In short: In 2026 public purchases, a 3,000-gallon load of drinking water delivered by tanker truck cost Q350 (Public Prosecutor’s Office, Zona 5 of Guatemala City) and Q425 (forestry institute INAB, central offices). A 2,500-gallon load cost the Presidency’s general secretariat Q700. Single loads bought by other offices and municipalities ran Q224 to Q750, and two rural municipalities paid Q1,150 and Q1,750 per trip to supply villages. These are prices from Guatecompras, the state procurement system, published between May and September 2026.
USD figures are approximate and use the day’s Banguat reference rate. See today’s exchange rate.
Loads with the volume stated (2026)
These four buyers named the gallons. All are drinking water (agua potable) unless noted.
| Buyer (publication date) | Where | Load | Price | Per gallon (our division) | USD (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecutor’s Office, security department (13 Aug and 31 Aug 2026) | Building in Colonia Arrivillaga, Zona 5, Guatemala City | 3,000 gal | Q350 each time | Q0.12 | ~$46 USD |
| INAB, the national forestry institute (26 May and 13 Aug 2026) | Central offices’ water tanks (record does not say agua potable) | 3,000 gal | Q425 each time | Q0.14 | ~$56 USD |
| Secretaría General de la Presidencia (27 Aug 2026, two records) | Toilets and kitchen of the secretariat | 2,500 gal | Q700 each | Q0.28 | ~$92 USD |
| IGSS Hospital de Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango (2 Sep 2026) | Outpatient building | 1,000 and 500 gal | Q750 | not computed | ~$98 USD |
The Zona 5 record gives the reason for the purchase: the public piped service does not reach the building to fill its cistern. A 3,000-gallon load is about 11,356 litres.
Single loads without a stated volume (2026)
| Buyer (publication date) | What the record says | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Municipality of Santiago Sacatepéquez (3 Sep 2026) | One pipa of drinking water for a treatment tank in Santa María Cauque | Q224 |
| Public Prosecutor’s Office, Chimaltenango district office (26 Aug 2026) | One pipa of drinking water | Q300 |
| SOSEP, the First Lady’s social works secretariat (2 Jul 2026) | Tanker water for its administrative house | Q350 |
| Municipality of Santiago Sacatepéquez (19 Aug 2026) | One pipa of drinking water to wash the municipal market | Q485 |
| Municipality of Chinautla (24 Aug and 3 Sep 2026) | One pipa of drinking water | Q500 each time |
| Public Prosecutor’s Office, Escuintla district office (20 Jul 2026) | Tanker drinking water for the office | Q600 |
Trips bought in bulk by rural municipalities (2026)
Two municipalities bought several trips at once:
- Santa Bárbara, Huehuetenango (20 Aug 2026): 14 water-truck services in the town centre for Q24,500, which is Q1,750 per service.
- Casillas, Santa Rosa (20 Aug 2026): 17 trips of water handed out to residents of Aldea Ayarza “por falta de vital liquido” for Q19,550, which is Q1,150 per trip.
The per-trip figures are our division of the total. The records do not give the truck size or the distance driven, so they do not explain why these run well above the city loads above.
What to ask before the truck comes
- How many gallons, and is it agua potable? Get the volume on the factura.
- Can the hose reach your cistern, and is there a pump to fill a rooftop tank? Ask whether that costs extra.
- How big is your cistern? If it holds less than the truck carries, you pay for water you cannot take. Our cistern and pump guide covers the setup most houses use.
- When was the tank last cleaned? Ask the supplier.
- Will I get a factura? One of the records above (Santiago Sacatepéquez, market washing) cites its factura number.
If your building’s supply is cut rather than missing, check the water outages page first: a scheduled cut may end before a truck arrives.
Related pages
- Water pressure: cistern, pump and constant-pressure setups
- Well drilling prices in Guatemala
- Septic tank prices
- Is the water safe to drink in Guatemala?
- Plumber prices
- Service prices hub
Sources
Guatecompras purchase records (NPG numbers), each read on 2 October 2026 through sociedad.info, which republishes Guatecompras records (the Guatecompras record pages ask for a browser check): volume stated: E589159119, E590251643, E584248474, E589163752, E590036572, E590055917, E590382578; single loads: E590447351, E589981978, E586459731, E589531085, E589823000, E590465139, E587535113; village trips: E589592041, E589608495. USD conversion: Banguat reference exchange rate.
These are what public buyers paid in 2026; a household order depends on the volume, the distance and the supplier. Get the price and the gallons in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a water truck (pipa) cost in Guatemala?
In public purchases published on Guatecompras between May and September 2026, a load of water cost Q224 to Q750. The ones that state the volume: the Public Prosecutor’s Office paid Q350 for 3,000 gallons delivered to a building in Zona 5 of Guatemala City (twice, in August 2026), the forestry institute INAB paid Q425 for 3,000 gallons for its central offices (May and August 2026), and the Presidency’s general secretariat paid Q700 for 2,500 gallons (August 2026). Two rural municipalities that bought trips in bulk (one for its town centre, one for a village short of water) paid Q1,150 and Q1,750 per trip (our division of their totals).
How much water is in a pipa?
It depends on the truck. The 2026 records we read name loads of 500, 1,000, 2,500 and 3,000 gallons. 3,000 US gallons is about 11,356 litres (11.4 cubic metres), and 2,500 gallons about 9,464 litres. Ask the supplier for the gallons in writing before the truck comes.
Why would a house in Guatemala need a water truck?
When the piped supply does not fill the cistern. One of the 2026 records says it in so many words: the Public Prosecutor’s Office bought 3,000 gallons for a building in Colonia Arrivillaga, Zona 5, because the public piped service does not reach the building to fill the cistern. Water cuts are the other reason; see our page on water outages.
Is water from a pipa safe to drink?
Eleven of the 16 purchase records on this page name agua potable (drinking-quality water); the other five do not say what grade of water it was. A truckload still goes into your cistern, so treat the tap water the way you would treat any cistern water in Guatemala and keep drinking water separate; see our water safety guide.
