Wd. appreciate an estimate of the costs for a single male living in a rental inexpensive apartment maybe one bdrm and if possible other sundry costs, i.e. utilities, phone, for a monthly period. Have been in C.A and mexico for five years. I like Guat and Panajachel. Cosidering living there for a couple years of all seems amenable. Is internett available in a home?
thank you, jim davis

Hi there Jim: If you go the newspaper prensa libre home page you'll find advertising on apartments in the atitlan area www.prensalibre.com. Now are you interested in guatemala city also or just atitlan. FYI in guatemala city there is currently a high rise apartment construction boom and you can find suitable and safe housing in nice areas such as zone 10, zone 14, or zone 15. The cost of living in guatemala is chepaer than Costa Rica. In guatemala you can find a one bedroom apartment, real nice for about $350. Check out the clasiwe on the same newspaper to have an idea of other rentals being offered. Cell phone is real easy to get and cheap. Electricity is expensive by latin american terms. But still cheaper than in the US. Read some of the articles in the www.escapeartist.com by ex-pats living in guatemala. Food is less expensive than in the US even though for locals might still be expensive. Buying at the supermarket meat, chicken and vegetables is still cheaper than US prices.
At one time I went to look at some prefabricated wood homes for about $18-25K. That company has some models in their show room in guatemala city. They build those homes in your own lot. There are plenty of internet cafes and of course you can have your own service provider. Good luck.