Average Project Manager Salary in Guatemala for 2026
A project manager in Guatemala earns about 158,700 GTQ a year. That's 24% above the national average of 127,700 GTQ.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Guatemala sit around 78,620 GTQ a year, while the very top stretches to 243,000 GTQ. Everything on this page is in Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ, symbol Q), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Guatemala, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a project manager make in Guatemala?
A typical project manager working in Guatemala brings home around 13,225 GTQ a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 78,620 GTQ, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 243,000 GTQ for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior project manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How project manager pay ranges in Guatemala
A good way to think about salary in Guatemala is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all project managers in Guatemala earn less than 158,700 GTQ a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 108,120 GTQ (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 200,000 GTQ (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of project managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 78,620 GTQ. The highest stretch to 243,000 GTQ, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Project manager pay by experience in Guatemala
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a project manager in Guatemala, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical project manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years96,340 GTQ
- 2-5 Years+29% from previous124,400 GTQ
- 5-10 Years+35% from previous168,100 GTQ
- 10-15 Years+18% from previous197,600 GTQ
- 15-20 Years+8% from previous214,000 GTQ
- 20+ Years+8% from previous231,000 GTQ
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a project manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Project manager pay by education in Guatemala
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving project manager pay in Guatemala. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average project manager salary in Guatemala broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School116,740 GTQ
- Certificate or Diploma+17% from previous136,100 GTQ
- Bachelor's Degree+35% from previous183,600 GTQ
- Master's Degree+26% from previous231,000 GTQ
Project manager gender pay gap in Guatemala
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Guatemala is no exception. Male project managers in Guatemala earn an average of 161,300 GTQ a year, while female project managers earn around 152,000 GTQ. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Project Manager gender pay gap
6%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Guatemala.
Pay raises for a project manager in Guatemala
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Guatemala sees a raise of about 10% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Guatemala, the national average raise is around 7% every 19 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Guatemala:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education2%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Project manager bonus rates in Guatemala
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
78% of project managers in Guatemala reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a project manager a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 8% of base salary. The remaining 22% of project managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Guatemala
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Project manager: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Guatemala is about 12% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
11%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Guatemala on average.
Project Manager in Guatemala: FAQs
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How much does a project manager make per month in Guatemala?
A project manager in Guatemala earns about 13,225 GTQ a month before tax, based on an annual average of 158,700 GTQ.
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What's the salary range for a project manager in Guatemala?
Entry-level project managers in Guatemala start near 78,620 GTQ. Top-end pay reaches around 243,000 GTQ. The middle 50% of earners sit between 108,120 and 200,000 GTQ.
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Is the median project manager salary in Guatemala higher or lower than the average?
The median is 158,700 GTQ, higher than the average of 158,700 GTQ. Half of project managers in Guatemala earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for project managers in Guatemala?
Men working as a project manager in Guatemala earn around 6% more than women on average (161,300 vs 152,000 GTQ a year).
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Do project managers in Guatemala get bonuses?
About 78% of project managers in Guatemala reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 8% of base salary.
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Do project managers earn more in the public or private sector in Guatemala?
In Guatemala, the public sector pays a project manager about 12% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do project managers in Guatemala get a pay raise?
A project manager in Guatemala sees a raise of around 10% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.