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Kensington, CA Cost of Living

Kensington 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.
IndexKensingtonCaliforniaNational
Cost of living index196138100
IndexKensingtonCaliforniaNational
Goods & Services index122110100
Groceries index126115100
Health care index123109100
Housing index368196100
Transportation index130125100
Utilities index114114100
A general overview of the cost of living index for Kensington, CA is displayed above. In Kensington, CA, the overall cost of living index is 196, which is 42% higher than the California average and 96% higher than the U.S. average. The following categories are used to calculate the overall cost of living index: goods/services (33%), housing (30%), groceries (13%), utilities (10%), transportation (9%) and health care (5%). From the list, it is clear that the categories of goods/services and housing are responsible for the largest portions of the overall cost of living index. As a general rule, everyday goods and services provide an accurate measure of the general cost of goods in any given city. In the case of Kensington, CA, the city's goods and services are 11% higher than the California average and 22% higher than the U.S. average.
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Did you know?

  • The cost of living in Kensington is 42% higher than the California average.
  • The cost of living in Kensington is 96% higher than the national average.
  • The cost of housing in Kensington is 268% 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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Compare Kensington, CA Cost of living To Other Cities

Salary Calculator

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Health care index
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Transportation index
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Use the salary calculator to compare your current income in Kensington, CA to any other city in the country. The calculator will tell you how much income you would need to make in a particular city to live at the same level based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to move to is higher than that of Kensington, CA, then you would need to earn a higher salary in order to enjoy the same standard of living. To use the Kensington, CA salary calculator, enter the name of the new city, then move the slider to your current salary level. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if your salary would need to increase or decrease for the new city. You will also see a complete overview of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median IncomePer YearPer MonthMax Budget (28% DTI)Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners$146,429$12,202$3,416$4,393
Renters$103,438$8,620$2,413$3,103
How much of your monthly income goes to housing can tell you whether or not you can afford housing in Kensington, CA, as well as what the average cost of living is. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payment and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Kensington, CA homeowners have a median income of $146,429. Using that number, you will come up with a maximum of $3,416 per month that can be spent on the cost of housing. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $103,438, which means there is a maximum of $2,413 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

California Sales Tax

StateGeneral Sales TaxWith Max Surtax
California7.25%10.25%

California Income Tax

StateIncome Tax (Low)Income Tax (High)
California1%13.3%
When considering the overall cost of living expenses in Kensington, CA, it's important to take into account the sales tax for California, as well as the rate for income tax in California. Goods and services sold to consumers in any state have some form of sales tax. Each state has its own tax code, which means that sales tax rates vary from state to state, ranging from over 7% in some states to as low as 0% in others. The maximum surtax for California is 10.25%, and the sales tax in the state of California is 7.25%. Alternatively, the tax imposed on your income by the state government is known as income tax. The rate for this tax also varies from state to state, and your rate is affected by your tax bracket, which is determined by your level of income. Income tax rates might be as high as 9%, down to as low as 0%. The range for income tax rates in California starts from 1% and goes up to 13.3%.

Goods & Services

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
Haircut $21.86$16.0935.9%
Beauty Salon $69.62$37.3386.5%
Toothpaste $3.23$2.4532.0%
Shampoo $1.20$1.0019.6%
Movie $11.67$10.2813.6%
Bowling $6.78$4.9337.4%

Groceries

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
Ground Beef $4.25$3.8011.8%
Fried Chicken $1.51$1.408.1%
Milk $2.74$2.0136.6%
Potatoes $3.56$3.0118.1%
Pizza $12.11$9.8922.5%
Beer $9.55$8.907.3%

Health Care

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
Optometrist $120.71$102.1618.2%
Doctor $138.93$108.3628.2%
Dentist $122.57$92.5332.5%
Ibuprofen $11.92$9.2828.4%
Lipitor $416.12$425.822.3%

Housing

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
Home Price $805,200.00$184,700.00336.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment $2,702.60$1,202.44124.8%
Apartment Rent $1,994.00$949.00110.1%

Transportation

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
Gasoline $2.93$2.2430.3%
Tire Balancing $60.44$46.2930.6%

Utilities

ItemKensingtonNational avg.Difference
All Electricity$230.24$165.9638.7%
Phone $24.33$28.6815.2%
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, StatePopulationCost of Living IndexNational Avg.
Strawberry CDP (Tuolumne County), CA11612727%
Rollingwood, CA3,23112121%
Port Costa, CA22812121%
San Pablo, CA29,99112222%
Montalvin Manor, CA3,17412323%
Kensington, CA5,60219696%

Cities with similar population

City, StatePopulationCost of Living IndexNational Avg.
Lebanon, KY5,60484-16%
Vinita, OK5,59988-12%
Alma, AR5,59988-12%
Exeter, PA5,60590-10%
Avra Valley, AZ5,60687-13%
Kensington, CA5,60219696%
Source: The Kensington, CA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.
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