Cost of living in El Cerrito 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 Cerrito 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 Cerrito is 177, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in El Cerrito is 1.8x higher than the national average.
El Cerrito ranks as the #526 cheapest in California out of 635.
El Cerrito ranks as the #6,193 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in El Cerrito is $894,600.
The median income in El Cerrito is $116,875.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, El Cerrito has an overall cost of living index of 177, which is 1.8x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, El Cerrito has a cost of living index that's 1.3x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in El Cerrito ranks as #526 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies El Cerrito ranks as the #109 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in El Cerrito, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in El Cerrito. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in El Cerrito is 120.
The Groceries index in El Cerrito is 134.
The Health index in El Cerrito is 125.
The Housing index in El Cerrito is 292.
The Transportation index in El Cerrito is 143.
The Utilities index in El Cerrito is 136.
Living Expense | El Cerrito | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 177 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 120 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 134 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 125 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 292 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 143 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 136 | 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 Cerrito is $894,600.
The Median Rent in El Cerrito is $2,184.
The Median Income in El Cerrito is $116,875.
The Home Value To Income in El Cerrito is 7.7x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in El Cerrito is 0.22x.
Statistic | El Cerrito | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $894,600 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,184 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $116,875 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 7.7x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.22x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | El Cerrito | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.39 | $1.06 |
Movie | $13.23 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $19.56 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $19.39 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $67.86 | $39.05 |
Item | El Cerrito | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.73 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.89 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.87 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.35 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $12.66 | $10.62 |
Beer | $10.57 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $3.07 | $2.34 |
Item | El Cerrito | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.92 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $146.83 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $133.38 | $99.13 |
Item | El Cerrito | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.38 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $62.03 | $50.07 |
Item | El Cerrito | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $269.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.26 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around El Cerrito. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Berkeley, CA has a cost of living index of 194, 1.1x El Cerrito.
Richmond, CA has a cost of living index of 137, 0.8x El Cerrito.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 220, 1.2x El Cerrito.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. El Cerrito |
---|---|---|---|
Berkeley, CA | 119,607 | 194 | 1.1x |
Richmond, CA | 115,677 | 137 | 0.8x |
Mountain View, CA | 82,409 | 220 | 1.2x |
South San Francisco, CA | 66,331 | 182 | 1.0x |
Danville, CA | 43,673 | 218 | 1.2x |
San Pablo, CA | 31,975 | 126 | 0.7x |
San Lorenzo, CA | 30,420 | 151 | 0.9x |
Lafayette, CA | 25,384 | 236 | 1.3x |
Albany, CA | 19,958 | 185 | 1.0x |
Piedmont, CA | 11,368 | 291 | 1.6x |