Cost of living in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax is 193, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Fairfax is 1.9x higher than the national average.
Fairfax ranks as the #562 cheapest in California out of 635.
Fairfax ranks as the #6,290 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Fairfax is $905,300.
The median income in Fairfax is $111,290.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Fairfax has an overall cost of living index of 193, which is 1.9x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Fairfax has a cost of living index that's 1.4x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Fairfax ranks as #562 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Fairfax ranks as the #73 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Fairfax, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Fairfax. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Fairfax is 126.
The Groceries index in Fairfax is 132.
The Health index in Fairfax is 126.
The Housing index in Fairfax is 331.
The Transportation index in Fairfax is 150.
The Utilities index in Fairfax is 139.
Living Expense | Fairfax | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 193 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 126 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 132 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 126 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 331 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 150 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 139 | 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 Fairfax is $905,300.
The Median Rent in Fairfax is $2,125.
The Median Income in Fairfax is $111,290.
The Home Value To Income in Fairfax is 8.1x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Fairfax is 0.23x.
Statistic | Fairfax | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $905,300 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,125 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $111,290 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 8.1x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.23x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Fairfax | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.35 | $1.06 |
Movie | $16.41 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $20.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $22.38 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $82.05 | $39.05 |
Item | Fairfax | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.64 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.8 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.83 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.42 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $13.47 | $10.62 |
Beer | $10.5 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $3.18 | $2.34 |
Item | Fairfax | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $144.57 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $149.63 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $132.68 | $99.13 |
Item | Fairfax | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.46 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $65.51 | $50.07 |
Item | Fairfax | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $267.84 | $167.67 |
Phone | $198.18 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Fairfax. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
San Rafael, CA has a cost of living index of 192, 1.0x Fairfax.
Petaluma, CA has a cost of living index of 161, 0.8x Fairfax.
Hercules, CA has a cost of living index of 155, 0.8x Fairfax.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Fairfax |
---|---|---|---|
San Rafael, CA | 61,158 | 192 | 1.0x |
Petaluma, CA | 60,050 | 161 | 0.8x |
Hercules, CA | 26,050 | 155 | 0.8x |
Mill Valley, CA | 14,240 | 246 | 1.3x |
Larkspur, CA | 12,972 | 238 | 1.2x |
San Anselmo, CA | 12,795 | 213 | 1.1x |
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA | 12,535 | 234 | 1.2x |
Corte Madera, CA | 10,145 | 233 | 1.2x |
Kentfield, CA | 7,517 | 300 | 1.6x |
Lucas Valley-Marinwood, CA | 6,546 | 207 | 1.1x |