Cost of Living in California

Updated:

Livingcost

Cost of living One person Family of 4
💰 Total with rent
$2893
$6685
🛋️ Without rent
$933
$3198
🏨 Rent & Utilities
$1959
$3487
🍽️ Food
$659
$1717
🚐 Transport
$107
$285
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$5462
🏙️ Population
39.5M

The cost of living in California is $2893, which is 1.32 times more expensive than the average in the United States. California ranked 3rd most expensive and 9th best state to live in the United States.

The average salary after taxes in California is $5462, which is enough to cover living expenses for 1.9 months.

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Cost of living in California infographic

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Prices in California

We calculate prices for California as a weighted mean for the population of 319 cities. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages for more relevant information.

Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$20.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$78.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$11.5
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.43
 Cappuccino
$5.36
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.71
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in city Center, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$2005
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1692
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in city Center, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$3641
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$3102
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$134
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$207
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$70.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6516
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5788
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.39
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$70.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$20.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.28
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.24
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$3.97
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.51
🥚 Eggs, x12
$4.47
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.8
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$17.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.91
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.03
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.79
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.62
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.96
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.56
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.47
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$14.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.24
🚬 Cigarette pack
$10.9
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.2
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$6.7
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$4.52
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.23
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$54.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$15.3
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$120
💇 Haircut, simple
$21.3
👖 Brand Jeans
$56
👟 Brand Sneakers
$91.8
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$1746
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$21706

Cost of living by city in California

California cities Cost of Living comparison

Cost of living in other states