San Carlos, CA Cost Of Living

San Carlos cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	San Carlos	California	National
Cost of living index	232	138	100
Index	San Carlos	California	National
Goods & Services index	129	110	100
Groceries index	125	115	100
Health care index	124	109	100
Housing index	478	196	100
Transportation index	134	125	100
Utilities index	115	114	100

Displayed above is a general overview of the San Carlos, CA cost of living index. The overall cost of living index in San Carlos, CA is 232, which is 68% higher than the California average and 132% higher than the national average. The cost of living index is created from the following categories: goods/services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). As you can see, goods/services and housing make up the majority of the overall cost of living index. Everyday goods and services can be a good indicator of the general cost of goods in a given city. In this case, the goods and services in San Carlos, CA are 17% higher than the California average and 29% higher than the national average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in San Carlos is 68% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in San Carlos is 132% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in San Carlos is 378% higher than the national average.
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average.
California state income tax is 55% lower than the national average.

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Salary Calculator

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

The salary calculator is used in order to provide a comparison of your current salary in San Carlos, CA to another city of your choice. The calculator will inform you of what your salary needs to be in any specific city in order for you to maintain your living standard based on what the city’s cost of living is. As an example, if you are seeking to move to a city that has a higher cost of living compared to San Carlos, CA, you would have to earn a higher income to maintain a standard of living that is similar. To get started with the San Carlos, CA salary calculator, input the new city’s name and then move the slider to indicate your current income. The salary calculator will now process the numbers and show you whether you need to earn more or less in the chosen city. A comprehensive breakdown of the cost of living will also be shown.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$163,678	$13,640	$3,819	$4,911
Renters	$73,863	$6,155	$1,723	$2,216

One can approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in San Carlos, CA by the percentage of a person’s income that he or she spends on the monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side and keep one’s head above the water, a consumer should never spend more than 28 percent of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in San Carlos, CA have a median income of $163,678. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $3,819 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $73,863, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,723.

California Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
California	7.25%	10.25%

California Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
California	1%	13.3%

One thing to keep in mind when considering the cost of living in San Carlos, CA is the California sales tax and California income tax rates. Sales taxes are taxes that are collected on most goods or services sold. Sales taxes can vary by state and can be as high as 7% and as low as 0% as not every state imposes a sales tax. The California sales tax rate is 7.25% and the maximum surtax that can be charged is 10.25%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by both the federal and state government. The income tax rates varies by individual state and will also be higher or lower depending on the applicable tax bracket. The rates of state income tax can vary from 0% to more than 9%. The California income tax rates range from 1% to 13.3%.

Goods & Services

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$25.90	$16.09	61.0%
Beauty Salon	$77.35	$37.33	107.2%
Toothpaste	$3.27	$2.45	33.5%
Shampoo	$1.26	$1.00	25.6%
Movie	$13.12	$10.28	27.6%
Bowling	$7.52	$4.93	52.5%

Groceries

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.32	$3.80	13.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.64	$1.40	17.6%
Milk	$2.72	$2.01	35.6%
Potatoes	$3.78	$3.01	25.4%
Pizza	$11.98	$9.89	21.2%
Beer	$9.48	$8.90	6.6%

Health Care

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$124.14	$102.16	21.5%
Doctor	$142.61	$108.36	31.6%
Dentist	$122.05	$92.53	31.9%
Ibuprofen	$11.97	$9.28	29.0%
Lipitor	$421.85	$425.82	0.9%

Housing

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$1,107,600.00	$184,700.00	499.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$4,265.07	$1,202.44	254.7%
Apartment Rent	$1,849.00	$949.00	94.8%

Transportation

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.07	$2.24	36.9%
Tire Balancing	$60.10	$46.29	29.8%

Utilities

Item	San Carlos	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$235.44	$165.96	41.9%
Phone	$24.12	$28.68	15.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Mountain View CDP, CA	2,585	134	34%
Ashland, CA	24,288	136	36%
Cherryland, CA	15,066	136	36%
Hayward, CA	154,507	145	45%
San Leandro, CA	89,039	147	47%
San Carlos, CA	29,596	232	132%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Sterling, VA	29,597	128	28%
Niles, IL	29,628	117	17%
Gloucester, MA	29,546	139	39%
Winter Park, FL	29,543	117	17%
Granite City, IL	29,662	84	-16%
San Carlos, CA	29,596	232	132%

Source: The San Carlos, CA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

San Carlos, CA Cost of Living