Cost of Living in California
What it costs to live in California, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 39,431,263
- Median household income
- $100,149
- State income tax
- Up to 13.3%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 110.7
What a typical paycheck keeps in California
The typical California worker earns $58,240 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $310 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $58,240
- Federal income tax
- −$4,809
- Payroll taxes
- −$5,212
- State income tax
- −$1,544
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$25,812
- Everyday costs
- −$20,553
a year, or $26 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across California.
Cost of living in California
Prices across California run 11% above the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing54% above the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)6% above the US average
- Utilities59% above the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)3% above the US average
- All items11% above the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $2,151 | $25,812 |
| Food | $524 | $6,288 |
| Transportation | $414 | $4,968 |
| Healthcare | $361 | $4,332 |
| Utilities | $414 | $4,968 |
| Total before taxes | $3,864 | $46,368 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
California taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 1% |
| $11,079 | 2% |
| $26,264 | 4% |
| $41,452 | 6% |
| $57,542 | 8% |
| $72,724 | 9.3% |
| $371,479 | 10.3% |
| $445,771 | 11.3% |
| $742,953 | 12.3% |
| $1,000,000 | 13.3% |
Payroll programs withheld from wages
- State Disability Insurance (SDI)1.3%
Bracket widths are the 2025 inflation-adjusted amounts (2026 not yet published). State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages) is counted under payroll taxes.
Taxes on the median household income
$100,149 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$13,203 |
| Payroll taxes | −$8,963 |
| State income tax | −$5,084 |
| Effective tax rate | 27.2% |
Cities in California
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each California city we cover.
- Los AngelesCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $6,441 short1-bedroom $2,558 a month
- San DiegoCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $5,264 short1-bedroom $2,597 a month
- San JoseCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $10,9181-bedroom $2,673 a month
- San FranciscoCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $2821-bedroom $2,976 a month
- FresnoCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $6471-bedroom $1,444 a month
- SacramentoCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $6,1801-bedroom $1,790 a month
- Long BeachCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $5,001 short1-bedroom $2,438 a month
- OaklandCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $8,9341-bedroom $2,255 a month
- BakersfieldCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $1,1911-bedroom $1,440 a month
- AnaheimCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $7,281 short1-bedroom $2,628 a month
- StocktonCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $1,4741-bedroom $1,509 a month
- RiversideCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $2,815 short1-bedroom $1,885 a month
- IrvineCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $15,909 short1-bedroom $3,347 a month
- Santa AnaCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $5,505 short1-bedroom $2,480 a month
- Chula VistaCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $5,000 short1-bedroom $2,575 a month
- ModestoCaliforniaTypical worker keeps $4,1531-bedroom $1,400 a month
- OxnardCaliforniaTypical worker living alone: $504 short1-bedroom $1,902 a month
What common jobs keep in California
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $195,080 | $82,445 |
| Software engineer | $174,410 | $69,852 |
| Nurse practitioner | $168,520 | $66,450 |
| Dentist | $165,950 | $64,966 |
| Physician assistant | $165,650 | $64,793 |
| Pharmacist | $164,610 | $64,193 |
| Veterinarian | $163,920 | $63,794 |
| Data scientist | $141,590 | $50,899 |
| Registered nurse | $140,270 | $50,136 |
| Mechanical engineer | $130,900 | $44,725 |
| Lineman | $129,040 | $43,651 |
| Dental hygienist | $124,930 | $41,278 |
| Occupational therapist | $124,510 | $41,035 |
| Physical therapist | $124,190 | $40,850 |
| Civil engineer | $122,500 | $39,874 |
Salary pages in California, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in California
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Neurologists | $357,080 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $353,900 |
| Psychiatrists | $353,500 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $313,890 |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $301,240 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $292,410 |
| Physicians, All Other | $281,590 |
| Chief Executives | $218,600 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $218,290 |
| Pediatricians, General | $214,140 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $210,280 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $210,230 |
| Physicists | $207,490 |
| Podiatrists | $201,300 |
| Lawyers | $195,080 |
Living in California
California against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | California | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $759,500 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $2,104 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 38.1% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 29.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 14.1% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare California with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in California?
Prices in California are 11% above the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $2,151 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,713 a month.
Does California have a state income tax?
Yes. California's income tax rate is up to 13.3%. On a typical wage of $58,240, a single filer pays about $1,544 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in California?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $57,900 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in California earns $58,240 and keeps $310 after those costs.
Where in California does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the California cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in San Jose ($10,918 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Irvine ($15,909 short).
What jobs pay the most in California?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in California goes to Neurologists ($357,080); Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($353,900); Psychiatrists ($353,500) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate