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Guatemala City, Guatemala

10 Tips for Living in Guatemala

By Betsy Burlingame

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Summary: Expats in Guatemala offers tips about living in Guatemala. They discuss where to live in Guatemala, the locals and their culture, crime problems, cost of living and more.

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About the Author

Betsy Burlingame Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.

Some of Betsy's articles include 12 Best Places to Live in Portugal, 7 Best Places to Live in Panama and 12 Things to Know Before Moving to the Dominican Republic. Betsy loves to travel and spend time with her family. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.


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Comments

guest
Mar 18, 2013 09:42

Good Article. Thanks for the insight into life in Guatemala. It's not somewhere I'd like to live but I've visited a few times. One thing you failed to mention is that nightlife doesn't exist. Not unless you want to call the bars in zona10 nightlife. Guatemala City closes down at 7pm. I could never live somewhere like that for too long.

Nevadajayhawk
Mar 17, 2014 20:17

Very helpfull! Have many questions. Coming june2014 to check out surrounding towns of Antigua. We are going to move in August 2014. My wife is from Guatemala, we are bringing our 16 yr old autistic son, my 83 yr old mother and a Daushound. Any advise? My email is lv [email protected]. Thanx, Steve Jayhawk Chapin

luispedroponce
May 23, 2014 14:49

I have Lived in Guatemala for 25 years is a beatiful country I want to emphatize on what the girl talks about "Crime" in Guatemala yeah we know sometimes it gets violent but it depends with what people you are with and where you at , and please everything she saids is not that TRUE like you dont want to get out of bed because of WEATHER ?? that depends on YOU not in the weather and about disliking Americans we dont dislike some them but sometimes we do, its OBVIOUS we dislike them because all the things they have done to the world including the civil war that lasted for 36 years and it was instigated by US goverment.... Just an opinion.

bernardbarbour
Jun 8, 2014 20:34

I am in Antigua now! I absolutely love this place. This article gives plenty of insight and advice. After living in Belize, where gas is $6.00 a gallon, apples are .85 cents and the roads are not the best, coming to Guatemala has been an eye opener. I'm actually going to go out tomorrow and look at some real estate. You can get a whole lot more here for your retirement dollars, and there is plenty to do.

lindamh
Oct 29, 2016 14:36

Good articles. These tips are not much different from living in China except the potential violence. Considering moving to Guatemala, at least part-time. My daughter is a teacher in GC and I am an school occupational therapist (semi-retired). Guatemala is a beautiful country and close to home (Boston) than China ; )

Supergringo
Apr 26, 2017 19:05

I strenuously disagree about the "not-liking Americans" part. Guatemalan people are just that, people. Some like Americans, some don't. Most fall in the middle and like you if you are a good person, or someone they want to talk to. I have lived here for years, and don't feel that people are only talking to me for the opportunity to make money off of me. I have asked for directions when driving dozens of times, and nobody has asked for a tip. Yes, you have to negotiate prices, and its often better to have someone help you negotiate when you are buying a big-ticket item. If you feel you are getting ripped off, walk away. If they are ripping you off, they will chase you down and lower their price. If they don't chase you, they probably weren't ripping you off.

Joshrnr
Feb 28, 2018 13:37

Is this top 10 still current for today [2018] or there an update to this information?

Guatemala City, Guatemala

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