Cost of living in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita is 163, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 1.6x higher than the national average.
Rancho Santa Margarita ranks as the #470 cheapest in California out of 635.
Rancho Santa Margarita ranks as the #6,036 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Rancho Santa Margarita is $719,800.
The median income in Rancho Santa Margarita is $135,350.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Rancho Santa Margarita has an overall cost of living index of 163, which is 1.6x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Rancho Santa Margarita has a cost of living index that's 1.2x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Rancho Santa Margarita ranks as #470 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Rancho Santa Margarita ranks as the #165 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Rancho Santa Margarita, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Rancho Santa Margarita. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 115.
The Groceries index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 116.
The Health index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 105.
The Housing index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 276.
The Transportation index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 137.
The Utilities index in Rancho Santa Margarita is 90.
Living Expense | Rancho Santa Margarita | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 163 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 115 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 116 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 105 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 276 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 137 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 90 | 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 Rancho Santa Margarita is $719,800.
The Median Rent in Rancho Santa Margarita is $2,254.
The Median Income in Rancho Santa Margarita is $135,350.
The Home Value To Income in Rancho Santa Margarita is 5.3x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Rancho Santa Margarita is 0.2x.
Statistic | Rancho Santa Margarita | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $719,800 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,254 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $135,350 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.3x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Rancho Santa Margarita | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.17 | $1.06 |
Movie | $14.48 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $24.56 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $22.6 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $66.25 | $39.05 |
Item | Rancho Santa Margarita | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.58 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.72 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.19 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.99 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.66 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.82 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.48 | $2.34 |
Item | Rancho Santa Margarita | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $106.53 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $100.28 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $114.52 | $99.13 |
Item | Rancho Santa Margarita | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.32 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $52.6 | $50.07 |
Item | Rancho Santa Margarita | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $138.7 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.01 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Rancho Santa Margarita. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Irvine, CA has a cost of living index of 182, 1.1x Rancho Santa Margarita.
Orange, CA has a cost of living index of 158, 1.0x Rancho Santa Margarita.
Mission Viejo, CA has a cost of living index of 166, 1.0x Rancho Santa Margarita.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Rancho Santa Margarita |
---|---|---|---|
Irvine, CA | 297,868 | 182 | 1.1x |
Orange, CA | 139,195 | 158 | 1.0x |
Mission Viejo, CA | 93,932 | 166 | 1.0x |
Lake Forest, CA | 85,516 | 159 | 1.0x |
Laguna Niguel, CA | 64,608 | 177 | 1.1x |
Aliso Viejo, CA | 51,943 | 161 | 1.0x |
San Juan Capistrano, CA | 35,319 | 164 | 1.0x |
Laguna Hills, CA | 31,409 | 170 | 1.0x |
North Tustin, CA | 25,708 | 191 | 1.2x |
Ladera Ranch, CA | 25,526 | 186 | 1.1x |