San Luis Obispo, CA Cost Of Living

San Luis Obispo 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	San Luis Obispo	California	National
Cost of living index	155	138	100
Index	San Luis Obispo	California	National
Goods & Services index	103	110	100
Groceries index	111	115	100
Health care index	106	109	100
Housing index	257	196	100
Transportation index	117	125	100
Utilities index	136	114	100

The above illustration supplies generalized information for the San Luis Obispo, CA cost of living index. Compared to other cities in California and cities across the country, the cost of living index in San Luis Obispo, CA is 155, which is 12% higher than the California average and 55% higher than that for the entire country. The index is comprised of the following criteria: cost of retail goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), cost of public/private transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). Everyday goods and services, along with housing account for 63 percent of the total cost of living index. Goods and services that are a necessity regardless of location provide an accurate general sense of the cost of living in one city versus another. As seen above, the cost of retail goods and services in San Luis Obispo, CA are 6% lower than the average for California and 3% higher than the rest of the country.

Did you know?

The cost of living in San Luis Obispo is 12% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in San Luis Obispo is 55% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in San Luis Obispo is 157% 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 San Luis Obispo, 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 San Luis Obispo, CA, you would have to earn a higher income to maintain a standard of living that is similar. To get started with the San Luis Obispo, 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	$88,221	$7,352	$2,058	$2,647
Renters	$31,494	$2,625	$735	$945

If you want to find a good determining factor for the cost of living and the general affordability of housing in San Luis Obispo, CA, all you must look at is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In San Luis Obispo, CA, the median monthly income is $88,221 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $2,058 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $31,494, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $735 on monthly rental expenses.

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%

For those who live in San Luis Obispo, CA and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the California income tax rate and the California sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In California, the sales tax is 7.25%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 10.25%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in California, the income tax rate ranges between 1% to 13.3%.

Goods & Services

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$16.23	$16.09	0.9%
Beauty Salon	$57.60	$37.33	54.3%
Toothpaste	$3.06	$2.45	25.1%
Shampoo	$1.17	$1.00	17.4%
Movie	$9.89	$10.28	3.8%
Bowling	$6.41	$4.93	30.0%

Groceries

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.23	$3.80	11.2%
Fried Chicken	$1.31	$1.40	6.3%
Milk	$2.25	$2.01	12.0%
Potatoes	$3.68	$3.01	22.1%
Pizza	$8.48	$9.89	14.2%
Beer	$8.70	$8.90	2.2%

Health Care

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$77.73	$102.16	23.9%
Doctor	$121.87	$108.36	12.5%
Dentist	$94.21	$92.53	1.8%
Ibuprofen	$12.09	$9.28	30.3%
Lipitor	$424.78	$425.82	0.2%

Housing

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$567,600.00	$184,700.00	207.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,131.97	$1,202.44	5.9%
Apartment Rent	$1,323.00	$949.00	39.4%

Transportation

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.82	$2.24	25.5%
Tire Balancing	$46.79	$46.29	1.1%

Utilities

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$285.86	$165.96	72.2%
Phone	$26.82	$28.68	6.5%

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.
Los Berros, CA	718	111	11%
Oceano, CA	8,262	124	24%
Grover Beach, CA	13,484	138	38%
Los Osos, CA	15,603	140	40%
Santa Margarita, CA	1,346	142	42%
San Luis Obispo, CA	46,716	155	55%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Palm Springs, CA	46,714	122	22%
Twin Falls, ID	46,623	92	-8%
Texas City, TX	46,811	86	-14%
North Highlands, CA	46,841	104	4%
Hattiesburg, MS	46,846	80	-20%
San Luis Obispo, CA	46,716	155	55%

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

San Luis Obispo, CA Cost of Living