Cost of living in Mountain View 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 Mountain View 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 Mountain View is 220, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Mountain View is 2.2x higher than the national average.
Mountain View ranks as the #593 cheapest in California out of 635.
Mountain View ranks as the #6,353 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Mountain View is $1,613,300.
The median income in Mountain View is $158,104.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Mountain View has an overall cost of living index of 220, which is 2.2x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Mountain View has a cost of living index that's 1.6x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Mountain View ranks as #593 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Mountain View ranks as the #42 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Mountain View, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Mountain View. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Mountain View is 119.
The Groceries index in Mountain View is 135.
The Health index in Mountain View is 125.
The Housing index in Mountain View is 431.
The Transportation index in Mountain View is 145.
The Utilities index in Mountain View is 137.
Living Expense | Mountain View | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 220 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 119 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 135 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 125 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 431 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 145 | 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 Mountain View is $1,613,300.
The Median Rent in Mountain View is $2,643.
The Median Income in Mountain View is $158,104.
The Home Value To Income in Mountain View is 10.2x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Mountain View is 0.2x.
Statistic | Mountain View | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $1,613,300 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,643 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $158,104 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 10.2x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Mountain View | 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 | Mountain View | 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 | Mountain View | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.92 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $146.83 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $133.38 | $99.13 |
Item | Mountain View | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.38 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $62.03 | $50.07 |
Item | Mountain View | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $269.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.26 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Mountain View. 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 Mountain View.
Danville, CA has a cost of living index of 218, 1.0x Mountain View.
Martinez, CA has a cost of living index of 154, 0.7x Mountain View.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Mountain View |
---|---|---|---|
San Ramon, CA | 85,688 | 201 | 0.9x |
Danville, CA | 43,673 | 218 | 1.0x |
Martinez, CA | 37,308 | 154 | 0.7x |
Pleasant Hill, CA | 34,649 | 171 | 0.8x |
Benicia, CA | 27,191 | 158 | 0.7x |
Hercules, CA | 26,050 | 155 | 0.7x |
Lafayette, CA | 25,384 | 236 | 1.1x |
American Canyon, CA | 21,735 | 148 | 0.7x |
Orinda, CA | 19,497 | 240 | 1.1x |
Piedmont, CA | 11,368 | 291 | 1.3x |