Cost of living in 10 of California's major cities, ranked cheapest to most expensive
Madison Hoff
- It's more expensive to live in San Jose, California, than Bakersfield, California.
- The Council for Community and Economic Research looked at 274 urban areas for the second quarter of 2023.
It can be expensive to reside in San Jose, California.
The Council for Community and Economic Research, or C2ER, publishes a quarterly Cost of Living Index for US urban areas. The composite index is based on local prices of healthcare, housing, and four other categories.
"The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile," stated a recent press release.
According to the press release, there were 274 urban areas that participated in the second quarter of this year. A score of 100 means it's equivalent to the national average for the 274 urban areas. While Manhattan had the highest Cost of Living Index score at 225.8, four places in California made the top 10, including San Jose and San Francisco.
San Jose had a composite index of 174.9 in the second quarter of 2023. None of the 10 participating urban areas in California for the second quarter had an index below 100, meaning they all were more expensive than the average US city in the study.
The following list shows how the areas in California with data from the second quarter ranked based on their composite indexes. We also included average prices for apartment rent and other things for each place according to C2ER. There were different criteria for these average prices. For instance, home prices below are based on newly-built four-bedroom, two-full-bathroom homes that satisfy a range of criteria. Doctor visit prices are based on an examination for established patients without insurance.
10. Bakersfield, California
Composite index: 111.5
Home price: $514,808
Apartment rent: $1,447
Energy: $385.66
Doctor visit: $90.5
Beauty salon visit: $39.33
9. Modesto, California
Composite index: 113.0
Home price: $572,240
Apartment rent: $1,816
Energy: $326.49
Doctor visit: $121.67
Beauty salon visit: $48
8. Stockton, California
Composite index: 117.6
Home price: $660,273
Apartment rent: $1,990
Energy: $326.51
Doctor visit: $133.13
Beauty salon visit: $53.07
7. Sacramento, California
Composite index: 117.9
Home price: $641,786
Apartment rent: $2,277
Energy: $244.83
Doctor visit: $209.36
Beauty salon visit: $60
6. Oakland, California
Composite index: 136.4
Home price: $928,340
Apartment rent: $2,716
Energy: $284.29
Doctor visit: $164.43
Beauty salon visit: $76.57
5. San Diego, California
Composite index: 140.0
Home price: $1,063,748
Apartment rent: $3,101
Energy: $233.36
Doctor visit: $137.5
Beauty salon visit: $65.8
4. Orange County, California
Composite index: 147.0
Home price: $1,302,694
Apartment rent: $3,016.5
Energy: $170.23
Doctor visit: $110
Beauty salon visit: $77
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach, California
Composite index: 148.8
Home price: $1,204,996
Apartment rent: $3,161
Energy: $228.07
Doctor visit: $130
Beauty salon visit: $90
2. San Francisco, California
Composite index: 169.6
Home price: $1,410,494
Apartment rent: $3,814
Energy: $280.58
Doctor visit: $174.75
Beauty salon visit: $85.25
1. San Jose, California
Composite index: 174.9
Home price: $1,747,830
Apartment rent: $3,761
Energy: $280.58
Doctor visit: $194
Beauty salon visit: $48.33
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