State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in California
Statewide Regional Price Parities for California from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 25 metro areas.
- 110.7
- Statewide RPP
- #1
- of 51 states by cost
- 154.3
- Rents RPP
- 25
- Metro areas
California ranks #1 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- fell -1.5 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Hawaii
The verdict
California is more expensive than 98% of U.S. states, a statewide cost index of 110.7, 10.7% above the national average.
- Services
- furthest category from 100, at 158.9
- Hawaii
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.8 points away
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
- highest-cost metro, 115.6
- El Centro
- lowest-cost metro, 95.2
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $90,318 when earned in California.
Reading the California Cost of Living Picture
California's nearest statewide cost peers are Hawaii, District of Columbia, New Jersey. Those names define the relevant comparison lane: the question is which premium is driven by housing, services, or goods, not whether the state clears the national benchmark. Services and the lowest category are 52.8 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
California captures 25 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA leads on cost at 115.6, while El Centro, CA sits at the opposite end at 95.2 - a gap of 20.4 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 106.1, for services 158.9, and for rents 154.3. Rents run 43.6 points above the statewide index here, so housing is carrying this state's cost position; the goods and services lines would place it noticeably cheaper on their own.
Over time, California's statewide index has held steady within 0.5 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $90,318 of national buying power when earned inside California, and a household relocating here would need roughly $110,720 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. Because the premium is real and the state spans 25 reporting metros, the statewide number is the ceiling of a range — check the specific metro before accepting it as your cost.
California vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
111 Top 2% higher than 98% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
California's overall RPP fell -1.5 points, from 112.2 in 2023 to 110.7 in 2024. The largest category move was services, changing from 147.3 to 158.9. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Metro areas in California, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 115.6 | 108.5 | 172.6 | 194.7 |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 113.6 | 106.6 | 158.6 | 170.4 |
| 3 | Napa | 112.6 | 105.2 | 156.5 | 197.4 |
| 4 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 111.9 | 108.0 | 174.2 | 179.3 |
| 5 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 110.5 | 105.2 | 152.9 | 171.1 |
| 6 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 110.4 | 105.2 | 156.7 | 211.9 |
| 7 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 109.9 | 105.2 | 152.7 | 164.3 |
| 8 | Salinas | 109.0 | 105.2 | 154.2 | 145.7 |
| 9 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | 108.8 | 105.2 | 149.8 | 151.4 |
| 10 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | 108.6 | 105.2 | 147.8 | 144.4 |
| 11 | Vallejo | 108.5 | 105.2 | 155.0 | 142.0 |
| 12 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma | 107.8 | 105.2 | 154.8 | 139.6 |
| 13 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | 106.7 | 105.2 | 151.3 | 130.2 |
| 14 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 106.4 | 101.4 | 148.6 | 129.3 |
| 15 | Stockton-Lodi | 105.1 | 105.2 | 158.2 | 115.6 |
| 16 | Yuba City | 104.2 | 105.2 | 160.8 | 108.3 |
| 17 | Modesto | 104.1 | 105.2 | 152.3 | 108.5 |
| 18 | Fresno | 102.2 | 105.2 | 161.0 | 95.7 |
| 19 | Hanford-Corcoran | 101.6 | 105.2 | 157.4 | 93.5 |
| 20 | Chico | 101.2 | 105.2 | 158.8 | 91.9 |
| 21 | Bakersfield-Delano | 100.9 | 105.2 | 158.3 | 90.3 |
| 22 | Redding | 100.7 | 105.2 | 157.7 | 89.4 |
| 23 | Visalia | 99.8 | 105.2 | 156.4 | 84.1 |
| 24 | Merced | 98.3 | 105.2 | 158.3 | 78.6 |
| 25 | El Centro | 95.2 | 105.2 | 157.2 | 66.3 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
California RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.5 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 111.2 |
| 2009 | 110.7 |
| 2010 | 109.7 |
| 2011 | 109.5 |
| 2012 | 109.7 |
| 2013 | 109.7 |
| 2014 | 109.9 |
| 2015 | 110.7 |
| 2016 | 110.0 |
| 2017 | 111.0 |
| 2018 | 111.9 |
| 2019 | 111.1 |
| 2020 | 111.9 |
| 2021 | 111.9 |
| 2022 | 112.6 |
| 2023 | 112.2 |
| 2024 | 110.7 |
What this means in California
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within California.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (115.6) and El Centro (95.2) sit 20 index points apart inside California. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 154.3 (54.3% above average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing California against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to California, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for California: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (110.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (154.3 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is California more expensive than the U.S. average?
California has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 110.7, meaning it is 10.7% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 106.1, services at 158.9, and rents at 154.3.
What salary in California equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $110,720 in California. Conversely, $100K earned in California has the purchasing power of $90,318 at the national average.
Is housing what makes California expensive?
Rents in California are indexed at 154.3, which is 54.3% above the national average. Housing costs are significantly higher than typical U.S. levels.
Which metros stretch California's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in California is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA with an RPP of 115.6. The most affordable is El Centro, CA at 95.2. There are 25 metro areas in California with BEA price data.
Is California getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, California's overall cost index changed by -0.5 points (from 111.2 to 110.7). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Which categories pull California away from the national average?
The most expensive category in California is services at 158.9, which is 58.9% above the national average. All other categories are at or above the national average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.