Foster City, CA Cost Of Living

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Foster City 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	Foster City	California	National
Cost of living index	222	140	100
Index	Foster City	California	National
Goods & Services index	130	111	100
Groceries index	126	118	100
Health care index	127	113	100
Housing index	440	196	100
Transportation index	137	128	100
Utilities index	121	118	100

Displayed above is a general overview of the Foster City, CA cost of living index. The overall cost of living index in Foster City, CA is 222, which is 58% higher than the California average and 122% 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 Foster City, CA are 16% higher than the California average and 30% higher than the national average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Foster City is 58% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in Foster City is 122% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Foster City is 340% 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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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 meant to help you compare your salary in Foster City, CA to your potential earning power in another city. This can help you deduce what your salary would need to be in any given city in order for you to live the same lifestyle that you do in your current city. In other words, if you plan on moving to a city where the cost of living is higher than in Foster City, CA, you'll have to make more money in the new city in order to maintain the lifestyle you currently enjoy. To use the Foster City, CA salary calculator, simply input the new city, then move the adjustable slider to match your current income. Once you've selected your income, the calculator will determine if that income is sufficient to support your standard of living in the new city you entered. The calculator will also supply you with a rundown of living costs in the new city.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$132,653	$11,054	$3,095	$3,980
Renters	$124,198	$10,350	$2,898	$3,726

One can approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Foster City, 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 Foster City, CA have a median income of $132,653. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $3,095 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $124,198, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $2,898.

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%

For those who live in Foster City, CA and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the California income tax rate and the California sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In California, the sales tax is 7.25%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 10.5%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in California, the income tax rate ranges between 1% to 13.3%.

Goods & Services

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.71	$17.49	12.7%
Beauty Salon	$67.86	$38.17	77.8%
Toothpaste	$2.93	$2.32	26.2%
Shampoo	$1.33	$1.01	31.4%
Movie	$12.11	$10.72	12.9%
Bowling	$19.83	$13.86	43.1%

Groceries

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.71	$3.90	4.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.35	$1.40	3.3%
Milk	$2.39	$1.96	21.8%
Potatoes	$2.66	$3.18	16.4%
Pizza	$13.70	$10.39	31.8%
Beer	$10.49	$9.23	13.7%

Health Care

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$136.71	$106.34	28.6%
Doctor	$150.71	$115.25	30.8%
Dentist	$139.14	$98.38	41.4%
Ibuprofen	$11.99	$9.26	29.5%
Lipitor	$442.32	$466.47	5.2%

Housing

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$949,900.00	$184,700.00	414.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,196.29	$1,273.32	151.0%
Apartment Rent	$2,535.00	$949.00	167.1%

Transportation

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.79	$2.59	46.2%
Tire Balancing	$61.00	$48.90	24.8%

Utilities

Item	Foster City	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$228.47	$167.60	36.3%
Phone	$184.65	$163.42	13.0%

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	138	38%
Ashland, CA	24,288	140	40%
Cherryland, CA	15,066	140	40%
Hayward, CA	154,507	149	49%
San Leandro, CA	89,039	151	51%
Foster City, CA	32,967	222	122%

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Socorro, TX	32,988	81	-19%
Newark, DE	32,941	121	21%
Lexington, MA	32,936	189	89%
Ken Caryl, CO	32,883	116	16%
Copperas Cove, TX	33,052	84	-16%
Foster City, CA	32,967	222	122%

Foster City, CA Cost of Living