Cost of living in Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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 Lafayette is 236, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Lafayette is 2.4x higher than the national average.
Lafayette ranks as the #604 cheapest in California out of 635.
Lafayette ranks as the #6,373 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Lafayette is $1,606,400.
The median income in Lafayette is $192,546.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Lafayette has an overall cost of living index of 236, which is 2.4x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Lafayette has a cost of living index that's 1.7x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Lafayette ranks as #604 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Lafayette ranks as the #31 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Lafayette, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Lafayette. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Lafayette is 119.
The Groceries index in Lafayette is 135.
The Health index in Lafayette is 122.
The Housing index in Lafayette is 483.
The Transportation index in Lafayette is 146.
The Utilities index in Lafayette is 137.
Living Expense | Lafayette | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 236 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 119 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 135 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 122 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 483 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 146 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 137 | 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 Lafayette is $1,606,400.
The Median Rent in Lafayette is $2,739.
The Median Income in Lafayette is $192,546.
The Home Value To Income in Lafayette is 8.3x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Lafayette is 0.17x.
Statistic | Lafayette | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $1,606,400 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,739 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $192,546 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 8.3x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.17x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Lafayette | 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 | Lafayette | 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 | Lafayette | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.92 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $146.83 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $133.38 | $99.13 |
Item | Lafayette | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.38 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $62.03 | $50.07 |
Item | Lafayette | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $269.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.26 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Lafayette. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
San Ramon, CA has a cost of living index of 201, 0.9x Lafayette.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 220, 0.9x Lafayette.
Walnut Creek, CA has a cost of living index of 180, 0.8x Lafayette.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Lafayette |
---|---|---|---|
San Ramon, CA | 85,688 | 201 | 0.9x |
Mountain View, CA | 82,409 | 220 | 0.9x |
Walnut Creek, CA | 69,876 | 180 | 0.8x |
Dublin, CA | 69,818 | 190 | 0.8x |
Danville, CA | 43,673 | 218 | 0.9x |
San Lorenzo, CA | 30,420 | 151 | 0.6x |
Hercules, CA | 26,050 | 155 | 0.7x |
Orinda, CA | 19,497 | 240 | 1.0x |
Moraga, CA | 16,750 | 217 | 0.9x |
Piedmont, CA | 11,368 | 291 | 1.2x |