Shafter cost of living index

A general summary of the cost of living index in Shafter, CA is shown above. Compared to the state average of California the cost of living index in Shafter, CA is 103, which is 26% lower than the average in California and compared to the national average it is 3% higher than. The cost of living index is made up of several categories. These are transportation at 9%, utilities at 10%, goods and services at 33%, housing at 30%, groceries at 13%, and health care at 5%. The bulk of the cost of living index comes from the categories of goods and services and housing. If you look at everyday goods and services they can be a good indicator in a certain city of the general costs of goods there. In Shafter, CA goods and services come in at 6% lower than the average in California and are 3% higher than compared to the nationwide average.

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Salary Calculator

The salary calculator is meant to help you compare your salary in Shafter, CA to your potential earning power in another city. This can help you deduce what your salary would need to be in any given city in order for you to live the same lifestyle that you do in your current city. In other words, if you plan on moving to a city where the cost of living is higher than in Shafter, CA, you'll have to make more money in the new city in order to maintain the lifestyle you currently enjoy. To use the Shafter, CA salary calculator, simply input the new city, then move the adjustable slider to match your current income. Once you've selected your income, the calculator will determine if that income is sufficient to support your standard of living in the new city you entered. The calculator will also supply you with a rundown of living costs in the new city.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

One can approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Shafter, CA by the percentage of a person’s income that he or she spends on the monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side and keep one’s head above the water, a consumer should never spend more than 28 percent of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Shafter, CA have a median income of $56,479. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,318 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $26,958, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $629.

California Sales Tax

California Income Tax

For those who live in Shafter, 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

Groceries

Health Care

Housing

Transportation

Utilities

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.

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