Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guatemala City and Lompoc, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Guatemala City: $1,347 a month against $2,979 in Lompoc, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guatemala City, Guatemala
Lompoc, CA, United States
Guatemala City
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$1,347
/mo nomad
Lompoc, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,979
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guatemala City and in Lompoc, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guatemala City and in Lompoc, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Guatemala City versus $2,979 in Lompoc, CA.

  • Guatemala City $1,347
  • Lompoc, CA $2,979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Guatemala City versus $4,342 in Lompoc, CA.

  • Guatemala City $2,028
  • Lompoc, CA $4,342

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Guatemala City versus $5,705 in Lompoc, CA.

  • Guatemala City $2,710
  • Lompoc, CA $5,705

Living in Guatemala City costs roughly 55% less than in Lompoc, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.76 Q 59.3
$24.65 $24.65
-68.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.88 Q 381
$99.4 $99.4
-49.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.72 Q 59.0
$11.51 $11.51
-32.93%
Cappuccino
$3.31 Q 25.28
$5.52 $5.52
-40.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.98
$2.73 $2.73
-57.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 Q 7.75
$1.97 $1.97
-48.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 Q 24.29
$7.62 $7.62
-58.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 Q 36.00
$9.57 $9.57
-50.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 Q 15.88
$0.91 $0.91
128.57%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 Q 23.78
$2.81 $2.81
10.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 Q 16.19
$4.34 $4.34
-51.15%
Eggs
$2.44 Q 18.68
$4.10 $4.10
-40.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.19 Q 47.28
$12.46 $12.46
-50.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.64 Q 73.7
$20.38 $20.38
-52.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.48 Q 103
$14.19 $14.19
-5.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 Q 30.43
$5.52 $5.52
-27.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 Q 12.58
$1.70 $1.70
-2.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.83 Q 21.66
$4.32 $4.32
-34.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.63 Q 12.48
$6.56 $6.56
-75.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 Q 11.70
$3.63 $3.63
-57.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 Q 16.63
$3.51 $3.51
-37.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 Q 5.26
$0.99 $0.99
-30.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 Q 8.94
$2.27 $2.27
-48.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.01 Q 30.62
$11.84 $11.84
-66.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.08 Q 61.7
$15.18 $15.18
-46.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 Q 13.71
$1.68 $1.68
6.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 Q 20.46
$3.82 $3.82
-29.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 Q 7.69
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.11 Q 84.9
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.17 Q 39.48
$4.55 $4.55
13.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.88 $1.88
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.66 Q 81.5
$36.03 $36.03
-70.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 Q 10.47
$1.32 $1.32
3.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K Q 207.4K
$27.8K $27.8K
-2.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K Q 190.7K
$26.4K $26.4K
-5.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 Q 559
$213 $213
-65.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.48 Q 225
$70.8 $70.8
-58.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.73 Q 349
$69.8 $69.8
-34.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.04 Q 291
$25.45 $25.45
49.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.79 Q 97.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 Q 50.2
$11.83 $11.83
-44.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 Q 2,582
$1,885 $1,885
-82.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.8K Q 120.8K
$36.4K $36.4K
-56.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.96 Q 382
$75.1 $75.1
-33.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.37 Q 362
$41.40 $41.40
14.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 Q 908
$79.0 $79.0
50.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 Q 845
$157 $157
-29.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$835 Q 6,383
$1,829 $1,829
-54.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$538 Q 4,114
$1,592 $1,592
-66.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,568 Q 12.0K
$3,036 $3,036
-48.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$823 Q 6,292
$2,536 $2,536
-67.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,041 Q 15.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,099 Q 8,398
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guatemala City
Lompoc, CA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$846 Q 6,463
$8,133 $8,133
-89.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
6.2
87.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Guatemala City: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lompoc, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guatemala City
$538
Lompoc, CA
$1.6K 196% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Guatemala City
$283
Lompoc, CA
$436 54.2% $153
Eating Out
Guatemala City
$159
Lompoc, CA
$374 135% $215
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guatemala City
$148
Lompoc, CA
$354 139% $206
Clothing & Footwear
Guatemala City
$147
Lompoc, CA
$159 8% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Guatemala City
$51
Lompoc, CA
$49 4% $2.1
Getting Around
Guatemala City
$20 *
Lompoc, CA
$14 * 31.2% $6.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $835 in Guatemala City and $1,829 in Lompoc, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lompoc, CA pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Guatemala City vs $99 in Lompoc, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $436 per month, with Guatemala City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇹 Guatemala City
🇺🇸 Lompoc, CA
🕒 Local time
12:03 12:03 PM
10:03 10:03 AM
2 h behind Guatemala City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,450,212 Capital
43,509
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.58 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guatemala City Lompoc, CA 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guatemala City
  • Lompoc, CA

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Guatemala City vs Lompoc, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Guatemala City or Lompoc, CA?
Guatemala City wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Lompoc, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guatemala City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Guatemala City or in Lompoc, CA?
On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Guatemala City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Guatemala City compared to Lompoc, CA?
Rent for a central apartment: $835 in Guatemala City versus $1,829 in Lompoc, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Guatemala City and in Lompoc, CA?
Childcare runs $338 in Guatemala City versus $1,885 in Lompoc, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Guatemala City and in Lompoc, CA?
Dining out is cheaper in Guatemala City – a meal for two runs $50 versus $99 in Lompoc, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Guatemala City or in Lompoc, CA?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guatemala City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for families?
For families, Guatemala City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lompoc, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Should I move to Guatemala City or to Lompoc, CA?
It comes down to priorities – Guatemala City wins on affordability, Lompoc, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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