| Index | Tustin | California | National |
| Cost of living | 182 | 141 | 100 |
| Groceries | 110 | 111 | 100 |
| Health care | 117 | 116 | 100 |
| Housing | 330 | 197 | 100 |
| Transportation | 122 | 118 | 100 |
| Utilities | 120 | 119 | 100 |
| Lifestyle & Entertainment | 124 | 120 | 100 |
| Household Items | 114 | 111 | 100 |
| Education & Childcare | 128 | 127 | 100 |
The cost of living in Tustin 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 Tustin is 182, which is 82% 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 affordability is among your top priorities when searching for a new place to live, this area may not be the ideal fit, as the cost of living in Tustin is among the most expensive in the United States. Just a minority of areas exhibit a cost of living at least 20% higher than the national average, and unfortunately, Tustin falls into this category, which may not align with your goal of finding a budget-friendly living environment.
Housing costs make up a big chunk of the cost of living in Tustin, 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 230% 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 Tustin, these items cost 13.9% 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, Tustin does not fare better, with grocery expenses coming in at 10.4% higher than the national average.
Nobody knows their city better than the people who actually live there. So, we asked 8 local residents how they would rate the cost of living in Tustin and this is how they responded. 50% of people said that the cost of living was affordable, with prices decreasing, while 50% of people said that the cost of living was very expensive and prices continue to rise.
Is Tustin affordable? This is a pivotal question, especially when mulling over a move, as affordability carries substantial weight in your decision-making process. Factors such as the cost of living index (discussed earlier), housing expenses and income levels all contribute to a location's affordability. For instance, in Tustin, the median home price is 288.1% higher than the national average and monthly rent prices are 94.6% higher than the typical rates. Additionally, the median income levels play a role in affordability, with Tustin boasting a median household income of $130,764, 60.8% higher than the national average.
Transportation: In situations where public transportation is limited or nonexistent, local residents may be required to own and maintain their own vehicles, contributing to an elevated cost of living. Monthly expenditures may encompass fuel costs, insurance premiums, routine vehicle upkeep and possibly lease or financing payments. In Tustin, the transportation index is 22.4% higher than the national average.
Healthcare: Healthcare costs and insurance premiums can undergo substantial fluctuations based on the city or state of residence. Elements such as the availability of healthcare facilities, out-of-pocket costs for medical consultations, dental expenses, prescription medication charges and specialized medical care fees all contribute to variations in the cost of living. In Tustin, healthcare costs are 17.3% higher than the national average.
Housing: Elevated demand for housing within coveted locales has the propensity to escalate both property values and rental rates, thereby serving as a primary catalyst for an augmented cost of living. Conversely, areas witnessing diminished housing demand, particularly within less desirable environs, often experience an inversely proportional effect, leading to price reductions and subsequently contributing to a more modest cost of living. In Tustin, the housing index is 230% higher than the national average.
The Tustin cost of living estimates above use a normalized U.S. average of 100 as the baseline for comparison. Housing values incorporate local home price and rental information from the U.S. Census, while all other estimates are AI-assisted and modeled using expected everyday expenses, local market trends, climate, and transportation-related cost pressures. The results are intended for practical 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 | $194,161 | $16,180 | $4,530 | $5,825 |
| Renters | $101,521 | $8,460 | $2,369 | $3,046 |
| 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. |
| Las Flores CDP (Tehama County), CA | 335 | 116 | 16.5% |
| Laguna Woods, CA | 16,656 | 135 | 34.5% |
| Stanton, CA | 39,110 | 146 | 46.2% |
| Coronita, CA | 4,083 | 150 | 50.0% |
| Santa Fe Springs, CA | 18,267 | 151 | 50.8% |
| Tustin, CA | 82,930 | 182 | 82.0% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Farmington Hills, MI | 82,920 | 111 | 10.8% |
| New Westminster, BC | 82,940 | n/a | |
| Pleasanton, CA | 82,910 | 231 | 130.8% |
| Warwick, RI | 82,750 | 111 | 11.4% |
| Cranston, RI | 83,148 | 114 | 14.0% |
| Tustin, CA | 82,930 | 182 | 82.0% |
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