Pay and tax
Santa Cruz, CA Cost of Living Calculator
Prices in the Santa Cruz, CA area are 9.9% above the US average, and housing 64.3% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.
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Santa Cruz, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)
| Category | Price level | Against the US |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 109.9 | 9.9% above |
| Housing | 164.3 | 64.3% above |
| Goods | 105.2 | 5.2% above |
| Utilities | 152.7 | 52.7% above |
| Other services | 100.3 | about the same as |
What $75,000 in Santa Cruz, CA equals in other large metros
| Metro area | Equivalent salary | Prices |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $76,843 | 2.5% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $77,525 | 3.4% |
| Chicago, IL | $70,701 | −5.7% |
| Dallas, TX | $70,359 | −6.2% |
| Houston, TX | $67,288 | −10.3% |
| Washington, DC | $74,318 | −0.9% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $70,018 | −6.6% |
| Atlanta, GA | $68,312 | −8.9% |
| Miami, FL | $77,934 | 3.9% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $70,496 | −6.0% |
How this calculator works
BEA regional price parities for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.
Questions people ask
Is Santa Cruz expensive to live in?
Overall prices are 9.9% above the US average; housing is 64.3% above.
What salary do I need in Santa Cruz, CA?
To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $82,425. The area's median household income is $111,093.
How much is rent in Santa Cruz, CA?
The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,264 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
How does Santa Cruz, CA compare with New York?
New York prices are 2.5% relative to Santa Cruz, CA: $75,000 here equals $76,843 there.
Nearby and large metro areas
- Los Angeles, CA
- Riverside, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Stockton, CA
- Modesto, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Vallejo, CA
- Santa Maria, CA
- Salinas, CA
- Merced, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- New York, NY
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Washington, DC
- Philadelphia, PA
Related calculators
Sources
- BEA: Regional price parities by metro area, 2024
- US Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (median rent B25064, income B19013)
Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.