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Santa Cruz, CA Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the Santa Cruz, CA area are 9.9% above the US average, and housing 64.3% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 9.0% lower than in Santa Cruz, CA, so $75,000 in Santa Cruz, CA buys what $68,244 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$68,244
Prices overall
-9.0%
Housing costs
-39.1%

Santa Cruz, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items109.99.9% above
Housing164.364.3% above
Goods105.25.2% above
Utilities152.752.7% above
Other services100.3about the same as

What $75,000 in Santa Cruz, CA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$76,8432.5%
Los Angeles, CA$77,5253.4%
Chicago, IL$70,701−5.7%
Dallas, TX$70,359−6.2%
Houston, TX$67,288−10.3%
Washington, DC$74,318−0.9%
Philadelphia, PA$70,018−6.6%
Atlanta, GA$68,312−8.9%
Miami, FL$77,9343.9%
Phoenix, AZ$70,496−6.0%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is Santa Cruz expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 9.9% above the US average; housing is 64.3% above.

What salary do I need in Santa Cruz, CA?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $82,425. The area's median household income is $111,093.

How much is rent in Santa Cruz, CA?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,264 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does Santa Cruz, CA compare with New York?

New York prices are 2.5% relative to Santa Cruz, CA: $75,000 here equals $76,843 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • Santa Cruz, CA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the Santa Cruz, CA area is $2,264 a month including utilities, which takes 24% of the median household income ($111,093). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $90,560 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.