Antigua, Guatemala – City Guide for Nomads and Expats

Updated in 2022.

Antigua, Guatemala.

A popular tourist destination located in the central highlands of Guatemala.

Many first time visitors to Central America will use Antigua as a jumping off point, as it is very safe, full of tourists, and English is widely spoken.

Expect beautiful colonial architecture and volcanoes on the skyline!

POPULATION: 40,000

 

IS ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA SAFE? 

Antigua is safe. You shouldn’t have problems here.


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THINGS TO DO IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

Hike a volcano! Volcan de Acatenango and Volcán de Fuego are the big ones.

 

RENT AN APARTMENT IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

$400.00 should get you a private apartment in Antigua. You won’t be able to bring anyone back to your place if you do a homestay (very popular here) so I’d advise against it.

 

NIGHTLIFE IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

7/10 

Tourism has given rise to a moderately impressive bar scene in Antigua.

There are plenty of bars around, but they change ownership/names with frequency, so ask around to see what’s hot at the moment.

PLENTY of tourists here who love to party, so you’re in for a good time. And, if recent liberal arts graduates aren’t your cup of tea, there are a couple nightclubs in town that draw in locals from Guatemala City.

I recommend: Reillys. An Irish bar, but it’s mostly Guatemalans that go there. Go figure.

 

COST OF LIVING IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA

The following data is from Expatistan, a crowdsourced database of prices and cost of living around the world. In our experience, the data tends to underestimate cost of living, so take the following as the minimum you might need to live here.

*Figures are listed in USD

You’ll need a minimum of $1147 USD/month to live in Antigua, Guatemala

cost-of-living-antigua-guatemala

FINAL THOUGHTS

A good city to party, learn Spanish, or begin a backpacking trip.

You definitely won’t have to slum it in Antigua in any way; there’s good food, high speed Internet, and an overall high level of comfort and security. Overall solid digital nomad infrastructure.

If you’re a restless soul, however, you will get bored very soon.


OVERALL RATING: 6.75/10


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