Cost Of Living in Atherton, CA

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F

257%

Overall NAT. AVG.

22%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

800%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2025 and was released from C2ER in January, 2026; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Atherton	California	National
Cost of living	357	143	100
Goods & Services	122	115	100
Groceries	110	108	100
Health care	107	103	100
Housing	900	197	100
Transportation	137	136	100
Utilities	143	144	100

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Homes For Sale In Atherton, CA

269 Selby Ln

Atherton, CA

2190 Mills Ave

Menlo Park, CA

1527 Laurel Pl

Menlo Park, CA

5 Ridge View Dr

Atherton, CA

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Atherton is 149% higher than the California average
The cost of living in Atherton is 257% higher than the national average
Atherton housing is 800% higher than the national average
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average
California state income tax is 61% lower than the national average

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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

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$373,675	$31,140	$8,719	$11,211
Renters	$370,279	$30,857	$8,639	$11,109

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Atherton, CA, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Atherton, the median monthly income is $373,675 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $8,719 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $370,279, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $8,639 on monthly rental expenses.

California Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
California	7.25%	10.5%

California Income Tax

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

Goods & Services

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$29.74	$27.62	7.7%
Beauty Salon	$81.94	$51.11	60.3%
Toothpaste	$4.09	$4.09	0.1%
Shampoo	$2.23	$1.54	44.6%
Movie	$17.31	$12.88	34.4%
Yoga	$35.00	$19.66	78.0%

Groceries

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$8.02	$7.70	4.1%
Fried Chicken	$2.65	$1.66	59.4%
Milk	$5.18	$4.73	9.4%
Potatoes	$4.86	$5.26	7.5%
Pizza	$19.60	$12.76	53.6%
Beer	$11.35	$10.55	7.6%

Health Care

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$175.85	$140.06	25.6%
Doctor	$150.69	$153.82	2.0%
Dentist	$135.64	$123.15	10.1%
Ibuprofen	$12.52	$11.73	6.7%
Lipitor	$24.08	$23.61	2.0%

Housing

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$3,680,622.00	$326,622.00	1,026.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$9,604.61	$2,480.25	287.2%
Apartment Rent	$5,338.00	$1,444.00	269.7%

Transportation

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.55	$3.06	48.9%
Tire Balancing	$69.75	$65.21	7.0%

Utilities

Item	Atherton	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$372.98	$220.12	69.4%
Phone	$194.17	$195.71	0.8%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Loma Mar, CA	294	124	23.8%
Mountain View CDP, CA	2,675	135	35.4%
Hayward, CA	163,491	175	74.7%
San Lorenzo, CA	31,094	176	75.6%
Newark, CA	49,971	202	101.8%
Atherton, CA	7,303	357	256.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Beacon Square, FL	7,302	91	9.4%
Huron, CA	7,299	108	8.3%
Orland Hills, IL	7,299	105	4.5%
Nyack, NY	7,299	158	57.9%
New London, WI	7,307	92	8.3%
Atherton, CA	7,303	357	256.6%