Cost of living in Big Bear Lake research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Big Bear Lake is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in California, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Big Bear Lake is 132, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Big Bear Lake is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Big Bear Lake ranks as the #286 cheapest in California out of 635.
Big Bear Lake ranks as the #5,326 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Big Bear Lake is $446,500.
The median income in Big Bear Lake is $65,441.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Big Bear Lake has an overall cost of living index of 132, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Big Bear Lake has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Big Bear Lake ranks as #286 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Big Bear Lake ranks as the #349 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Big Bear Lake, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Big Bear Lake. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Big Bear Lake is 111.
The Groceries index in Big Bear Lake is 114.
The Health index in Big Bear Lake is 105.
The Housing index in Big Bear Lake is 175.
The Transportation index in Big Bear Lake is 138.
The Utilities index in Big Bear Lake is 89.
Living Expense | Big Bear Lake | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 132 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 111 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 114 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 105 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 175 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 138 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 89 | 124 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in California, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Big Bear Lake is $446,500.
The Median Rent in Big Bear Lake is $1,066.
The Median Income in Big Bear Lake is $65,441.
The Home Value To Income in Big Bear Lake is 6.8x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Big Bear Lake is 0.2x.
Statistic | Big Bear Lake | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $446,500 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,066 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $65,441 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 6.8x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Big Bear Lake | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.17 | $1.06 |
Movie | $14.48 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $24.56 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $22.6 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $66.25 | $39.05 |
Item | Big Bear Lake | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.58 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.72 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.19 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.99 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.66 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.82 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.48 | $2.34 |
Item | Big Bear Lake | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $106.53 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $100.28 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $114.52 | $99.13 |
Item | Big Bear Lake | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.32 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $52.6 | $50.07 |
Item | Big Bear Lake | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $138.7 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.01 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Big Bear Lake. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Highland, CA has a cost of living index of 120, 0.9x Big Bear Lake.
Yucaipa, CA has a cost of living index of 116, 0.9x Big Bear Lake.
Calimesa, CA has a cost of living index of 109, 0.8x Big Bear Lake.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Big Bear Lake |
---|---|---|---|
Highland, CA | 56,733 | 120 | 0.9x |
Yucaipa, CA | 54,312 | 116 | 0.9x |
Calimesa, CA | 10,053 | 109 | 0.8x |
Mentone, CA | 9,708 | 116 | 0.9x |
Lake Arrowhead, CA | 9,647 | 129 | 1.0x |
Cherry Valley, CA | 7,749 | 112 | 0.8x |
Lucerne Valley, CA | 5,998 | 100 | 0.8x |