Overall
95.2
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
El Centro, CA
Cost-of-living indicators for El Centro, CA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.2
- Overall RPP
- #164
- of 387 metros
- 66.3
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
El Centro ranks #164 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Savannah
The verdict
El Centro costs less than 42% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.2, 4.8% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 157.2.
- bottom 58%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 105.2
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 157.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $105,071 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,174.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
El Centro's overall RPP fell -5.0 points, from 100.2 in 2023 to 95.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 138.6 to 157.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.1 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 5.0 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
El Centro overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.3 |
| 2009 | 96.2 |
| 2010 | 95.2 |
| 2011 | 94.8 |
| 2012 | 94.0 |
| 2013 | 94.3 |
| 2014 | 91.8 |
| 2015 | 94.5 |
| 2016 | 95.7 |
| 2017 | 95.8 |
| 2018 | 92.8 |
| 2019 | 96.3 |
| 2020 | 96.9 |
| 2021 | 95.6 |
| 2022 | 100.0 |
| 2023 | 100.2 |
| 2024 | 95.2 |
El Centro vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
95 Top 42% higher than 58% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
El Centro cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
66.3 RPP
- Services
Services
157.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
105.2 RPP
What this shows El Centro's strongest departure is services at 157.2; rents follows at 66.3. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where El Centro's cost comes from
Metros near El Centro's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- El Centro (El Centro, this metro): goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 66.3
- Savannah: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 86
- Ocala: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 86.2
- Pittsfield: goods RPP 97, rents RPP 73.5
- St. Louis: goods RPP 100, rents RPP 79
- Bloomington: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 85.6
- Lansing: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 83.5
Price Index Summary
Goods
105.2
Above avg
Services
157.2
Expensive
Rents
66.3
Cheap
Service-cost-led profile
How El Centro's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in El Centro: the BEA services component is 157.2, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 95.2 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Pittsfield, MA, Merced, CA, Springfield, MA. They resemble El Centro across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, El Centro's overall index has stayed within 0.1 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,174
in El Centro, CA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,587
$75,000 nationally
$71,381
$125,000 nationally
$118,968
$150,000 nationally
$142,761
$200,000 nationally
$190,348
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
75/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
75th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
CA-relative analysis
Rent prices places El Centro, CA near the bottom of CA's metros
Among the 25 CA metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, El Centro, CA ranks #25 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares El Centro, CA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 25
4th percentile in CA
Services prices
#12 of 25
52nd percentile in CA
Rent prices
#25 of 25
0th percentile in CA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within CA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for El Centro, CA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (95.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (66.3 here).
Other CA Metros
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 115.6 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 113.6 Napa, CA 112.6 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 111.9 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 110.5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 110.4
View all CA metros → Cheapest in CA → Most expensive in CA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to El Centro's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Pittsfield, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 153.7 · Rents 73.5 Merced, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.3 · Rents 78.6 Springfield, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.0 · Rents 75.8 Visalia, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 156.4 · Rents 84.1 Redding, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 157.7 · Rents 89.4 Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.3 · Rents 90.3
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to El Centro, CA's index of 95.2.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for El Centro
How to read El Centro's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $105,071 in El Centro. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 157.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare El Centro head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in El Centro, CA?
El Centro, CA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.2, meaning it is 4.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 105.2, services at 157.2, and rents at 66.3. It ranks #164 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in El Centro, CA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,174 in El Centro, CA. Conversely, $100K earned in El Centro, CA has the purchasing power of $105,071 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in El Centro, CA?
Rents in El Centro, CA are indexed at 66.3, which is 33.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is El Centro, CA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, El Centro, CA's overall cost index changed by -0.1 points (from 95.3 to 95.2). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in El Centro, CA?
The priciest category in El Centro, CA is services at 157.2, 57.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 66.3, 33.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to El Centro, CA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Savannah, Ocala, Pittsfield. These areas have RPP values within a few points of El Centro, CA's 95.2.
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.