Fullerton, CA Cost Of Living

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Fullerton cost of living index

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; this is the most current data available.

The 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. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Fullerton	California	National
Cost of living	153	140	100
Index	Fullerton	California	National
Goods & Services	110	111	100
Groceries	116	118	100
Health care	109	113	100
Housing	253	196	100
Transportation	130	128	100
Utilities	90	118	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Fullerton is 10% higher than the California average
The cost of living in Fullerton is 53% higher than the national average
Fullerton housing is 153% 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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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	$97,332	$8,111	$2,271	$2,920
Renters	$47,719	$3,977	$1,113	$1,432

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Fullerton, CA, as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Fullerton homeowners, is $97,332. This would allow for a maximum of $2,271 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $47,719 which would result in a maximum of $1,113 to be spent on rental costs.

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	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$21.80	$17.49	24.6%
Beauty Salon	$65.00	$38.17	70.3%
Toothpaste	$2.19	$2.32	5.6%
Shampoo	$1.32	$1.01	30.4%
Movie	$14.42	$10.72	34.5%
Bowling	$23.33	$13.86	68.3%

Groceries

Item	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.32	$3.90	14.9%
Fried Chicken	$1.79	$1.40	28.2%
Milk	$2.19	$1.96	11.6%
Potatoes	$3.09	$3.18	2.9%
Pizza	$10.99	$10.39	5.7%
Beer	$9.66	$9.23	4.7%

Health Care

Item	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$96.75	$106.34	9.0%
Doctor	$123.33	$115.25	7.0%
Dentist	$112.40	$98.38	14.2%
Ibuprofen	$11.99	$9.26	29.5%
Lipitor	$483.87	$466.47	3.7%

Housing

Item	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$551,300.00	$184,700.00	198.5%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,485.71	$1,273.32	173.8%
Apartment Rent	$1,397.00	$949.00	47.2%

Transportation

Item	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.81	$2.59	47.0%
Tire Balancing	$51.00	$48.90	4.3%

Utilities

Item	Fullerton	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$142.30	$167.60	15.1%
Phone	$173.40	$163.42	6.1%

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.
Montclair, CA	38,294	121	21%
Cudahy, CA	24,106	123	23%
Paramount, CA	54,941	123	23%
Hawaiian Gardens, CA	14,468	121	21%
Maywood, CA	27,672	126	26%
Fullerton, CA	139,491	153	53%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Orange, CA	139,919	157	57%
Killeen, TX	138,745	86	-14%
Pasadena, CA	140,268	167	67%
McAllen, TX	138,475	79	-21%
Dayton, OH	141,143	83	-17%
Fullerton, CA	139,491	153	53%