| Index | Sierra Madre | California | National |
| Cost of living | 216 | 141 | 100 |
| Groceries | 110 | 111 | 100 |
| Health care | 114 | 116 | 100 |
| Housing | 449 | 197 | 100 |
| Transportation | 119 | 118 | 100 |
| Utilities | 122 | 119 | 100 |
| Lifestyle & Entertainment | 117 | 120 | 100 |
| Household Items | 111 | 111 | 100 |
| Education & Childcare | 122 | 127 | 100 |
The cost of living in Sierra Madre affects the quality of life one can afford in this new location. It allows people to assess whether they can maintain their preferred lifestyle, including housing, leisure activities and dining options. Your total monthly expenditures can varry depending on the area, as well as many other factors. The cost of living in Sierra Madre is 216, which is 116% higher than the national average. Knowledge of the cost of living can help individuals make informed decisions about retirement savings, investments, and financial goals.
If you prioritize affordability when seeking a new place to live, Sierra Madre may not be your ideal choice, as it ranks among the most expensive locations in the entire United States. A very small amount of areas exhibit a cost of living at least 20% higher than the national average, and unfortunately, Sierra Madre falls into this category, which may not align with your preferences for a budget-friendly living environment.
Housing costs make up a big chunk of the cost of living in Sierra Madre, and they usually eat into a large part of your take-home pay. Unfortunately, in this area, both buying a home and renting one costs 349.1% more than the average city. This includes stuff like home prices, rent, mortgage rates, and insurance.
The routine items you regularly buy for your home, such as cleaning supplies, personal care products, clothing basics, and kitchen essentials, make up 8% of the cost of living index. In Sierra Madre, these items cost 11% more than the national average, making day-to-day living a bit more expensive.
The surge in grocery costs is indeed alarming, especially when groceries make up a large portion of your monthly expenditures. Over the past two years, there has been an inflation of over 10% in grocery prices. Unfortunately, Sierra Madre does not fare better, with grocery expenses coming in at 10.2% higher than the national average.
Is Sierra Madre affordable? It's a key consideration when pondering a move, as affordability often shapes your choices. The cost of living index (we discussed it earlier), coupled with housing costs and income levels, serves as the cornerstone for determining a location's affordability. Take Sierra Madre, for instance, where the median home price falls 463.4% higher than the national average, and monthly rent rates are 82.4% higher than usual. Additionally, median income levels contribute to the equation, with Sierra Madre flaunting a median household income of $156,572, 92.5% higher than the national norm.
Subsidies: Certain regions may provide government subsidies or assistance initiatives designed to alleviate the cost of living burden on their residents. These programs encompass a wide range of support mechanisms, such as Medicare, Medicaid, housing subsidies, low-income home energy assistance programs, school lunch programs, supplemental nutrition assistance programs, student loans, electric vehicle tax credits, affordable care act subsidies and farming subsidies. Areas with fewer subsidy offerings might experience an elevation in their cost of living.
Groceries: Over the past 2-3 years, grocery expenses have experienced substantial upward trends. In certain markets, food prices have surged by over 20% during this period, while others have witnessed more modest increases. These fluctuations in food costs can wield significant influence over the overall cost of living in a given region. In Sierra Madre, the groceries index is 10.2% higher than the national average.
Taxes: Areas with higher taxes, including sales taxes and income taxes, can contribute to a higher cost of living. Paying more tax for everyday household expenses like clothing and food will result in higher costs, as will paying a higher rate of income tax. The general sales tax rate in Sierra Madre starts at 7.25% and the income tax rates start at 1%.
The Sierra Madre cost of living data above is designed around a U.S. average baseline of 100, allowing for easy comparisons of relative living costs. Housing incorporates U.S. Census home price and rental data, while all other figures are AI-assisted estimates that account for regional price trends, climate, transportation dynamics, and common everyday expenses. These values are best used as directional city-to-city comparisons.
| Cost of living index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index | |
| Lifestyle index | |
| Household index | |
| Educare index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Owners | $228,189 | $19,016 | $5,324 | $6,846 |
| Renters | $106,805 | $8,900 | $2,492 | $3,204 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| California | 7.25% | 10.5% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| California | 1% | 13.3% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Vernon, CA | 254 | 117 | 16.8% |
| Florence-Graham, CA | 66,603 | 138 | 38.2% |
| Industry, CA | 269 | 137 | 37.1% |
| Commerce, CA | 13,066 | 139 | 38.8% |
| Bell Gardens, CA | 42,827 | 139 | 39.0% |
| Sierra Madre, CA | 11,099 | 216 | 115.8% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Galena Park, TX | 11,097 | 88 | 11.8% |
| North Lindenhurst, NY | 11,096 | 131 | 30.8% |
| Ironton, OH | 11,094 | 83 | 16.6% |
| South Huron, ON | 11,104 | n/a | |
| Burtonsville, MD | 11,091 | 141 | 40.9% |
| Sierra Madre, CA | 11,099 | 216 | 115.8% |
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