Petaluma, CA Cost Of Living

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Petaluma 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	Petaluma	California	National
Cost of living index	164	140	100
Index	Petaluma	California	National
Goods & Services index	137	111	100
Groceries index	127	118	100
Health care index	127	113	100
Housing index	238	196	100
Transportation index	141	128	100
Utilities index	122	118	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for Petaluma, CA is displayed above. In Petaluma, CA, the overall cost of living index is 164, which is 17% higher than the California average and 64% 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 Petaluma, CA, the city's goods and services are 23% higher than the California average and 37% higher than the U.S. average.

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Did you know?

The cost of living in Petaluma is 17% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in Petaluma is 64% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Petaluma is 138% 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

Use the salary calculator to compare your current income in Petaluma, 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 Petaluma, CA, then you would need to earn a higher salary in order to enjoy the same standard of living. To use the Petaluma, 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 Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$95,657	$7,971	$2,232	$2,870
Renters	$58,214	$4,851	$1,358	$1,747

One can approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Petaluma, 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 Petaluma, CA have a median income of $95,657. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $2,232 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $58,214, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,358.

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%

When considering the overall cost of living expenses in Petaluma, 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 10.5%, 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

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$23.67	$17.49	35.3%
Beauty Salon	$84.88	$38.17	122.4%
Toothpaste	$2.92	$2.32	25.8%
Shampoo	$1.37	$1.01	35.4%
Movie	$15.04	$10.72	40.2%
Bowling	$21.14	$13.86	52.5%

Groceries

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.47	$3.90	11.0%
Fried Chicken	$1.39	$1.40	0.4%
Milk	$2.34	$1.96	19.3%
Potatoes	$2.57	$3.18	19.3%
Pizza	$13.99	$10.39	34.6%
Beer	$10.39	$9.23	12.6%

Health Care

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$143.14	$106.34	34.6%
Doctor	$154.00	$115.25	33.6%
Dentist	$138.14	$98.38	40.4%
Ibuprofen	$12.19	$9.26	31.6%
Lipitor	$435.97	$466.47	6.5%

Housing

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$498,200.00	$184,700.00	169.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$4,745.39	$1,273.32	272.7%
Apartment Rent	$1,548.00	$949.00	63.1%

Transportation

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.82	$2.59	47.5%
Tire Balancing	$65.75	$48.90	34.5%

Utilities

Item	Petaluma	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$224.45	$167.60	33.9%
Phone	$195.57	$163.42	19.7%

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.
Oakville, CA	151	129	29%
Roseland, CA	5,859	140	40%
Rohnert Park, CA	41,928	145	45%
Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, CA	4,775	149	49%
Santa Rosa, CA	173,165	153	53%
Petaluma, CA	59,757	164	64%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Springfield, OH	59,761	84	-16%
Lakeville, MN	59,786	116	16%
Marietta, GA	59,714	107	7%
Gardena, CA	59,898	133	33%
St. Clair Shores, MI	59,916	91	-9%
Petaluma, CA	59,757	164	64%

Source: The Petaluma, CA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2019.

Petaluma, CA Cost of Living