Santa Cruz, California Cost Of Living

F

83%

Overall NAT. AVG.

19%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

218%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; 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	Santa Cruz	California	National
Cost of living	183	141	100
Goods & Services	119	111	100
Groceries	130	116	100
Health care	128	111	100
Housing	318	196	100
Transportation	134	129	100
Utilities	130	129	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Santa Cruz is 30% higher than the California average
The cost of living in Santa Cruz is 83% higher than the national average
Santa Cruz housing is 218% higher than the national average
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average
California state income tax is 56% 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	$126,202	$10,517	$2,945	$3,786
Renters	$54,609	$4,551	$1,274	$1,638

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Santa Cruz, CA, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. 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 payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Santa Cruz, homeowners have a median income of $126,202. Using that number, a maximum of $2,945 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $54,609, which means there is a maximum of $1,274 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%	10.5%

California Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
California	1%	12.3%

Goods & Services

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$26.89	$22.08	21.8%
Beauty Salon	$79.79	$42.88	86.1%
Toothpaste	$3.37	$2.57	31.2%
Shampoo	$1.49	$1.15	28.9%
Movie	$14.15	$11.51	23.0%
Bowling	$22.39	$16.62	34.7%

Groceries

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.65	$4.98	6.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.90	$1.58	20.1%
Milk	$3.33	$2.42	37.6%
Potatoes	$3.06	$3.54	13.4%
Pizza	$14.88	$11.49	29.5%
Beer	$10.58	$10.04	5.4%

Health Care

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$150.30	$117.76	27.6%
Doctor	$167.43	$125.34	33.6%
Dentist	$145.10	$107.52	34.9%
Ibuprofen	$12.58	$10.26	22.7%
Lipitor	$489.73	$459.24	6.6%

Housing

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$895,800.00	$184,700.00	385.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$3,498.69	$1,697.41	106.1%
Apartment Rent	$2,038.00	$949.00	114.8%

Transportation

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$5.36	$3.85	39.4%
Tire Balancing	$71.40	$57.01	25.2%

Utilities

Item	Santa Cruz	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$268.45	$177.27	51.4%
Phone	$189.81	$189.62	0.1%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Moss Landing, CA	31	111	11.4%
Live Oak city, CA	8,501	112	12.3%
Paradise Park, CA	468	135	35.4%
Amesti, CA	3,240	128	28.4%
Watsonville, CA	52,398	131	31.2%
Santa Cruz, CA	65,011	183	83.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Harlingen, TX	65,028	75	25.1%
Wellington, FL	64,990	127	26.7%
Laguna Niguel, CA	65,048	180	80.3%
Blaine, MN	65,048	103	3.1%
Bethesda, MD	65,092	192	91.9%
Santa Cruz, CA	65,011	183	83.0%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.