Cost of living in Taft 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 Taft 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 Taft is 103, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Taft is 1.0x higher than the national average.
Taft ranks as the #57 cheapest in California out of 635.
Taft ranks as the #3,487 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Taft is $184,600.
The median income in Taft is $52,917.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Taft has an overall cost of living index of 103, which is 1.0x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Taft has a cost of living index that's 0.7x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Taft ranks as #57 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Taft ranks as the #578 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Taft, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Taft. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Taft is 104.
The Groceries index in Taft is 104.
The Health index in Taft is 109.
The Housing index in Taft is 78.
The Transportation index in Taft is 128.
The Utilities index in Taft is 169.
Living Expense | Taft | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 103 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 104 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 104 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 109 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 78 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 128 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 169 | 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 Taft is $184,600.
The Median Rent in Taft is $911.
The Median Income in Taft is $52,917.
The Home Value To Income in Taft is 3.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Taft is 0.21x.
Statistic | Taft | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $184,600 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $911 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $52,917 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.5x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.21x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Taft | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.16 | $1.06 |
Movie | $10.31 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $14.28 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $20.0 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $55.0 | $39.05 |
Item | Taft | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.37 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.53 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.37 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.31 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $8.97 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.81 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.6 | $2.34 |
Item | Taft | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $91.67 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $131.39 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $117.39 | $99.13 |
Item | Taft | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.22 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $46.66 | $50.07 |
Item | Taft | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $370.41 | $167.67 |
Phone | $176.01 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Taft. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Bakersfield, CA has a cost of living index of 117, 1.1x Taft.
Oildale, CA has a cost of living index of 103, 1.0x Taft.
Shafter, CA has a cost of living index of 106, 1.0x Taft.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Taft |
---|---|---|---|
Bakersfield, CA | 398,756 | 117 | 1.1x |
Oildale, CA | 34,350 | 103 | 1.0x |
Shafter, CA | 19,897 | 106 | 1.0x |
Rosedale, CA | 18,875 | 133 | 1.3x |
McFarland, CA | 14,085 | 107 | 1.0x |
Montecito, CA | 8,494 | 334 | 3.2x |
Ojai, CA | 7,640 | 167 | 1.6x |
Mira Monte, CA | 6,893 | 153 | 1.5x |