Cost of Living inSanta Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala
Image credit: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Guatemala: $12,641/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 60% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
6.3 / 10
#41 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Guatemala; Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Limited public-school fit
Expat access
Possible for residents
conditionalInstruction
Spanish
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Guatemala's public-school system is not the path most expat families choose when they have alternatives.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families may be able to enroll, but Spanish-medium instruction and uneven quality make the public route a situational choice at best.
❓ Homeschooling
Not specifically regulatedGuatemala requires compulsory primary education but does not have specific homeschooling legislation. Many expat families in Antigua and Lake Atitlán homeschool without interference. No formal registration or approval process.
Homeschool legality in Guatemala — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Guatemala.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$375-$625
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$650-$1,025
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Guatemala.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, hospital capacity looks tighter, and households still pay a large share themselves weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedA visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin, the private footprint is not very visible yet, and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
58/100
2023
Physicians
1.28/1k
2020
Hospital beds
0.45/1k
2023
Out of pocket
57%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
72.7 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
94/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
9.5/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedThe private footprint is still thin and price transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Guatemala yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.3x further in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Guatemala here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 60% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa. We are using the country-level cost index for Guatemala here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa compare with New York City?
Rent in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa is about 84% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Guatemala here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa?
Groceries in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa are about 55% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 61% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Guatemala here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa
Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa is a city in Escuintla department in southern Guatemala, set on the Pacific lowland coastal plain about 110 kilometers southwest of Guatemala City. The roughly 113,000 residents live in a city whose economy is overwhelmingly tied to sugarcane: the surrounding plain is the heart of Guatemala's sugar belt, with several large mills (notably Magdalena, Pantaleon, and Madre Tierra) operating during the November to May harvest. The area also holds an important pre-Columbian archaeological complex of Cotzumalhuapa sculpture. Spanish is universal and Kaqchikel Maya is also spoken in the surrounding area. The tropical climate is hot and humid year-round, with a dry season aligned with the cane harvest and a rainy season the rest of the year. For relocators, the practical considerations are the seasonal labor surge during harvest, the road connection to Guatemala City via CA-2, dependence on the capital for advanced healthcare, and the broader security context in Guatemala.
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