Overall
- Chico
- 101.2
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 100.9
Diff -0.3 RPP
Chico vs Bakersfield-Delano
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Bakersfield-Delano is 0.3% less expensive than Chico.
0.3% less expensive
Bakersfield-Delano, CA is 0.3% less expensive than Chico, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 100.9 vs 101.2). A $100,000 salary in Chico buys about the same as $99,693 in Bakersfield-Delano; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 101.2 (Chico) vs 100.9 (Bakersfield-Delano)
- $100k in Chico ≈ $99,693 purchasing power in Bakersfield-Delano
- Rents drives the gap (-1.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:CA 101.2→100.9
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · CA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Chico
101.2
Cost Index
Bakersfield-Delano
100.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Chico, CA and Bakersfield-Delano, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Bakersfield-Delano is 1.7 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Chico corresponds to $99,693 in Bakersfield-Delano.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Chico
- 105.2
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 105.2
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Chico
- 158.8
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 158.3
Diff -0.6 RPP
Rents
- Chico
- 91.9
- Bakersfield-Delano
- 90.3
Diff -1.7 RPP
| Category | Chico | Bakersfield-Delano | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 101.2 | 100.9 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 105.2 | 0.0 |
| Services | 158.8 | 158.3 | -0.6 |
| Rents | 91.9 | 90.3 | -1.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Chico 101.2
Bakersfield-Delano 100.9
Goods
Chico 105.2
Bakersfield-Delano 105.2
Services
Chico 158.8
Bakersfield-Delano 158.3
Rents
Chico 91.9
Bakersfield-Delano 90.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Chico would need to be in Bakersfield-Delano for the same purchasing power:
| In Chico | In Bakersfield-Delano | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,846 | $-154 |
| $75,000 | $74,770 | $-230 |
| $100,000 | $99,693 | $-307 |
| $150,000 | $149,539 | $-461 |
$ in Chico = in Bakersfield-Delano
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (101.2 → 100.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bakersfield-Delano more expensive than Chico?
Bakersfield-Delano is 0.3% less expensive than Chico. The overall cost index is 100.9 vs 101.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Bakersfield-Delano equals $100K in Chico?
A $100,000 salary in Chico has the same purchasing power as $99,693 in Bakersfield-Delano. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Chico and Bakersfield-Delano?
Rents in Chico are indexed at 91.9 while Bakersfield-Delano is at 90.3 (national average = 100). Chico has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.