Mission de la Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima Site · Photo: Jsweida · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Lompoc costs more to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #153 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 3.5% in a year, 22% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area ($98K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Lompoc’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($98K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 31% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 54% of renters.
In dollars
- $593Ktypical home, 22% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,730a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 4.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$98K, Santa Maria-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 54%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Lompoc, in brief
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lompoc gained 2,010 residents while 238 new homes were permitted: about 8.4 new residents per new home, against 2.7 across California. New homes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $2,730 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Lompoc pay a median of $1,589. Renting ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Lompoc had permitted 175 new homes in 2026, more than the 36 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Lompoc’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lompoc is more affordable than 22% of U.S. towns, #153 of 846 in California. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced California: the typical Lompoc home is up 26.3% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 26.3% in five years
Faster than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Lompoc | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $327,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $347,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $360,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $374,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $415,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $488,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $514,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $550,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $576,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $578,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $593,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Lompoc home worth $319K in October 2016 is worth about $593K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.5 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lompoc’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $193K short of a typical Lompoc home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,730 a month here, $660 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lompoc’s typical property tax (0.58% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,730
Renters already here pay a median of $1,589, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
36 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 36 new homes in Lompoc in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $3.2 million to build. That's 0.8 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Lompoc has permitted 187 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lompoc gained 2,010 residents while 238 new homes were permitted: about 8.4 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across California: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 175 | 55 | 120 | $30.8 million |
| 2025 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2024 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2023 | 39 | 24 | 15 | $2.4 million |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2021 | 41 | 37 | 4 | $6.2 million |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $1 million |
| 2015 | 45 | 43 | 2 | $8.1 million |
| 2014 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2013 | 57 | 57 | 0 | $18.4 million |
| 2012 | 98 | 38 | 60 | $15.9 million |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $15,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $659,000 |
| 2008 | 71 | 7 | 64 | $7.6 million |
| 2007 | 91 | 83 | 8 | $20.4 million |
| 2006 | 66 | 27 | 39 | $12.3 million |
| 2005 | 109 | 94 | 15 | $29.1 million |
| 2004 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $947,000 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $473,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $473,000 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $237,000 |
Lompoc's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the California norm
The median bill is $2,737 (California: $5,124), 0.58% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Lompoc vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Lompoc has the lowest. Mission Hills has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lompoc | C− | $593K | $473K | 0.58% | $2,730 |
| Mission Hills | C− | — | $493K | 0.69% | $2,730 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lompoc
Is Lompoc expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lompoc costs more than 78% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #153 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 4.8 years of the median household income of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area ($98K).
How much does a house cost in Lompoc?
About $593K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.5% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Lompoc?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $145,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,390 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $109,000.
How much is rent in Lompoc?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,730 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,589 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lompoc?
The median bill is $2,737 a year, 0.58% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Lompoc going up?
Yes: up 3.5% in the past year and 26.3% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Lompoc buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.