Cost of living in Riverside 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 Riverside 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 Riverside is 124, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Riverside is 1.2x higher than the national average.
Riverside ranks as the #226 cheapest in California out of 635.
Riverside ranks as the #4,999 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Riverside is $418,000.
The median income in Riverside is $76,755.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Riverside has an overall cost of living index of 124, which is 1.2x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Riverside has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Riverside ranks as #226 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Riverside ranks as the #409 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Riverside, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Riverside. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Riverside is 114.
The Groceries index in Riverside is 115.
The Health index in Riverside is 107.
The Housing index in Riverside is 148.
The Transportation index in Riverside is 137.
The Utilities index in Riverside is 87.
Living Expense | Riverside | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 124 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 114 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 115 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 107 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 148 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 137 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 87 | 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 Riverside is $418,000.
The Median Rent in Riverside is $1,568.
The Median Income in Riverside is $76,755.
The Home Value To Income in Riverside is 5.4x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Riverside is 0.25x.
Statistic | Riverside | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $418,000 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,568 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $76,755 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.4x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.25x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Riverside | 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 | Riverside | 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 | Riverside | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $106.53 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $100.28 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $114.52 | $99.13 |
Item | Riverside | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.32 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $52.6 | $50.07 |
Item | Riverside | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $138.7 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.01 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Riverside. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Rancho Cucamonga, CA has a cost of living index of 142, 1.1x Riverside.
Corona, CA has a cost of living index of 134, 1.1x Riverside.
Jurupa Valley, CA has a cost of living index of 122, 1.0x Riverside.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Riverside |
---|---|---|---|
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 173,946 | 142 | 1.1x |
Corona, CA | 157,844 | 134 | 1.1x |
Jurupa Valley, CA | 104,684 | 122 | 1.0x |
Upland, CA | 78,624 | 139 | 1.1x |
Chino Hills, CA | 78,229 | 159 | 1.3x |
Eastvale, CA | 68,539 | 154 | 1.2x |
Colton, CA | 53,894 | 112 | 0.9x |
El Cerrito, CA | 25,898 | 177 | 1.4x |
Loma Linda, CA | 24,712 | 122 | 1.0x |
Bloomington, CA | 22,107 | 114 | 0.9x |