Cost of living in Durham 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 Durham 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 Durham is 134, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Durham is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Durham ranks as the #312 cheapest in California out of 635.
Durham ranks as the #5,400 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Durham is $518,300.
The median income in Durham is $107,000.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Durham has an overall cost of living index of 134, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Durham has a cost of living index that's 1.0x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Durham ranks as #312 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Durham ranks as the #323 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Durham, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Durham. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Durham is 115.
The Groceries index in Durham is 108.
The Health index in Durham is 121.
The Housing index in Durham is 176.
The Transportation index in Durham is 131.
The Utilities index in Durham is 110.
Living Expense | Durham | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 134 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 115 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 108 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 121 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 176 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 131 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 110 | 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 Durham is $518,300.
The Median Rent in Durham is $1,219.
The Median Income in Durham is $107,000.
The Home Value To Income in Durham is 4.8x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Durham is 0.14x.
Statistic | Durham | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $518,300 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,219 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $107,000 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 4.8x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.14x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Durham | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.24 | $1.06 |
Movie | $13.93 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $20.08 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $24.02 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $62.28 | $39.05 |
Item | Durham | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $5.05 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.31 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.66 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.2 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $17.03 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.52 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.79 | $2.34 |
Item | Durham | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $148.5 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $194.75 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $94.8 | $99.13 |
Item | Durham | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.24 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $51.87 | $50.07 |
Item | Durham | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $192.37 | $167.67 |
Phone | $186.51 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Durham. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Chico, CA has a cost of living index of 121, 0.9x Durham.
Oroville, CA has a cost of living index of 104, 0.8x Durham.
Magalia, CA has a cost of living index of 110, 0.8x Durham.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Durham |
---|---|---|---|
Chico, CA | 103,898 | 121 | 0.9x |
Oroville, CA | 20,409 | 104 | 0.8x |
Magalia, CA | 10,537 | 110 | 0.8x |
Paradise, CA | 7,730 | 113 | 0.8x |
Gridley, CA | 7,510 | 106 | 0.8x |
Thermalito, CA | 6,665 | 108 | 0.8x |
Palermo, CA | 5,387 | 109 | 0.8x |