North America
Guatemala
Capital Guatemala City · 17M people · Quetzal
- Top cities
- 2.9MGuatemala City
- 221KCobán
- 296KQuetzaltenango
- 86KJalapa
- 85KEscuintla
Photo by Rodrigo Escalante on Unsplash
- CostAffordable≈56% under North America
- SafetyCaution0.4/5
- MobilityLimited2.0/5
- CultureGood3.1/5
- ClimateWarm17–34°
Top cities
- Guatemala City2.9M residents
- Cobán221K residents
- Quetzaltenango296K residents
- Jalapa86K residents
- Escuintla85K residents
Source: GeoNames
Cost of living in Guatemala
Affordable for North America.
Its $1,396 median runs ~56% below North America's median major city ($3,155); Guatemala City ($1,486) runs 1.1× Antigua Guatemala ($1,307).
Good to know — low cost often trades against local salaries and visa options — budget for income, not just spending. Learn how we measure this →
Safety in Guatemala
The one thing to watch: property crime.
Most hazards across Guatemala sit in a normal range — property crime is the one area that runs higher.
Good to know — a calm national average can hide neighbourhood-level crime — research the specific district you would live in. Learn how we measure this →
Getting around Guatemala
Mobility in Guatemala needs more planning across its cities.
Across 2 cities, getting around stays within a narrow band — no single city is a real outlier.
Good to know — strong airport access can coexist with weak everyday transit — check the mode you would actually use. Learn how we measure this →
Culture in Guatemala
Culture in Guatemala runs middling overall across its cities.
Across 2 cities, cultural life stays broadly present — no single city stands far apart.
Good to know — a strong national culture score can be carried by one or two big cities — check the specific city, not only the country average. Learn how we measure this →
Airports in Guatemala
La Aurora Airport is Guatemala's busiest gateway.
1 major airports. Tap any to see its nearest cities and how far they are.
Good to know — passenger volume is total throughput, not direct-route breadth; a large hub can still lack flights to your region. Learn how we measure this →
Passport strength in Guatemala
Guatemala holds one of the world's strongest passports.
- Mobility
- #35125 destinations
- GDP reach
- #8041.4% of world GDP
- Heritage
- #58886 of 1,353 UNESCO sites
Good to know — a mobility rank counts how many destinations you can enter, not how useful they are; a strong passport can still gate the one place you care about. Learn how we measure this →
Climate in Guatemala
Warm summers, gentle winters.
Across its cities, summer highs top out near 34°C feels-like while the coldest spots dip to around 17°C; sun is plentiful, up to ~305 days a year in La Gomera.
Feels-like °C — monthly range across cities
Good to know— a country isn't one climate but a range; the extremes here are different cities, not the same place across seasons. Learn how we measure this →
Who thrives in Guatemala
Guatemala suits a wide range of lifestyles.
Fit is scored per lifestyle and anchored to the cities that serve each best — Winter Escapist leads. Pick one to see exactly where it works.
Great fit
Decent fit
Poor fit
Good to know — fit is by city, not country; a lifestyle that thrives here may only do so in one or two of its cities. Learn how we measure this →