Poway, CA Cost Of Living

Poway 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	Poway	California	National
Cost of living index	158	138	100
Index	Poway	California	National
Goods & Services index	103	110	100
Groceries index	114	115	100
Health care index	107	109	100
Housing index	268	196	100
Transportation index	123	125	100
Utilities index	117	114	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for Poway, CA is displayed above. In Poway, CA, the overall cost of living index is 158, which is 14% higher than the California average and 58% 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 Poway, CA, the city's goods and services are 6% lower than the California average and 3% higher than the U.S. average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Poway is 14% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in Poway is 58% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Poway is 168% 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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Salary Calculator

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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

The salary calculator is used in order to provide a comparison of your current salary in Poway, CA to another city of your choice. The calculator will inform you of what your salary needs to be in any specific city in order for you to maintain your living standard based on what the city’s cost of living is. As an example, if you are seeking to move to a city that has a higher cost of living compared to Poway, CA, you would have to earn a higher income to maintain a standard of living that is similar. To get started with the Poway, CA salary calculator, input the new city’s name and then move the slider to indicate your current income. The salary calculator will now process the numbers and show you whether you need to earn more or less in the chosen city. A comprehensive breakdown of the cost of living will also be shown.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$118,790	$9,899	$2,772	$3,564
Renters	$54,661	$4,555	$1,275	$1,640

How much of your monthly income goes to housing can tell you whether or not you can afford housing in Poway, 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 Poway, CA homeowners have a median income of $118,790. Using that number, you will come up with a maximum of $2,772 per month that can be spent on the cost of housing. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $54,661, which means there is a maximum of $1,275 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%	10.25%

California Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
California	1%	13.3%

One thing to keep in mind when considering the cost of living in Poway, CA is the California sales tax and California income tax rates. Sales taxes are taxes that are collected on most goods or services sold. Sales taxes can vary by state and can be as high as 7% and as low as 0% as not every state imposes a sales tax. The California sales tax rate is 7.25% and the maximum surtax that can be charged is 10.25%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by both the federal and state government. The income tax rates varies by individual state and will also be higher or lower depending on the applicable tax bracket. The rates of state income tax can vary from 0% to more than 9%. The California income tax rates range from 1% to 13.3%.

Goods & Services

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.00	$16.09	18.1%
Beauty Salon	$57.00	$37.33	52.7%
Toothpaste	$2.66	$2.45	8.8%
Shampoo	$1.29	$1.00	28.9%
Movie	$13.78	$10.28	34.1%
Bowling	$5.07	$4.93	2.7%

Groceries

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.77	$3.80	25.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.14	$1.40	18.6%
Milk	$2.16	$2.01	7.6%
Potatoes	$2.77	$3.01	8.1%
Pizza	$9.96	$9.89	0.7%
Beer	$9.88	$8.90	11.0%

Health Care

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$107.20	$102.16	4.9%
Doctor	$105.00	$108.36	3.1%
Dentist	$104.33	$92.53	12.8%
Ibuprofen	$12.77	$9.28	37.6%
Lipitor	$409.84	$425.82	3.8%

Housing

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$583,100.00	$184,700.00	215.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,000.48	$1,202.44	149.5%
Apartment Rent	$1,497.00	$949.00	57.7%

Transportation

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.91	$2.24	29.7%
Tire Balancing	$50.56	$46.29	9.2%

Utilities

Item	Poway	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$232.69	$165.96	40.2%
Phone	$25.97	$28.68	9.5%

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.
Bostonia, CA	16,295	120	20%
Winter Gardens, CA	21,255	127	27%
Lakeside, CA	21,488	128	28%
El Cajon, CA	102,894	130	30%
Crest, CA	2,733	131	31%
Poway, CA	49,675	158	58%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Ashburn, VA	49,692	145	45%
Olympia, WA	49,608	112	12%
Wheaton, MD	49,764	131	31%
Wilson, NC	49,558	93	-7%
Downers Grove, IL	49,555	118	18%
Poway, CA	49,675	158	58%

Source: The Poway, CA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Poway, CA Cost of Living