One of the fastest-growing digital nomad destinations right now is an underrated country in Central America.
While countries like Portugal, Spain, Thailand, and Mexico have been on the radar for a while as popular digital nomad destinations, Guatemala is quickly growing as a digital nomad hotspot.
Here’s what makes Guatemala a great base for digital nomads and remote workers:
Affordable Cost Of Living
If you’re looking for somewhere affordable to live and travel, Guatemala is a great destination. The more touristy areas of Antigua and certain towns on Lake Atitlan can be more expensive than some of the underrated destinations in Guatemala, but overall, it’s a very budget-friendly country.
It’s also more affordable than many popular regions of neighboring Mexico, particularly Mexico’s digital nomad hotspots like Playa del Carmen, Tulum, San Miguel de Allende, and Purto Vallarta.
Even in the popular tourist hotspot of Antigua, it’s possible to live on under $1,700 a month as a digital nomad.
If you’re willing to skip pricy Western-style cafes and coffee shops and eat where the locals go, and take the local transportation of “chicken buses”, you’ll be able to save even more money.
Digital Nomad Hubs
Guatemala has a growing digital nomad scene that is mainly centered around Antigua and Lake Atitlan. Antigua is a quaint and colorful colonial town that is about one hour from the capital.
You’ll find lots of trendy cafes, coworking spaces, and amenities in Antigua.
Lake Atitlan is two hours from Antigua and features stunning scenery and charming lakeside towns, each with its own distinct personality.
Both of these destinations are popular with digital nomads, although you can work remotely from other places in the country too.
The laidback surfer town of El Paredon, the jungle town of Flores, and the authentic local city of Xela are some other places popular with digital nomads.
Proximity To The U.S.
Guatemala is just a short flight away from the United States, making it a convenient option for American digital nomads and remote workers.
The country is located just south of Mexico, and there are nearly a dozen nonstop flights to Guatemala City from the United States, as well as many convenient flights to and from other places in Latin America.
Guatemala observes Central Time, which means it’s in the same time zone or within one hour of the time zone of everywhere in the United States.
Reliable Internet Access
For digital nomads, reliable Internet access is a must.
Although Guatemala does not score at the top of the list of countries with the fastest Internet speeds for digital nomads, you won’t run into any issues with the WiFi here either.
According to data, Guatemala ranks 83rd in the world for WiFi speed. So it’s at the upper end of the middle of the pack, meaning you won’t have any problems getting your work done.
Particularly in Guatemala’s more developed destinations that are already popular with digital nomads, you’ll find very fast and reliable WiFi.
Diverse Country
Finally, one of the biggest reasons Guatemala is a great base for digital nomads is because of how much there is to do. It’s an incredibly diverse country with a ton of natural beauty and historical and cultural value.
For adventure seekers, you can hike volcanoes like Acatenango and Pacaya. You can explore the ruins of the ancient Mayan city Tikal located deep in the jungle, or go paddle-boarding on serene Lake Atitlan.
If you really want to get off the beaten path, don’t miss the stunning beauty of Semuc Champey or the laidback, easygoing charm of Livingston on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast.
