In short: A funeral in Guatemala costs from Q1,800 to more than Q50,000 (about US$236 to over US$6,500), according to the University of San Carlos news agency (AUN) on 31 May 2026. Named packages ran Q1,800-15,000 (Funerales Ceiba), Q12,300-15,000 (Capillas Señoriales) and Q20,000-50,000 (Funerales Reforma). Cremation adds Q3,500-8,000 in most cases. Cemetery niches range from Q200 for four years at the public Cementerio General (2023 figures) to Q12,800 in a private cemetery.
USD figures use the Banguat reference rate of Q7.63682 per US dollar on 24 September 2026, rounded. See today’s exchange rate.
Funeral home prices (reported 31 May 2026)
Of the funeral-home sites we checked on 24 and 25 September 2026: Funerales Reforma’s home page lists its plans without prices (its contracts page returned no text to our tools); Funerales Nazaret’s home page and Gayoso’s cost article give no figures; Funerales Los Cedros’ page returned no readable text; and funered.com appeared to be a parked domain on 24 September. The overall range below is the Agencia Universitaria de Noticias’ (AUN, Universidad de San Carlos) own statement; the named prices are what four funeral homes told, or advertised to, AUN.
| Funeral home | What was quoted | Price | USD (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funerales Ceiba (near Hospital General San Juan de Dios) | Funeral services | Q1,800 to Q15,000 | ~$236-1,964 |
| Capillas Señoriales (on its social media) | Packages with casket, chapel for the wake, transport, legal paperwork, refreshments and logistics staff | Q12,300 to Q15,000 | ~$1,611-1,964 |
| Funerales Reforma | Budget, varying with the payment method | Q20,000 to Q50,000 | ~$2,619-6,547 |
| Funerales Reforma | Niche in the private Cementerio Hermano Pedro | Q12,800 | ~$1,676 |
| Funeraria y Cementerio Las Flores | Plans | from Q400 a month, financed over up to 60 instalments | ~$52 a month |
| Cremation | AUN reports it as an added cost in most cases, urn included | Q3,500 to Q8,000 | ~$458-1,048 |
What the price buys. AUN reports that the more affordable services include the basic steps: moving the body, preparation and embalming, a chapel for the wake and refreshments, except the cheapest, where the wake is held at home and the preparation step is left out. Premium services add a better casket, a larger chapel and other extras. Funerales Ceiba told AUN that the type of casket is decisive in setting the price.
Paying over time. Funerales Ceiba sells contracts paid fortnightly or monthly over one or two years. Funerales Reforma said its figure changes with the payment method (cash, Visa instalments, cheque or transfer).
Cemetery fees
Cementerio General, Guatemala City (public)
From a Guatemala.com guide dated 3 May 2023. The niche amounts are for the Cementerio General; the guide says the same procedures also apply at the Cementerio La Verbena and the Cementerio Villa de Guadalupe, and gives separate maintenance fees for them (second table):
| Payment | Adult | Child (párvulo) |
|---|---|---|
| First payment for a public niche, valid four years | Q200 (the guide does not split adult and child) | |
| First renewal | Q180 | Q160 |
| Second renewal | Q200 | Q180 |
| Annual maintenance of a plot or mausoleum | Cementerio General and Villa de Guadalupe | Cementerio La Verbena |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 20 m² | Q90 | Q70 |
| More than 20 m² | Q150 | Q130 |
The guide says payments are made at the cemetery’s administration (20 calle y 4 avenida, zona 3) and warns that unpaid niches risk exhumation. These figures are three years old; confirm at the cemetery office.
A municipal cemetery: San Miguel Petapa (regulation of 2021)
San Miguel Petapa’s cemetery regulation, approved by the municipal council in 2021, sets these municipal fees (Art. 95):
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Right to use a niche, adult (one-off) | Q1,500 |
| Right to use a niche, child (one-off) | Q1,300 |
| Annual fee for a niche | Q60 |
| Annual fee for a mausoleum | Q125 |
| Burial | Q185 |
| Authorised exhumation | Q250 |
| Permit to build a niche | Q300 |
| Transfer of a niche or mausoleum right | Q300 |
The same regulation charges funeral homes Q200 a month to operate in the municipality, and funeral homes based elsewhere Q200 each time they serve there (Art. 93). These are San Miguel Petapa’s fees; for a burial elsewhere, ask that municipality for its own tariff.
If the person who died was a foreigner, or died abroad
- A foreigner who dies in Guatemala: the US Embassy’s April 2024 page carries US-dollar estimates from two funeral homes (for example US$2,000 for a public-cemetery burial and US$2,100 for a cremation, both from Funerales Reforma). See if a foreigner dies in Guatemala.
- A Guatemalan who dies in the United States: see repatriation of remains to Guatemala.
- Registering the death: RENAP death registration.
Who regulates funeral homes
AUN reports that Acuerdo Gubernativo 375-2007 sets what a funeral home may do and classes funeral homes as A, B or C: an A home may provide every service, while a C home may not embalm or prepare bodies or offer a wake. AUN puts the number of funeral homes at about 500, citing the Ministry of Health (MSPAS), and adds that the real number is higher because independent businesses and individuals provide the service without registering. It quotes Funerales Ceiba saying that informal operators who pass themselves off as funeral homes do not pay taxes, while it invoices and reports to the SAT.
Before you sign: five questions
- What exactly is in the package: casket model, embalming, hours in the chapel, transport distance, paperwork?
- Is cremation included, and is the urn? AUN reports it as an extra of Q3,500-8,000 in most cases.
- Which cemetery, and who pays the niche? A public niche and a private one differ by thousands of quetzales.
- Does the price change with the payment method? Funerales Reforma said it does.
- Will you get a factura (tax invoice)?
Related pages
- If a foreigner dies in Guatemala
- Repatriation of remains to Guatemala
- RENAP death registration
- Service prices hub
Sources
- Agencia Universitaria de Noticias (USAC): El precio de dejar este mundo (31 May 2026), read 25 September 2026
- Guatemala.com (Aprende): Trámites que se deben realizar en el Cementerio General (3 May 2023), read 25 September 2026
- Municipalidad de San Miguel Petapa: Reglamento de Cementerio Municipal (PDF, 2021), read 25 September 2026
- Funeral home sites checked for a price list: Funerales Reforma home page (24 September 2026; plans listed without prices) and contracts page (25 September; no text returned), Funerales Los Cedros (25 September; no text returned), Funerales Nazaret (24 September; no prices), Gayoso (25 September; no figures) and funered.com (appeared parked when checked on 24 September 2026)
- USD conversion: Banguat reference exchange rate, Q7.63682 per US dollar
Prices are as reported or published on the dates shown and change without notice; get an itemised written quote from the funeral home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a funeral cost in Guatemala?
The University of San Carlos news agency (AUN) reported on 31 May 2026 that a funeral service in Guatemala costs from Q1,800 to more than Q50,000 depending on the class of service, with steps at about Q5,000 and Q25,000. Funerales Ceiba told AUN it sells services from Q1,800 to Q15,000; Capillas Señoriales advertised packages of Q12,300 to Q15,000; Funerales Reforma gave a budget of Q20,000 to Q50,000. That is about US$236 to more than US$6,500.
How much does cremation cost in Guatemala?
AUN’s May 2026 report says cremation adds Q3,500 to Q8,000 in most cases (about US$458 to US$1,048), including the urn, and that some funeral packages already include it. The US Embassy’s April 2024 page quotes Funerales Reforma at US$2,100 for a cremation with the ashes staying in Guatemala.
What does a niche cost in a Guatemalan cemetery?
It depends on the cemetery. Funerales Reforma quoted AUN Q12,800 for a niche in the private Cementerio Hermano Pedro (May 2026). At the public Cementerio General in Guatemala City, a Guatemala.com guide of 3 May 2023 gives a first payment of Q200 for four years, then renewals of Q180 and Q200 for an adult. San Miguel Petapa’s municipal cemetery regulation (2021) charges Q1,500 once for an adult niche plus Q60 a year.
Can you pay for a funeral in instalments in Guatemala?
Yes, according to the funeral homes AUN spoke to in May 2026. Funerales Ceiba offers contracts paid fortnightly or monthly over one or two years, and Funeraria y Cementerio Las Flores advertises plans from Q400 a month, financed over up to 60 instalments. Funerales Reforma said its price varies with the payment method: cash, Visa instalments, cheque or transfer.
