San Luis Obispo, California Cost Of Living

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Overall 59%

Goods & Services 10%

Housing 157%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; this is the most current data available.

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	San Luis Obispo	California	National
Cost of living	159	140	100
Goods & Services	110	111	100
Groceries	110	118	100
Health care	107	113	100
Housing	257	196	100
Transportation	123	128	100
Utilities	146	118	100

Key findings

The cost of living in San Luis Obispo is 13% higher than the California average
The cost of living in San Luis Obispo is 59% higher than the national average
San Luis Obispo housing is 157% 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	$88,221	$7,352	$2,058	$2,647
Renters	$31,494	$2,625	$735	$945

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in San Luis Obispo, CA, 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, 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%	10.5%

California Income Tax

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

Goods & Services

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.33	$17.49	4.8%
Beauty Salon	$83.33	$38.17	118.3%
Toothpaste	$3.55	$2.32	53.0%
Shampoo	$1.17	$1.01	15.6%
Movie	$11.72	$10.72	9.3%
Bowling	$11.67	$13.86	15.8%

Groceries

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.06	$3.90	4.1%
Fried Chicken	$1.97	$1.40	41.1%
Milk	$2.14	$1.96	9.1%
Potatoes	$3.88	$3.18	21.9%
Pizza	$8.99	$10.39	13.5%
Beer	$9.48	$9.23	2.7%

Health Care

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$108.00	$106.34	1.6%
Doctor	$121.25	$115.25	5.2%
Dentist	$108.33	$98.38	10.1%
Ibuprofen	$10.90	$9.26	17.7%
Lipitor	$483.33	$466.47	3.6%

Housing

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$567,600.00	$184,700.00	207.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,214.38	$1,273.32	4.6%
Apartment Rent	$1,323.00	$949.00	39.4%

Transportation

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.68	$2.59	42.0%
Tire Balancing	$46.67	$48.90	4.6%

Utilities

Item	San Luis Obispo	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$312.56	$167.60	86.5%
Phone	$173.40	$163.42	6.1%

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	117	17%
Oceano, CA	8,262	128	28%
Grover Beach, CA	13,484	142	42%
Los Osos, CA	15,603	144	44%
Santa Margarita, CA	1,346	146	46%
San Luis Obispo, CA	46,716	159	59%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Palm Springs, CA	46,714	121	21%
Twin Falls, ID	46,623	87	-13%
Texas City, TX	46,811	89	-11%
North Highlands, CA	46,841	106	6%
Hattiesburg, MS	46,846	83	-17%
San Luis Obispo, CA	46,716	159	59%

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

San Luis Obispo, CA Cost of Living