Average Lock-Smith Salary in Guatemala for 2026
A lock-smith in Guatemala earns about 37,380 GTQ a year. That's 71% below 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 18,900 GTQ a year, while the very top stretches to 57,360 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 lock-smith make in Guatemala?
A typical lock-smith working in Guatemala brings home around 3,115 GTQ a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 18,900 GTQ, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 57,360 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 lock-smith 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 lock-smith 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 lock-smiths in Guatemala earn less than 38,140 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 23,700 GTQ (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 48,340 GTQ (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of lock-smiths sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 18,900 GTQ. The highest stretch to 57,360 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.
Lock-smith pay by experience in Guatemala
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a lock-smith 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 lock-smith salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years19,980 GTQ
- 2-5 Years+32% from previous26,280 GTQ
- 5-10 Years+54% from previous40,560 GTQ
- 10-15 Years+12% from previous45,580 GTQ
- 15-20 Years+11% from previous50,660 GTQ
- 20+ Years+11% from previous56,140 GTQ
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 54%. That is the point at which a lock-smith 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.
Lock-smith pay by education in Guatemala
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving lock-smith 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 lock-smith salary in Guatemala broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School25,940 GTQ
- Certificate or Diploma+66% from previous42,960 GTQ
Lock-smith gender pay gap in Guatemala
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Guatemala is no exception. Male lock-smiths in Guatemala earn an average of 39,420 GTQ a year, while female lock-smiths earn around 34,360 GTQ. That works out to a 15% 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.
Lock-Smith gender pay gap
13%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Guatemala.
Pay raises for a lock-smith 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 7% every 20 months, which works out to roughly 4% 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
Lock-smith 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.
25% of lock-smiths in Guatemala reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a lock-smith a low-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 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 75% of lock-smiths 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
Lock-smith: 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.
Lock-Smith in Guatemala: FAQs
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How much does a lock-smith make per month in Guatemala?
A lock-smith in Guatemala earns about 3,115 GTQ a month before tax, based on an annual average of 37,380 GTQ.
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What's the salary range for a lock-smith in Guatemala?
Entry-level lock-smiths in Guatemala start near 18,900 GTQ. Top-end pay reaches around 57,360 GTQ. The middle 50% of earners sit between 23,700 and 48,340 GTQ.
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Is the median lock-smith salary in Guatemala higher or lower than the average?
The median is 38,140 GTQ, higher than the average of 37,380 GTQ. Half of lock-smiths in Guatemala earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for lock-smiths in Guatemala?
Men working as a lock-smith in Guatemala earn around 15% more than women on average (39,420 vs 34,360 GTQ a year).
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Do lock-smiths in Guatemala get bonuses?
About 25% of lock-smiths in Guatemala reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.
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Do lock-smiths earn more in the public or private sector in Guatemala?
In Guatemala, the public sector pays a lock-smith 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 lock-smiths in Guatemala get a pay raise?
A lock-smith in Guatemala sees a raise of around 7% every 20 months, equivalent to roughly 4% a year.