GUATEMALA Cost of Living: Lake Atitlan, 🏞️ San Pedro La Laguna! 2024

[@PlanFree]

As promised at 6:58 in this video, here those extra monthly home costs for your info: ~ Home monthly water bill in San Pedro La Laguna: 20-25 quetzales! ~ Home monthly electricity bill: 100-300 quetzales.

[@stephenmcdonald8635]

What type of visa did you guys need to move there? I wanted to apply for the Guatemala investment visa.

[@PlanFree]

We lived in Guatemala just on a tourist visa. Mid term (not too short of a stay and not long term). We simply arrived at the airport in Guatemala City and they stamped our passport. It might depend on which country you're from. We're Canadian so we automatically (at the time of this writing) get 90 days to visit. Where are you from? Good for you on your plans, sounds exciting! When do you plan to apply for your visa? Thanks for watching and for your comment, please also share the video if you think anyone else can benefit from the info. That is appreciated! Ayr & Lori

[@smartelectriccar]

Wonderful to see you both healthy and happy. Back here in Toronto it’s snowy and cold. ;-)

[@PlanFree]

Thank you! Please forgive us for asking but... who the heck is this!? Did you happen to change your username here on KZbin!??? ...you have how does guessing here all morning! Brrrrr Toronto....sorry to hear that! Any travel plans for this winter?

[@teagreentree]

We enjoy your topics and narration. Thank you! New subscribers.

[@PlanFree]

Thank you so much @teagreentree! We appreciate you saying that and certainly welcome the encouragement. We put a good amount of time into our topics, learning about them in the areas when we travel to them, researching a little more online and trying to condense down the information for people... so it means a lot hearing you say that. We thank you for watching and we appreciate your short comment also. We're here if any questions pop up and wonder which locations around the world you are most interested in learning about?

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

Hi kids. I want to travel but I am getting up there in age… 😩. I don’t know how that happened but since the plandemic, I got many years older it seems?!?! Well. I am going to listen to your video. I have been a couple times to Guatemala!!

[@PlanFree]

Hi Clemente, nice to hear from you!! Yes, yes....this video might be a good one for you to listen to because we found the cost of living in Guatemala, overall, quite a bit cheaper than Mexico, especially Coastal Mexico. The COL in Guatemala might compare with something higher in elevation and inland in Mexico but overall we were just delighted with the friendly people good food and low cost of living in Guatemala. See what you think! Thank you for watching!, Please click LIKE for us too, that is awesome!

[@alanmiller6792]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Though Guatemala was not on my list up to now for travel, your video has me thinking it might be time to change my mind!

[@PlanFree]

Oh? What parts of our info have got you thinking about Guatemala? Glad you found our info thought provoking and we thank you for watching and commenting! 😘

[@ChristineJGold]

I lived in Peru and Ecuador for 6 months, a great experience. Looking for my sanctuary, thanks for sharing 😇

[@PlanFree]

Oh we completely hear you Christine. Before Guatemala we also lived last year in Ecuador for 6 months. Neat! Where were some of your favorite places in Ecuador? For us, we enjoyed Ecuador but wouldn't set up our life there permanently. We had no problems at all but still found the sketchiness of the government and some safety issues to be unstable enough at this time, as well as the cost of living to be not where we want it to be, for what we're looking for long term. We've actually got a handful of videos on Ecuador on our channel if you scroll through our channel.... perhaps they touch on some areas in Ecuador that you have not visited yet. It was a fabulous shorter term SLOW travel country for us. We hope you enjoyed our cost of living video here. We thank you for watching! Please click the LIKE button for us (helps a lot) and ask us anything that comes to mind, we'll help where we can! Ayr & Lori

[@ChristineJGold]

@@PlanFree appreciate the help and tips! My favorite parts were Machu Picchu, sacred valley, Cuenca, Mindo and Santa Marinita. I left Ecuador due to civil unrest, and felt it wasn't a fit.

[@PlanFree]

@MediumChristineGold ahhh yes. Well said with the civil unrest that's exactly why we were thankful for our 6 months in Ecuador but then also ready to move on. The Mindo area was probably our favorite area in Ecuador, though we would prefer a warmer climate longer term, it was simply fabulous for us with the amount of hummingbirds we got to meet in the area! It was magical! They came right to our door. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmOliYhnjqmZftksi=oouGUxuKPWS29EE6 Where have you explored now?

[@MonicaGonzalez-nt5st]

We are going to be traveling to Guatemala in May !! I reached out to you with a few questions specifically for the transportation information that you used! I am so exited and great full that you replied so quick!!!!❤

[@PlanFree]

Hi @MonicaGonzalez-nt5st, We are glad you found our videos and felt comfortable reaching out to us. Yes we hired the private driver that the family who we rented from in San Pedro La Laguna had recommended to us, his name is Ventura. For anyone who is not comfortable taking the more inexpensive shuttles, the private drive was very comfortable with Ventura, he was an excellent driver! Welcome to our channel! Ask away if you have any more questions. How long will you visit San Pedro LL? We made another helpful video on the "10 Best Places to visit in Guatemela" if that interests you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baOtpnuqbr2HqcU Lori (& Ayr)

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

We live in Xela. Our total monthly expenses have been running about $1100-$1200/month with no budgeting. Our rent is $350 in a nice 3/1 with a view of the city, and includes water, cable, internet, and electric. Temps here are PERFECT so electric bills are tiny anyway. We are at almost 8000 feet in elevation. Love the mountains ! We are looking forward to getting over to the lake…about 2 hours. We have 2 very senior dogs and are hoping to find a little place close to the lake where they can swim.

[@PlanFree]

Hi and welcome to our channel! We heard a lot about Xela when we were living on the lake. We didn't get a chance to go and check it out but wondered about it. Love your monthly rental price! That's more in line with what we're looking for longer term. And we wonder what kind of things you're factoring into your monthly budget to get it up to $11-1200? Is that CAD or USD? It would be nice if you found a little spot for your dogs to swim and when you mentioned you'd be going over to the lake do you mean a permanent move or just a road trip outing from time to time? We thank you for watching our video and really glad you took the time to comment! Ayr & Lori

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

@@PlanFree Usually $1100 includes food, restaurants, maid, and so me miscellaneous stuff, and that is USD. We are taking 4-6 years to travel between Mexico and Argentina, in search of our favorite retirement city. We retired about 18 months ago and spent 11 months in Matagalpa, Nicaragua before moving here to Xela. We are cool weather lovers. We have also lived in Costa Rica. Not sure where we will go next…maybe Argentina, but we are here until our senior dogs pass away. They are both 17 and travel is too tough for them. The place at the lake would just be an ocassionally weekend. Definitely consider a visit to Xela….we love it.

[@PlanFree]

@therehastobesomethingmoore We definitely would consider Xela. Thank you! You mentioned that you love it in Xela... how would that compare for you to the place is in Mexico Costa Rica and Nicaragua that you've lived? 💕to your doggies💕

[@therehastobesomethingmoore]

@@PlanFree We haven’t lived in Mexico yet. We may at least go spend a few months in San Cristobal de las Casas. My wife is originally from Nicaragua but lived mostly in the US, and we have family in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We have ruled out both countries for our retirement. Costa Rica is expensive, violent crime is way up, and to us it is an expensive version of Nicaragua. We tried Matagalpa because it is cooler, but still way too hot for us. We actually got ripped off a few times by the power company sending us electric bills for $600-$700 a month and although absurd, we had to pay it. Nicaragua will always have a place in our heart, but the heat, the litter everywhere, the skeleton street dogs… Guatemala is much more prosperous. Xela has 3 modern malls, Walmart, perfect temps, low cost of living. It really exceeded our expectations. We are not done traveling but it would not surprise me if we end up returning when we get tired of traveling.

[@PlanFree]

@@therehastobesomethingmoore Ahh yes. We hear you on all those great points. We will endeavor to check out El Salvador one winter in the future and this coming winter we'll be in Thailand and perhaps Vietnam....looking forward to comparing those countries also. You both have done some great work for yourselves so far and we are WITH you in terms of what you seem to be looking for. Very good to meet you both! Keep in touch, Ayr & Lori

[@edwinrosales6322]

Great video, thank you!

[@PlanFree]

You're very welcome @edwinrosales6322. Welcome to our channel! Ask away if you have any questions. Will you visit San Pedro La Laguna? We made another helpful video on the "10 Best Places to visit in Guatemela" if that interests you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baOtpnuqbr2HqcU Lori (& Ayr)

[@edwinrosales6322]

@@PlanFree my wife and I would love to visit San Pedro La Laguna and Panajachel; hopefully soon!

[@PlanFree]

Oh great! Well sounds like you got our info in good time then. It's a great area. Most everything is uphill or downhill when walking about the little towns. Great exercise every day! We're here if you have any other questions! Safe travels! Ayr & Lori

[@edwinrosales6322]

@@PlanFree Thank you kindly! I do need the exercise! Thanks again for sharing your experience!

[@PlanFree]

@edwinrosales6322 our pleasure!

[@lucydg1]

Excellent information! However, a little more information was needed on the prices for small houses and apartments in modern conditions. Which towns are the best and safest to live over there? And are electrical appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, etc. included?

[@PlanFree]

Thank you that's a good idea for a potential future video!

[@traceybuchner4585]

Hi! A great video. I am thinking of moving to Guatemala in the spring. How safe is it for a solo female (60s) where you live?

[@PlanFree]

Hi @traceybuchner4585, It's Lori here, the lady in the video that you just watched, so I felt that I should answer you based on a female perspective in relation to your question. 😉 So we don't live there anymore we only lived there for a season to see what it was like. But, while we were there and based on our experiences, I personally would have no problem living there alone. I am a female in my late 40s and thinking ahead into my 50s and 60s I would have absolutely no problem living in the small towns around the lake. We were in San Pedro and we felt that the local community would be safe for you to live in. There are expats there too, and you would have to find the ones that you really fit in with and felt a good connection with cuz many can be quite cranky (sorry, the truth hurts!), and then even more so the local people are lovely. We have heard quite good things about the larger place further away from the lake called Xela. You might want to have a look into that small city and the people in that area, it's a larger center and there would be more to see, do and easier to get products. Does that help?

[@traceybuchner4585]

@@PlanFree yes thank you for the feedback

[@LisaBoulders]

Lots of very helpful information, thank you. Originally I was planning on moving to Mexico but it's getting too expensive. My husband and I have an little homestead here in the States (Central New York). We're in our early 50s now and starting to struggle with the cold, damp winters. Why does everything suddenly ache, lol. But I don't want to give up growing our own food and the garden. Any suggestions for an area where we can buy something more like a shack/cottage with land? We're used to roughing it. Lived on the side of a mountain in a shack with an outhouse for 10 years so I could be within walking distance of the rock climbing area.

[@PlanFree]

Hi Lisa! Wow what a cool lifestyle you've lived in New York and sounds like in a couple of other places. We're quite happy with a small abode and nature around us also. After Guatemala for Nov and Dec 2023, we wintered in Mexico for the rest of the season and have found the prices to have jumped for sure. In rents and food. But, we have also her the this is the case basically around the world. I'm not sure if you're question (where to find a small home with land around you) was meant just for Guatemala or in any of the places be have lived over the last 12+ years but certainly Guatemala, around the lake, there are so many small lovely little communities that you could easily find something very modest with a little plot of land to grow vegetables. The thing we would recommend is to go to a place and rent in an area for a good 6 months, get a feel for the place, while looking around at houses/land for yourself. If you don't like a certain area for some reason you can take the next 6 months and rent somewhere else. Repeat. That's essentially what we've been doing for the last 12+ years is "test driving" all the countries and climates in areas that would do this for us for partial or permancy at a point the future. 👍 So glad you found our channel. Thank you so much for watching and we appreciate your question very much. Hope we helped and we're here if you have any other questions. 🥰 Ayr & Lori @ Plan Free

[@LisaBoulders]

@@PlanFree Hi Guys! Good to know and excellent advice for sure regarding renting first to get a feel for things. Where else have you spent time other than Mexico and Guatemala?

[@PlanFree]

@LisaBoulders oh man! Many countries! Actually if you go to our Channel and look at every single one of our videos just quickly and browse through you'll see all the destinations we make a video on or places we've lived for a longer time (usually 3-6months). So: Aruba, Curacao, Hawaii, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Ecuador, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore...and Canada and the USA. (We might have forgotten 1 or 2) Do you see all the videos listed on our channel? www.KZbin.com/PlanFree 😘

[@Fortran66-d7n]

Hola fellow Canucks. Great finding a CDN view for costs. I'm making my first ever trip to Antigua/Lake Atitlan this sept. One item I'm confused about is money exchange. I usually buy USD cash to pay for items but many say to strictly use ATM to get Q's. What's your advice on this? Thanks

[@PlanFree]

@@Fortran66-d7n For us, for almost any country we travel to, we always travel with USD$100-200 and just keep it handy. Especially when starting a trip. But the minute we get a chance to hit an ATM (at the airport lets say), we would withdraw the equivalent of a few hundred dollars (in Q in this case) to get starter. Or, if you can wait until you arrive at your final destination, if it's not too remote, you could always hit a local ATM in that town and withdraw some Q there. There are a few other factors you would need to consider for amount of withdrawal though: -how long is the overall length of your trip? -how are your accommodations being paid: if you already paid them in full you might not need that much Q for living. Or do you need to pay the balance of your rent in person when you arrive? Then you might need to withdraw a whole bunch more... Make sense? So long answer short we always travel with an amount of USD no matter where we go in the world, just in case, and then we withdraw local currency either right at the airport or at our first destination or overnight spot to last a portion of or the full length of our stay. * USD will not be accepted very much except for in Guatemala City and maybe a little in Antigua so we would really recommend getting Q. Congratulations on your first trip to Antigua and Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! Our first time was was recent also so our costs are pretty accurate for you. Wonderful to have another Canadian finding our channel we're here to help ask anything you like! Ayr and Lori

[@Fortran66-d7n]

@@PlanFree are there any money exchange stores around Antigua or Lake Atitlan to exchange USD to Q? I always have a concern if my ATM card doesn't work or gets eaten by the ATM machine.

[@PlanFree]

How long is your overall trip? Just so you know we did not exchange any USD into Q. So just know that before you read the rest of our answer. Ok? But, having said that if we were in your shoes and we're worried about our ATM card and only traveled with USD we would definitely change a little bit of our USD at the airport or an in Antigua. Because in Antigua there's going to be plenty of banks and different exchange services, and there are a lot of Travelers in expats in that small city. Once you get to Lake alAtitlan it's quite a bit smaller and quieter and the only small town around the lake that we think might exchange your USD into Q would be in town of Panajachel. The other small towns you're better to use the ATM with your card. Which town around the lake do you plan to stay in and for how long?

[@Fortran66-d7n]

@@PlanFree planning Solo trip...3 days in antiqua then over to Pana for min. 2 weeks. I'll fly from yyz to sjo in Costa Rica for a few days then fly direct on Avianca to GUA then directly to Antigua by Uber. I've been a long time visitor to CR.

[@PlanFree]

@@Fortran66-d7n sounds lovely! We think your plan of staying just 3 days in Antigua is plenty, we found the cobblestone streets and prices to be high(er)...good to see and good to go perhaps!? Haha Pana you'll like, it's got a good balance of products and service availability, it's local but larger. You'll really want to poo over to one of the smaller local towns though....so cute, quaint and lovely. Good for you and we hope you enjoy! If you're interested, we made a video of harvesting coffee right off the plant with a local family in San Pedro!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJmUhKmDd92rmdU

[@ClaudiaKimberlyJuárezSapón]

You both have to come back and visit xela ‼️‼️ welcome. Do not forget eat traditional food.

[@PlanFree]

We wished we had more time and would have loved to visit and live in Xela. We heard a lot about it. If we ever return we will send you a note and enjoy some traditional foods with you! Sound good? Thank you so much for watching and commenting, we appreciate it. Please share the video if you can and click the like button for us. Ayr & Lori

[@robertofarias8997]

Hey guys love your content. I am flying into Guatamala City and planning a trip to Mexico more specifically to San Cristobal de las Casas from Guatamala City. I have 2 pieces of luggage and a backpack. Do the collectivo chicken buses carry luggage. From the looks of it on Youtbue it looks like a regular school bus but I was curious as to where the luggage is carried. Thank you so much..

[@PlanFree]

Hi @robertofarias8997, thank so much! Glad you find our info helpful. It's always a lot of work and so your comment means a lot. We are going to assume you mean the chicken buses collectibles in Mexico, right? If yes, then we know that they "do" carry luggage but sometimes and certain times of the day they are so packed that it does become a little difficult. We personally would try our best not to travel with more than a backpack and one other small bag. If it's a larger piece of luggage I don't think we would use collectivos. Does that help?

[@robertofarias8997]

@@PlanFree thank you for your response. The question on chicken buses is going from Guatamala City to La Messilla and on to San Cristobal de las casas. If not chicken buses are there regular buses? If so do you know the name of them?

[@PlanFree]

@robertofarias8997 oooouuuuuu you have good questions! We don't think we can accurately answer you on this because of all the times we have lived in Mexico and once living and once visiting Guatemala, none of those time had us taking the route you speak of. So, we really don't know what types of buses run that route. We are definitely aware of the collectivos or buses that run within Guatemala and within Mexico but generally when we travel between two countries we opted for the more comfortable Greyhound-type bus. The big ones with reclining seats. They are more money but far more comfy, and they take luggage. It's worth it for us.

[@mandibrosseau8047]

Where is your apartment located for that price? Is it 1 bedroom? Is there a separate work space? And do you have lake / garden access ?

[@PlanFree]

Hi Mandi, how are you? The apartment that we rented was located on what's called Kaya Finca and if you are on the ground in San Pedro La Laguna you can ask around and people would point you in the right direction. 👍 But here I can leave you the Google pin on the map and if you go into the Google information you'll find the cell phone/WhatsApp # to contact the owner. Tell them Ayr & Lori sent you! 😉🥰 It is 2 Br, 2 Ba. There was not a separate workspace but we had a dedicated kitchen dedicated living room we slept in one bedroom and use the second bedroom as a workspace. There is lake access when you leave the fence property itself and walk around the outside of the property, about a block, towards the lake. It is lovely. And the owners are lovelier! ❤ maps.app.goo.gl/XQGygUp6SPq1NeWh8

[@kavielove7383]

Its 5 q per pound for laundry! And 115 for propane. But tourists get a special price!

[@PlanFree]

Hi @kavielove7383! How cool to see you here. Welcome! Are you still renting in the same lovely little home near where we met you at the gym? 7:34 - 150 q is what we were charged for a propane refill. Bummer. Even though we had a great rapport with our landlord and he lived directly below us, it would seem like there was a little bit added on for the convenience of him having to call the propane guy for us hey!? Haha 7:48 - was our laundry cost ....hmmm. We got gringoed did we!? And I even messaged around! The lady who charged me 10q/lbs was right at the top of the path up from where you and we were renting Kavie, right yo past the English school and up to and across the main street. Named "Mary" (or something)? And it even came back barely smelling like it had been washed with soap at all. We should have asked you! Hope you like our videos, feel free to comment on any of them. Ayr & Lori

[@JuanMoreno-wo5yb]

Gringo prices come with the territory these days!! No so smart gringos come with their pockets filled and pay crazy prices not knowing they could pay a lot less. I started traveling over 20 years ago and after Mexico I found cheapest language schools in Guatemala and now I bet non of those prices exist! It’s like my memory of the amount of those prices also is gone haha. Or just much of my memory is shot. 😂 I would love to revisit but I am afraid the prices are now so screwed up that even I wouldn’t want to pay them. You gotta take a local with you and have them buy everything or learn the language so well, that they treat you better! Have fun you all!!❤

[@PlanFree]

Well yes you're quite right and your travel experience proves valuable here and you are quite right! Taking a local with you is genius as it unlocks an entirely different pricing tier system! Well it sounds like you are not really wanting to travel too far distances but these are current prices in Guatemala...the prices we talk about in this video. The cost of living was the lowest we found in a lot of countries so far (in the last 3-4 years of traveling) and that was just this past Nov and Dec 2023. 👍 * A person can rent in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala for as low as $300/mo, a small 1 Br place, and eating would be about $300/mo. Give or take. That's doable for even you Mr Traveler!

[@christopherhouse7937]

Is Guatemala a country you would consider getting residency in or retiring? Did you enjoy your time more in Ecuador, Peru, or Guatemala? And why!

[@PlanFree]

Good questions! As is often the case each location will offer certain benefits and drawbacks. We thoroughly enjoyed Ecuador because we went there primarily for their diversity of hummingbirds, and we saw 60 new species! So that one point was a huge win, but.....we likely won't return anytime soon due to civil unrest and a cooler climate than we prefer-the beach towns were too hot, and the mountains were too cold! Honorable mention to Vilcabamba area which was about just right. We will likely visit Ecuador for shorter hummingbird specific excursions only going forward. Guatemala-we visited Lake Atitlan area specifically for a 2 month respite from a busy time in our lives, and it delivered beautifully. Simple life, everything walkable, friendly peaceful people. But, it's unlikely we will return soon/long term. I would also say that we are unlikely to consider Guatemala for residency or retiring because we have residency in Mexico already. That said we were intrigued to learn of a sector of Guatemala City-near the new American embassy-it looks like it could be attractive to perspective expats. On Peru-our opinion is to be determined as we haven't had the opportunity to spend time there-yet! And you? Are you giving consideration to other countries for residency/retirement?

[@christopherhouse7937]

@@PlanFree Yes! Those three. Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru. I’m also interested in Nicaragua, Colombia, Paraguay and Argentina! I will probably visit all countries and determine where I’m the happiest!! 😁

[@tiborzkarate1]

You guys know how much the Spanish language school cost? Thank you

[@PlanFree]

Hi! What a great question. We should have asked! We didn't ask and didn't find out while living there unfortunately, sorry. There are so many different language schools, dozens! What we can do though is send a message to the people we rented from to see what they charge at their school. That might give you something to go on. Would that help or will you just try Googling it? Happy to help and we appreciate the question. Thanks for watching! Ayr & Lori

[@paolopozzato5074]

so how much it cost to rent a simple apartament or house for long term? its not clear

[@PlanFree]

Sorry if we weren't clear and were glad you asked! If you watch again from 0:50-1:15 we explain what we found on Airbnb. We found Airbnb listinf prices for a month of CAD$1500/mo. Wow! We also explain that the apartment that we finally decided on was listed a bit higher on Airbnb originally but then through talking with the owners we agreed on a quite a bit lower than the norm price to rent for more than a month. (The price we paid is in our video). We did meet another fellow from our gym who was paying CAD$350 (Canadian dollars) for a month for a very basic one-room house. It really varies!! We find the best way to proceed is to book a place for a week or 10 days on Airbnb while asking the owner, in the Airbnb chat at the same time you are booking, if you would be able to extend to a month or two months once you arrive and generally you'll get a better price once you arrive in person and can pay cash. Does this help clarify for you? So glad you found our channel and our video and thank you so much for watching. Ask anything else if you have questions and we'll help wherever we can. Ayr & Lori

[@LiveSlowDieWhenever]

Great info, thank you 😊 I live in Costa Rica and am heading up there for vacation soon. What is the restaurant scene like please 🙏

[@PlanFree]

The street food scene is pretty vibrant, only thing is it begins to go full swing after we're in bed.🤓 Hopefully someone watching this can provide you some direction here in the comments, sadly going to restaurants is rarely a part of our lifestyle over the last several years. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@LiveSlowDieWhenever]

@PlanFree street food is all I need. Is Antigua in your plans?

[@PlanFree]

Yes hopefully someday we will visit Antigua as we've heard many good things about it. We are finished our Guatemala stay after 2.5 months (earlier then we would normally finish finish stay....we like to stay as long as is allowed), and have now moved on to Mexico to be with family for a time. ❤🙂