Cost of living in El Cajon 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 El Cajon 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 El Cajon is 134, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in El Cajon is 1.3x higher than the national average.
El Cajon ranks as the #312 cheapest in California out of 635.
El Cajon ranks as the #5,400 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in El Cajon is $492,500.
The median income in El Cajon is $58,193.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, El Cajon has an overall cost of living index of 134, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, El Cajon has a cost of living index that's 1.0x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in El Cajon ranks as #312 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies El Cajon ranks as the #323 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in El Cajon, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in El Cajon. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in El Cajon is 109.
The Groceries index in El Cajon is 112.
The Health index in El Cajon is 109.
The Housing index in El Cajon is 177.
The Transportation index in El Cajon is 137.
The Utilities index in El Cajon is 127.
Living Expense | El Cajon | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 134 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 109 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 112 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 109 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 177 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 137 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 127 | 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 El Cajon is $492,500.
The Median Rent in El Cajon is $1,500.
The Median Income in El Cajon is $58,193.
The Home Value To Income in El Cajon is 8.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in El Cajon is 0.31x.
Statistic | El Cajon | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $492,500 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,500 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $58,193 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 8.5x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.31x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | El Cajon | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.2 | $1.06 |
Movie | $14.42 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $22.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $22.68 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $64.57 | $39.05 |
Item | El Cajon | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.58 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.72 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.19 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.99 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.43 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.82 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.48 | $2.34 |
Item | El Cajon | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $117.65 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $125.0 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $107.18 | $99.13 |
Item | El Cajon | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.24 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $56.47 | $50.07 |
Item | El Cajon | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $247.56 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.01 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around El Cajon. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
San Diego, CA has a cost of living index of 150, 1.1x El Cajon.
La Mesa, CA has a cost of living index of 144, 1.1x El Cajon.
Santee, CA has a cost of living index of 136, 1.0x El Cajon.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. El Cajon |
---|---|---|---|
San Diego, CA | 1,385,398 | 150 | 1.1x |
La Mesa, CA | 61,040 | 144 | 1.1x |
Santee, CA | 59,679 | 136 | 1.0x |
Poway, CA | 49,005 | 160 | 1.2x |
La Presa, CA | 38,492 | 128 | 1.0x |
Lemon Grove, CA | 27,513 | 133 | 1.0x |
Rancho San Diego, CA | 22,019 | 158 | 1.2x |
Winter Gardens, CA | 21,978 | 132 | 1.0x |
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA | 19,804 | 164 | 1.2x |
Bostonia, CA | 18,074 | 124 | 0.9x |