Cost of living in Stanford 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 Stanford 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 Stanford is 273, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Stanford is 2.7x higher than the national average.
Stanford ranks as the #615 cheapest in California out of 635.
Stanford ranks as the #6,391 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Stanford is $2,000,001.
The median income in Stanford is $66,863.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Stanford has an overall cost of living index of 273, which is 2.7x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Stanford has a cost of living index that's 2.0x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Stanford ranks as #615 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Stanford ranks as the #20 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Stanford, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Stanford. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Stanford is 120.
The Groceries index in Stanford is 135.
The Health index in Stanford is 126.
The Housing index in Stanford is 619.
The Transportation index in Stanford is 145.
The Utilities index in Stanford is 134.
Living Expense | Stanford | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 273 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 120 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 135 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 126 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 619 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 145 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 134 | 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 Stanford is $2,000,001.
The Median Rent in Stanford is $1,732.
The Median Income in Stanford is $66,863.
The Home Value To Income in Stanford is 29.9x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Stanford is 0.31x.
Statistic | Stanford | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $2,000,001 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,732 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $66,863 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 29.9x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.31x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Stanford | 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 | Stanford | 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 | Stanford | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.92 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $146.83 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $133.38 | $99.13 |
Item | Stanford | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.38 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $62.03 | $50.07 |
Item | Stanford | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $269.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.26 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Stanford. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Sunnyvale, CA has a cost of living index of 204, 0.7x Stanford.
San Mateo, CA has a cost of living index of 205, 0.8x Stanford.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 220, 0.8x Stanford.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Stanford |
---|---|---|---|
Sunnyvale, CA | 155,550 | 204 | 0.7x |
San Mateo, CA | 105,087 | 205 | 0.8x |
Mountain View, CA | 82,409 | 220 | 0.8x |
Palo Alto, CA | 68,624 | 303 | 1.1x |
Cupertino, CA | 60,681 | 252 | 0.9x |
San Bruno, CA | 43,775 | 184 | 0.7x |
Menlo Park, CA | 33,677 | 289 | 1.1x |
Los Altos, CA | 31,562 | 340 | 1.2x |
San Carlos, CA | 30,754 | 237 | 0.9x |
San Lorenzo, CA | 30,420 | 151 | 0.6x |