What we spent: January 2018

In January we moved around quicker than ever before, and boy did we feel it in our pockets. Rapid travel from the Yucatán to Chiapas to Guatemala had us promising each other we wouldn't repeat this experience again...at least until we hightail it across Costa Rica and Panama and into Colombia in April. But even though we started the month hemorrhaging money, a few days after we'd settled in Guatemala we stabilized ourselves and still came in under our $1,000 USD budget for two people. This month, what really helped was:

purchasing our bus tickets from Playa del Carmen to Palenque in December (they counted towards December's expenses — and we still were under budget that month!)
cooking most of our meals at home with fresh ingredients from the market
staying with friends in Lake Atitlán

Total monthly budget (for two people): $1,000 USD

Total daily budget: $32.88 USD

What we spent: $979.35 USD

Average daily cost: $31.59 USD

Days on budget: 6

Days over budget: 5

Days under budget: 20

Accommodation

Total spent: $146.87

Percent of monthly spending: 15%

Free accommodation is the best accommodation, especially when it means staying with super nice people connected to the local community. Lucky for us, a really good friend of ours from the States connected us with his really good friends in Panajachel, and they were kind enough to host us for our time there. After a hectic week traveling from the Yucatán to Guatemala, it was a godsend to have smiling faces and a cozy bed to welcome us to Lake Atitlán. Plus, they had great tips to make the most of our time there. Dan and Eliza, we love you!

Dining

Total spent: $183.41

Percent of monthly spending: 18.7%

Not going to lie, we had a bit of sticker shock coming from Southern Mexico into Guatemala. Restaurant prices were two to three times that of Mexico, and street food in Panajachel was slim pickings. However, after prowling the streets a few times, we managed to find some good eats for cheap (can anyone say pupusas?!).

Groceries

Total spent: $207.52

Percent of monthly spending: 21.2%

Unlike Mexico, where big grocery stores and markets offer almost anything you could want for super cheap, our choices in Panajachel were either a tiny Walmart subsidiary or a luxury imported food store. While it was exciting to see some of our favorite snacks from home on the shelves, the prices left us more than a little shocked. We managed to mostly buy staple ingredients like rice, beans, pasta, and milk from the grocery store, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies from the market.

Alcohol

Total spent: $21.80

Percent of monthly spending: 2.2%

To our serious disappointment, caguamas do not exist in Guatemala. Long gone were the days of super cheap 1.2 liters of beer. Fortunately, one of Guatemala's domestic beers, Brahva, is really cheap. And if you're a little daring (or desperate), you'll give gusha (sometimes spelled cusha) a swig for Q5 ($0.70 USD) a shot. Beware: it's a clandestine liquor made of unknown ingredients, and if you get it from where we got ours, it comes in an unlabeled gallon jug. The bartender told us it was 70% alcohol.

Sweet treats

Total spent: $49.08

Percent of monthly spending: 5%

At 5% of our monthly budget, it was more than we were used to spending on sweets. But the cakes at Café Asawa-ko in Panajachel were too good to pass up and we needed to try them all. Seriously though, who can resist a slice of macadamia pie or chocolate ganache cake filled with a layer of walnuts and toasted coconut?

Health & hygiene

Total spent: $8.07

Percent of monthly spending: 0.8%

It may have been a little absurd to buy three bottles of conditioner in Mexico in a buy-two-get-one-free deal, but after seeing the price of hygiene products in Guatemala, we were so glad we stocked up before crossing the border.

Long-distance travel

Total spent: $61.99

Percent of monthly spending: 6.3%

Because we knew we were heading from Playa del Carmen to Palenque ahead of time, we bought those bus tickets in December and they counted towards that month's expenses. This month, we had to pay for colectivos from Palenque to San Cristóbal and an international shuttle from San Cristóbal to Panajachel.

Local transportation

Total spent: $87.66

Percent of monthly spending: 9%

Lancha fares to go between towns around Lake Atitlán made up the lion's share of these costs.

Activities

Total spent: $196.36

Percent of monthly spending: 20.1%

This month, we visited the Mayan ruins of Palenque, checked out a few museums, and hiked and camped on a volcano (one of the best expenses of our lives!).

Clothing

Total spent: $12.13

Percent of monthly spending: 1.2%

Mostly more layers of clothing because it gets cold in the mountains.

Border crossings & visas

Total spent: $0.00

Percent of monthly spending: 0%

Luckily, Guatemala doesn't charge an entrance, exit, or tourist tax. Mexico does charge a tourist tax but it's often included in the price of your airline ticket if you arrive by plane, which we did. Read our post here for detailed border crossing information.