Scotts Valley, CA Cost Of Living

Scotts Valley 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	Scotts Valley	California	National
Cost of living index	180	138	100
Index	Scotts Valley	California	National
Goods & Services index	122	110	100
Groceries index	126	115	100
Health care index	123	109	100
Housing index	315	196	100
Transportation index	130	125	100
Utilities index	114	114	100

The above illustration supplies generalized information for the Scotts Valley, CA cost of living index. Compared to other cities in California and cities across the country, the cost of living index in Scotts Valley, CA is 180, which is 30% higher than the California average and 80% 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 Scotts Valley, CA are 11% higher than the average for California and 22% higher than the rest of the country.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Scotts Valley is 30% higher than the California average.
The cost of living in Scotts Valley is 80% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Scotts Valley is 215% 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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Compare Scotts Valley, CA Cost of living To Other Cities

Salary Calculator

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in Scotts Valley, CA to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in Scotts Valley, CA, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the Scotts Valley, CA salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$111,713	$9,309	$2,606	$3,352
Renters	$88,173	$7,348	$2,057	$2,645

How much of your monthly income goes to housing can tell you whether or not you can afford housing in Scotts Valley, 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 Scotts Valley, CA homeowners have a median income of $111,713. Using that number, you will come up with a maximum of $2,606 per month that can be spent on the cost of housing. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $88,173, which means there is a maximum of $2,057 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%

When considering the overall cost of living expenses in Scotts Valley, 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 10.25%, 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	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$21.86	$16.09	35.9%
Beauty Salon	$69.62	$37.33	86.5%
Toothpaste	$3.23	$2.45	32.0%
Shampoo	$1.20	$1.00	19.6%
Movie	$11.67	$10.28	13.6%
Bowling	$6.78	$4.93	37.4%

Groceries

Item	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.25	$3.80	11.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.51	$1.40	8.1%
Milk	$2.74	$2.01	36.6%
Potatoes	$3.56	$3.01	18.1%
Pizza	$12.11	$9.89	22.5%
Beer	$9.55	$8.90	7.3%

Health Care

Item	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$120.71	$102.16	18.2%
Doctor	$138.93	$108.36	28.2%
Dentist	$122.57	$92.53	32.5%
Ibuprofen	$11.92	$9.28	28.4%
Lipitor	$416.12	$425.82	2.3%

Housing

Item	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$654,600.00	$184,700.00	254.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,702.60	$1,202.44	124.8%
Apartment Rent	$2,103.00	$949.00	121.6%

Transportation

Item	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.93	$2.24	30.3%
Tire Balancing	$60.44	$46.29	30.6%

Utilities

Item	Scotts Valley	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$230.24	$165.96	38.7%
Phone	$24.33	$28.68	15.2%

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.
Live Oak city, CA	8,501	111	11%
Pajaro, CA	3,524	115	15%
Paradise Park, CA	530	134	34%
Amesti, CA	3,205	126	26%
Watsonville, CA	52,915	129	29%
Scotts Valley, CA	11,824	180	80%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Holiday City-Berkeley, NJ	11,824	105	5%
Artesia, NM	11,817	89	-11%
Vinings, GA	11,816	128	28%
Schiller Park, IL	11,813	106	6%
Mays Chapel, MD	11,811	131	31%
Scotts Valley, CA	11,824	180	80%

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

Scotts Valley, CA Cost of Living