| Index | Old Palo Alto | Palo Alto | California |
| Cost of living | 342 | 340 | 143 |
| Goods & Services | 122 | 122 | 115 |
| Groceries | 110 | 110 | 108 |
| Health care | 107 | 107 | 103 |
| Housing | 853 | 844 | 197 |
| Transportation | 137 | 137 | 136 |
| Utilities | 143 | 143 | 144 |
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Household | $376,150 | $31,346 | $8,776 | $11,286 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| California | 7.25% | 10.5% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| California | 1% | 13.3% |
| Item | Palo Alto | 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% |
| Item | Palo Alto | 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% |
| Item | Palo Alto | 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% |
| Item | Palo Alto | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $3,541,485.00 | $326,622.00 | 984.3% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $9,604.61 | $2,480.25 | 287.2% |
| Apartment Rent | $4,105.00 | $1,444.00 | 184.3% |
| Item | Palo Alto | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $4.55 | $3.06 | 48.9% |
| Tire Balancing | $69.75 | $65.21 | 7.0% |
| Item | Palo Alto | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $372.98 | $220.12 | 69.4% |
| Phone | $194.17 | $195.71 | 0.8% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Loma Mar, CA | 294 | 124 | 23.8% |
| Mountain View CDP, CA | 2,675 | 135 | 35.4% |
| Newark, CA | 49,971 | 202 | 101.8% |
| Union City, CA | 76,617 | 205 | 104.6% |
| La Honda, CA | 1,259 | 211 | 110.6% |
| Palo Alto, CA | 70,212 | 340 | 239.9% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Yorba Linda, CA | 70,241 | 206 | 105.9% |
| Bossier City, LA | 70,171 | 96 | 4.4% |
| Eau Claire, WI | 70,119 | 97 | 3.5% |
| Palatine, IL | 70,310 | 120 | 19.7% |
| Norfolk County, ON | 70,339 | n/a | |
| Palo Alto, CA | 70,212 | 340 | 239.9% |
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