Guatemala Backpacking Budget 2026: How Much I Actually Spent as a Solo traveller

I tracked every penny I spent across 7.5 months in Latin America, and Guatemala was the only country I travelled in Central America where I felt like the money I was paying for things matched the value of them. The cost of things didn’t annoy me like it did in some other countries bar perhaps the transport, which you were bound to unless you wanted to be a really adventurous backpacker, and to be honest I’m beyond that now. Or at least I was after 7 months on the road!

My recent career break proved I’m far more of a boujie traveller than I used to be; I love a Little Treat, mostly eat out when backpacking, love staying in a boutique hostel and refuse to sacrifice my speciality coffee, for which Guatemala is famous. All these factors affect my spend in general, which you will see in this Guatemala backpacking budget breakdown that details everything I spent by category. I felt everything was good value, and moreover, as a solo traveller I never felt like I was paying over the odds or penalised for being by myself.

As a solo traveller, my costs don’t always reflect what a couple or friends travelling together would spend; they can often spend less per person due to sharing certain costs. But aside from not being able to afford more private rooms, Guatemala felt like a good country to travel solo financially, as well as socially and safety-wise.

In order for you do assess how up to date this Guatemala Backpacking Budget is, I travelled to Guatemala in March 2026.

My Guatemala Spend: At A Glance

Guatemala Backpacking Budget Breakdown By Category

You can see my personal Guatemala backpacking budget broken down by category as follows:

Accommodation Costs in Guatemala for The Solo Traveller

Accommodation in Guatemala was on the higher end for backpacking, but there are some really fantastic boutique hostels which I jumped at the chance to stay in. Partly because after over six months of backpacking my patience was waning with more basic options and partly because I believe you are more likely to meet older travellers over 30 if you pay a bit more for a better hostels.

Private rooms were out of budget for me as a solo traveller in Guatemala until I found a reasonably priced stay in one of the less popular towns on Lake Atitlan near the end of my trip. I had hoped to end on a fancy private room (as I did at the end of my South Asia backpacking stint) but it wasn’t in the budget for me by myself, and the hostels were so lovely in Antigua that it didn’t feel like I was missing out too much. If you are travelling in a couple with friends, a private room may not be as much of a stretch.

Another factor that affected the cost of accommodation was the various celebrations for Semana Santa, which is Easter as we know it in the West. Semana Santa is not just Easter weekend though, it’s the whole week running up to Good Friday and the odd Sunday in the weeks prior to Easter itself. The celebrations start well over a month prior to the big day and that will affect accommodation costs, especially in Lake Atitlan and Antigua, which has some of the biggest celebrations worldwide.

I spent a total of £545 on accommodation in Guatemala over 28 nights: 25 nights in hostels, 2 in a private room and 1 night was spent on an overnight bus which isn’t included in this cost. Whilst the average cost I paid for a dorm bed was £21, the cheapest was £14 per night, and the most expensive £30, so quite a range.

Cost of Food and Drink in Guatemala

As I tend to do when travelling, I mostly ate out at restaurants in Guatemala. The food in Antigua and El Paredon is so good I didn’t want to miss out, and in Flores I didn’t have access to a kitchen. In Lanquin the only option was to eat at the hostel as we were so isolated, but the food was well priced considering. In Lake Atitlan I didn’t spend much on food as I was so ill (definitely don’t use the tap water to brush your teeth guys!)

Coffee in Guatemala is excellent – especially in Antigua, where there are lots of great speciality coffee shops to try. I’m a coffee snob so I spend quite a bit on coffee when I can’t make my own. Breakfast was included in a couple of the hostels I stayed at – something that always helps to bring the overall daily spend down.

Drinks I found particularly reasonable, especially in hostels. In El Paredon I paid £2.50 for a strong G&T and the happy hour for drinks in the hostel in Lanquin was even cheaper. Happy hours could be quite easily found in Antigua and Flores, though generally drink prices would range from a couple of quid up to £10 for a fancier cocktail, depending on the place.

Guatemala serves a range of budgets when it comes to food and drink, keeping budget backpackers and holiday makers with a bit more to spend both happy. My total spend on food and drink came out at an average of £28 per day.

The following table shows my personal breakdown but doesn’t consider where I have had drinks and coffee as part of a meal as this would be categorised under restaurants as a whole.

For my round up of the best food I ate in El Paredon, click here.

Transport in Guatemala: Getting Around As A Solo Traveller

Transport costs in Guatemala are pretty hefty, but there were no costs that were more due to me being a solo traveller which was great! I didn’t take any taxis and all buses I took were individually priced.

Local Buses vs Tourist Shuttles

The local buses – known as ‘chicken buses’ – are cheap but not easy to use for most journeys as getting to your destination will take at least one or two changes, making long journeys between places even longer.

Tourist shuttles are substantially more expensive, but far easier and more reliable. I definitely recommend taking these over trying to navigate multiple local buses in one journey, especially as a solo traveller.

There are lots of companies running tourist shuttles, so shop around to find the best price. Hostels and hotels often have a slightly higher price listed to include a commission for themselves. For the majority of the journeys I booked, I used Itamati, who were super helpful, easy to book with through what’s app and usually had the best prices, though you would need cash to pay the driver in person. If you’re short on cash you can book through Busbud and Bookaway.

If you’re travelling with others, you may be able to get a better deal on the price – economies of scale. Despite this, these minibus shuttles are still great for solo travellers; I met a bunch of friends on one of my journeys in Guatemala and we hung out for the week. Transport is just another opportunity to make friends whilst travelling!

Tourist Shuttle Costs By Journey:

Overnight Buses

Most transport runs in the day but there is one overnight bus route between Antigua/Lake Atitlan/Guatemala City up to Flores. It’s a 10 hour bus between Guatemala City and Flores, and if you’re coming from Antigua or Lake Atitlan (or vice versa, heading onwards to there) you will transfer onto a minibus shuttle for this part of the journey.

As overnight buses go, it isn’t cheap: tickets are £50 but for an extra £5 you can get a larger VIP seat which I highly recommend you do.

Internal Flights

There is not much reason for flying within Guatemala as a tourist unless you are looking to travel between Flores and Guatemala City, cutting out the overnight bus option. Often, the flight can be the same price or not much more than the overnight bus, so it’s worth checking this out on Skyscanner if you’re doing this route.

Activities and Experiences

The biggest splurge for experiences in Guatemala is Acatenango. Whether you decide to hike Acatenango volcano or do a 4×4 Tour, this will be the biggest expense in terms of activities. The cost of the hike can vary between companies, and the same is true of the 4×4 option. I didn’t do the hike myself but had repeated recommendations for Wicho & Charlie’s. Consider whether cold weather gear is included in the price of the hike you book or if you will need to spend more ensuring you have the appropriate gear.

Unless you have booked one of the more expensive 4×4 options like Noma Travel or Trek Guatemala, the Acatenango 4×4 trip will be outsourced to one company: Mayan Outdoors. I did this one and I was really unimpressed with how the experience was run: the tour was overbooked so the sleeping accommodation was more cramped than it usually is and there weren’t enough blankets for everyone. The food was the worst of any trip I did in the whole of Latin America and the guides were unprofessional, waking us up in the middle of the night by banging on the doors and shouting for those who did want to do any hiking instead of letting the hikers set their own alarms. I got around £20 back after complaining to the company I booked through, but generally you’re looking at $200/£175 for this experience and I can’t say it’s worth it. I reckon either do the hike or pay more for a better 4×4 experience.

Aside from Acatenango, Tikal is a bucket list experience for many: ancient Mayan ruins in the north of Guatemala. With transport, guide and sunrise entrance this adds up to £45, which is considered more expensive than many activities in the region, but it was worth it.

I don’t surf, but lessons in El Paredon are usually around £20/$25 a lesson, and a Semuc Champey day trip organised through the hostel was £20.  

Miscellaneous Costs to Budget For in Guatemala

The miscellaneous costs you don’t think of can really add up whilst backpacking.

Data

If you buy a local sim card you will have yourself a lot of money compared to buying an eSim. I paid 150 Quetzals (approx £15) for 15GB of data for the 4 weeks I was there and connection was good across the country.

If you don’t want the faff or want to ensure you’re connected as soon as you cross the border/arrive into Guatemala, use code CHARLI4330 for £2.50 off your first eSim with Airalo. My first stop in Guatemala was El Paredon and I couldn’t get a sim there; the convenience stores had none in during my stay. Luckily wifi was widespread and I picked a physical sim up easily in Antigua.

Laundry

Laundry prices varied; in Antigua I paid 150 Quetzals/£15 for most of my clothes to be washed but paid a third for the same in San Marcos, Lake Atitlan. If you have lots of laundry to do post Acatenango hike and are headed to the Lake to chill immediately afterwards – wait to get your laundry done there.

Toiletries

Like everywhere in Latin America, you’ll pay a premium for suncream; particularly if you want a brand you’re familiar with. I paid £15-17 for suncream in Guatemala, which hurts but hurts less than getting burnt to a crisp.

ATM charges

Guatemala was one of the countries it was difficult to find ATMs that were free to withdraw cash from. The only fee free ATM is BAC, and I only found one of these – in Antigua on the main square. It’s a good idea to get cash out here before heading onwards, especially if you’re heading up to Lanquin where it will be difficult to get cash out and hostels are likely to charge a small percentage to pay on card.

Backpacking Guatemala Solo: How It Affects Your Budget

As with backpacking anywhere, there are several factors that can make things more expensive for a solo traveller, but Guatemala felt really solo traveller friendly.

The most obvious example is accommodation; if you’re craving some privacy and your own space, solo travellers have to shoulder the cost of a private room by themselves. I was priced out of a lot of the private rooms in Guatemala but because the hostels were so good, I actually didn’t mind as much as I did in some other countries like Nicaragua. The hostels I stayed in all had great facilities as well as the coveted privacy curtains, individual plug sockets and lights in your own little space. These things amongst others are some of the factors I look for most when choosing a hostel to stay in.

I travelled by shuttle and overnight bus everywhere and had no need for any taxis bar a very cheap tuktuk once, so I didn’t have to shoulder the cost of expensive taxis solo either. Generally food portions weren’t too much for one person, but if they were I could easily take leftovers and store them in some of the hostel kitchens for another meal. Overall in Guatemala I didn’t feel like I was at a disadvantage financially for being a solo traveller.

What Pushed My Guatemala Budget Up 

Guatemala being my last stop gave me a bit of a ‘sod it’ attitude when it came to spending; I spent £300 combined on shopping for souvenirs and on beauty treatments that would be half the price in the UK. If you take this away from the amount I spent, it actually reduces the daily cost from £77 per day to £66, which is a huge saving and shows how quickly you can reduce costs if you aren’t being boujie!

Ways to Spend Less in Guatemala 

If you are a more budget conscious traveller, seeking out hostels with kitchens for guest use so you can cook for yourself is one of the best ways to reduce spend. Although my restaurant spend was only £16 a day in Guatemala, which for me is quite frankly excellent, this is an easy way to reduce costs. If you are travelling with someone else this is particularly economical as you can share grocery costs.

I regularly opted for expensive hostels and better dorm rooms in Guatemala. I even spent the most I ever had on a hostel in El Paredon! Totally worth it to me, but this is somewhere you can easily cut back. Hostels aren’t cheap in Guatemala generally speaking, but if you don’t pick the fanciest boutique hostels, you can easily save £100-200 over the month by choosing hostels at the cheaper end of the spectrum. If you’re travelling in your 30s, be aware that cheaper hostels tend to pull a younger crowd.

Although Acatenango is considered one of the number one bucket list things to do not just in Central America but Latin America as a whole, if you don’t fancy the brutal hike and don’t have the budget to opt for the 4×4 version but still want to hike a volcano, Pacaya is a far cheaper alternative.

Final Thoughts: Is Guatemala Worth the Cost?

Guatemala felt like the best value for money of all the countries I travelled in Central America on my 7.5 month Latin America trip. The food was great, the coffee excellent and whilst the hostels were some of the most expensive of my trip, they were also some of the best boutique hostels I’ve ever stayed in, and well worth the splurge.

As a country Guatemala has some of the best and most diverse excursions: active volcano hikes, ancient Mayan ruins, natural beauty of Semuc Champey and surfing at the coast. It’s a fantastic place to backpack solo and makes for a must visit addition to any backpacking route in the region, as well as a great option for a 2-3 week holiday. I loved Guatemala and would recommend it to anyone!

If you’re planning a big Latin America trip, you can find my full budget breakdown for 7.5 months of travel here.

Guatemala Backpacking Budget FAQs

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