Lakewood, California Cost Of Living

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F

Overall 42%

Goods & Services 10%

Housing 118%

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	Lakewood	California	National
Cost of living	142	140	100
Goods & Services	110	109	100
Groceries	112	112	100
Health care	102	109	100
Housing	218	196	100
Transportation	132	132	100
Utilities	89	127	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Lakewood is 2% higher than the California average
The cost of living in Lakewood is 42% higher than the national average
Lakewood housing is 118% higher than the national average
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average
California state income tax is 59% 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	$92,717	$7,726	$2,163	$2,782
Renters	$58,271	$4,856	$1,360	$1,748

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Lakewood, CA, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. 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 payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Lakewood, homeowners have a median income of $92,717. Using that number, a maximum of $2,163 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $58,271, which means there is a maximum of $1,360 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

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	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$24.92	$20.27	22.9%
Beauty Salon	$59.67	$40.39	47.7%
Toothpaste	$2.16	$2.36	8.3%
Shampoo	$1.33	$1.08	23.3%
Movie	$14.78	$10.99	34.6%
Bowling	$21.11	$15.49	36.3%

Groceries

Item	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.41	$4.30	2.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.79	$1.40	28.2%
Milk	$2.30	$2.20	4.4%
Potatoes	$2.99	$3.22	7.1%
Pizza	$11.99	$10.74	11.6%
Beer	$9.93	$9.60	3.5%

Health Care

Item	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$105.28	$109.73	4.0%
Doctor	$95.00	$118.34	19.7%
Dentist	$114.80	$100.94	13.7%
Ibuprofen	$11.49	$9.93	15.7%
Lipitor	$487.47	$469.53	3.8%

Housing

Item	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$445,800.00	$184,700.00	141.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,443.41	$1,229.62	180.0%
Apartment Rent	$1,538.00	$949.00	62.1%

Transportation

Item	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.94	$2.71	45.3%
Tire Balancing	$57.17	$51.86	10.2%

Utilities

Item	Lakewood	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$146.77	$170.84	14.1%
Phone	$174.14	$187.18	7.0%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Willowbrook, CA	22,035	119	19.2%
Florence-Graham, CA	63,390	121	20.5%
Compton, CA	97,740	121	20.9%
East Rancho Dominguez, CA	15,887	122	22.5%
West Rancho Dominguez, CA	22,724	124	23.6%
Lakewood, CA	81,054	142	42.1%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Farmington Hills, MI	81,154	107	7.2%
Palm Coast, FL	80,948	99	1.5%
Cranston, RI	80,882	114	14.4%
Largo, FL	80,678	88	12.4%
Lake Forest, CA	80,658	156	56.3%
Lakewood, CA	81,054	142	42.1%

Source: This data reflects 2021 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.