | 13 | US$15.00 | US$10.23 to US$20.46 |
| Quetzaltenango (Xela) | 4 | US$9.41 | too few to split |
| Flores | 14 | US$13.64 | US$11.08 to US$16.88 |
| Guatemala City | 13 | US$13.00 | US$11.52 to US$17.05 |
| El Paredón | 13 | US$13.64 | US$11.00 to US$17.42 |
| Lanquín | 3 | US$15.69 | too few to split |
Read 24 September 2026. “Middle half” is the 25th to 75th percentile of the hostels’ lowest dorm prices.
Private rooms and whole apartments: Airbnb
Our own Airbnb sample was captured on 4 September 2026 for a fixed two-night weekday stay (6 to 8 October 2026) priced for two adults. Nightly medians for listings that sleep two:
| Market | Private room (2 guests) | Whole place (2 guests) |
|---|---|---|
| Antigua | US$35.00 (41 listings) | US$91.90 (49 listings) |
| Lake Atitlán | US$42.57 (31 listings) | US$86.98 (58 listings) |
| Guatemala City | sample too small | US$64.00 (51 listings) |
Split between two travellers, the Antigua private room is US$17.50 each a night and the whole place US$45.95. These are the rates Airbnb displayed for those dates, not booked prices.
What you eat: Antigua menu prices
Read on the Uber Eats store pages of seven Antigua restaurants on 24 September 2026. These are the app’s menu prices; the counter price can differ.
| Restaurant | Item | Price | ≈ US$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollo Campero | Menú Hamburguesa Clásica | Q36 | $4.71 |
| Pollo Campero | Menú Campero | Q53 | $6.94 |
| Pollo Campero | Menú Súper Campero | Q68 | $8.90 |
| McDonald’s | McMenú Quesoburguesa | Q49 | $6.42 |
| McDonald’s | McMenú Big Mac | Q55 | $7.20 |
| Los 3 Reyes (típico) | El Chapín breakfast (eggs, beans, plantains, cheese, fruit) | Q55 | $7.20 |
| Los 3 Reyes (típico) | Antigüeño breakfast (eggs on chipilín tamalitos) | Q68 | $8.90 |
| Los 3 Reyes (típico) | Pepián with rice and tortillas | Q89 | $11.65 |
| Los 3 Reyes (típico) | Kak’ik with rice and tamalito | Q109 | $14.27 |
| La Casa de la Empanada | Combo Tucumán (2 empanadas + drink) | Q55 | $7.20 |
| Pizzería Il Nonno | Personal pizza | Q39 | $5.11 |
| Pizzería Il Nonno | Gallo beer | Q22 | $2.88 |
| Café Barista | Cappuccino | Q30 | $3.93 |
| Sobremesa | Pastas and lasagna | Q82 to Q87 | $10.74 to $11.39 |
| Sobremesa | Risottos | Q123 to Q158 | $16.11 to $20.69 |
Bottled water was Q12 at Pollo Campero and Q15 at Los 3 Reyes, La Casa de la Empanada and Il Nonno. We have no dated published price for market comedores or street food, so none is used on this page.
Getting around: shuttle and bus fares
Adrenalina Tours’ collective shuttles from Antigua, per person unless noted, read 24 September 2026:
| From Antigua to | Price | Duration the operator lists |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City / La Aurora airport | US$15 | 2.15 hours |
| Panajachel | US$25 | 3 hours |
| San Pedro La Laguna | US$25 | 4 hours |
| El Paredón | US$25 | 3.30 hours |
| Monterrico | US$30 | 3 hours |
| Cobán | US$45 | 8 hours |
| Lanquín | US$50 | 10 hours |
| Flores (collective) | US$60 (the operator does not mark this one per person) | 12 hours |
| Flores (shuttle + night bus) | US$70 | 12 hours |
The operator says bookings need 48 hours’ notice. The chicken bus between Antigua and Guatemala City costs Q25 from Saturday 26 September 2026 (Q20 before), as reported by Emisoras Unidas on 24 September 2026, citing Sacatepéquez’s extraurban bus operators. On Lake Atitlán, AtitlanVida gives Q25 to Q30 for the public lancha from Panajachel to Santiago Atitlán. More routes and operators: Antigua to Lake Atitlán, Antigua to Flores and Tikal, Lake Atitlán lancha routes, chicken bus guide.
What you see: entry tickets
| Site | Foreigner price | Source, read 24 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Tikal National Park | Q150 ($19.64) | Ministry of Culture ticket portal |
| Tikal sunrise or sunset ticket (on top of park entry) | Q100 ($13.09) | same |
| Tikal museum | Q30 | same |
| Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo National Park | Q80 ($10.48) | CONAP tariff sheet (a PDF in the site’s 2021 uploads) |
| Iximché | Q50 ($6.55) | Ministry of Culture site directory |
The Tikal portal says children under 10 enter free and that the park ticket must be bought before the sunrise, sunset, camping or museum tickets. More: Tikal sunrise tour.
Three example days, added up
Each day uses only prices from the tables above, per person, in Antigua, before transport and entry tickets. They are sums, not averages.
| Day A: dorm and quick meals | Day B: shared private room, sit-down meals | Day C: shared whole place, restaurant dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel dorm median, US$11.07 | Half of a private Airbnb room, US$17.50 | Half of a whole Airbnb, US$45.95 |
| Breakfast | El Chapín, Q55 | Antigüeño, Q68 | Los 3 Reyes breakfast platter, Q109 |
| Lunch | Menú Campero, Q53 | Combo Tucumán, Q55 | Pizza at Il Nonno, Q89 |
| Dinner | McMenú Quesoburguesa, Q49 | Pepián, Q89, and a Gallo, Q22 | Shrimp risotto at Sobremesa, Q158, and a cheesecake, Q35 |
| Extras | Water, Q15 | Cappuccino, Q30 | Cappuccino, Q30 |
| Food total | Q172 ($22.52) | Q264 ($34.57) | Q421 ($55.13) |
| Day total | ≈ US$33.59 | ≈ US$52.07 | ≈ US$101.08 |
Add the day’s moves and tickets on top: for example US$25 for the shuttle to Panajachel, or Q150 + Q100 for Tikal with the sunrise ticket. A day that includes the Antigua to Flores shuttle adds US$60 to US$70.
What this page does not include
- Tours and guided hikes. See Acatenango overnight hike and Pacaya day hike tours.
- Flights to Guatemala. See direct flights to Guatemala.
- SIM cards and data. See the Guatemala eSIM guide.
- Travel insurance and cash-withdrawal fees.
Planning the dates: best time to visit Guatemala by month.
Sources
All read 24 September 2026 unless stated.
- Hostelworld city pages: Antigua, Panajachel, San Pedro La Laguna, Quetzaltenango, Flores, Guatemala City, El Paredón, Lanquín.
- Our Airbnb sample, captured 4 September 2026 (method on the Airbnb for two guests page).
- Uber Eats (Guatemala) store pages: Pollo Campero Antigua, McDonald’s Antigua, Restaurante Típico Los 3 Reyes, La Casa de la Empanada Antigua, Pizzería Il Nonno, Café Barista Antigua, Sobremesa.
- Adrenalina Tours, collective shuttles from Antigua.
- Emisoras Unidas, 24 September 2026: Sacatepéquez extraurban fares from 26 September 2026.
- AtitlanVida, Maximón page: lancha fare Panajachel to Santiago Atitlán.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, ticket portal for foreigners.
- CONAP, Yaxhá tariff sheet.
- Sistema de Información Cultural, Iximché listing.
- Banco de Guatemala, reference exchange rate: Q7.63682 on 24/09/2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I need per day in Guatemala?
It depends on where you sleep and eat. Adding up prices we read on 24 September 2026, a day in Antigua with a hostel dorm bed (US$11.07, the median on Hostelworld’s Antigua page) and three fast or casual meals from Antigua menus came to about US$34. Half of a private Airbnb room for two plus sit-down meals came to about US$52 per person, and half of a whole Airbnb for two with a restaurant dinner to about US$101 per person. Those are sums of the listed prices, before transport and entry tickets.
How much is a hostel in Guatemala?
On Hostelworld’s city pages on 24 September 2026, the median lowest dorm price per hostel was US$11.07 in Antigua (24 hostels), US$9.89 in Panajachel (10), US$15.00 in San Pedro La Laguna (13), US$13.64 in Flores (14), US$13.00 in Guatemala City (13), US$9.41 in Quetzaltenango (4) and US$13.64 in El Paredón (13). These are the from prices the page showed for its default dates, not a booked rate.
How much does food cost in Antigua Guatemala?
On Uber Eats menus for Antigua restaurants read 24 September 2026: fast-food combos from Q36 (Pollo Campero’s Menú Hamburguesa Clásica), a Menú Campero Q53, a McDonald’s Big Mac McMenú Q55, a breakfast at Restaurante Típico Los 3 Reyes from Q55 (El Chapín) and pepián Q89 or kak’ik Q109 at lunch, a cappuccino Q30 at Café Barista, and pastas and risottos from Q82 to Q158 at Sobremesa. Delivery-app menu prices can differ from the counter price. We have no dated published price for market comedores.
How much are shuttles between Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Flores?
Adrenalina Tours’ collective shuttles from Antigua, read 24 September 2026: Guatemala City or the airport US$15, Panajachel US$25, San Pedro La Laguna US$25, El Paredón US$25, Monterrico US$30, Cobán US$45, Lanquín US$50 and Flores US$60, or US$70 for a shuttle plus night bus. The chicken bus between Antigua and Guatemala City costs Q25 from 26 September 2026 (it was Q20).
How much is the entrance to Tikal?
Q150 for foreigners on the Ministry of Culture’s ticket portal, read 24 September 2026, plus Q100 for the sunrise or the sunset ticket and Q30 for the museum. Children under 10 enter free. The park ticket must be bought before the add-ons.
