Cost of living in Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Utah, 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 Salt Lake City is 105, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Salt Lake City is 1.1x higher than the national average.
Salt Lake City ranks as the #47 cheapest in Utah out of 91.
Salt Lake City ranks as the #3,676 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Salt Lake City is $380,200.
The median income in Salt Lake City is $65,880.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Salt Lake City has an overall cost of living index of 105, which is 1.1x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Utah, Salt Lake City has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Utah's index of 102.
The standard of living in Salt Lake City ranks as #47 most affordable out of the 91 places we measured in Utah. By definition, that implies Salt Lake City ranks as the #44 most expensive place in the Beehive State.
For more reading on life in Salt Lake City, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Salt Lake City. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Salt Lake City is 102.
The Groceries index in Salt Lake City is 100.
The Health index in Salt Lake City is 99.
The Housing index in Salt Lake City is 120.
The Transportation index in Salt Lake City is 114.
The Utilities index in Salt Lake City is 91.
Living Expense | Salt Lake City | Utah | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 105 | 102 | 100 | |
Services | 102 | 101 | 100 | |
Groceries | 100 | 99 | 100 | |
Health | 99 | 90 | 100 | |
Housing | 120 | 109 | 100 | |
Transportation | 114 | 105 | 100 | |
Utilities | 91 | 93 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Utah, 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 Salt Lake City is $380,200.
The Median Rent in Salt Lake City is $1,141.
The Median Income in Salt Lake City is $65,880.
The Home Value To Income in Salt Lake City is 5.8x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Salt Lake City is 0.21x.
Statistic | Salt Lake City | Utah | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $380,200 | $339,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,141 | $1,171 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $65,880 | $79,133 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.8x | 4.3x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.21x | 0.18x | 0.2x |
Item | Salt Lake City | Utah |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.03 | $1.06 |
Movie | $10.88 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $19.37 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $22.28 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $34.97 | $39.05 |
Item | Salt Lake City | Utah |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $4.06 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.81 | $1.39 |
Milk | $1.73 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.47 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.32 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.08 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.19 | $2.34 |
Item | Salt Lake City | Utah |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $89.78 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $107.49 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $101.65 | $99.13 |
Item | Salt Lake City | Utah |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.44 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $59.61 | $50.07 |
Item | Salt Lake City | Utah |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $134.97 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.8 | $175.64 |