Cost of living in East Palo Alto 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 East Palo Alto 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 East Palo Alto is 207, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in East Palo Alto is 2.1x higher than the national average.
East Palo Alto ranks as the #542 cheapest in California out of 634.
East Palo Alto ranks as the #6,344 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in East Palo Alto is $995,792.
The median income in East Palo Alto is $104,832.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, East Palo Alto has an overall cost of living index of 207, which is 2.1x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, East Palo Alto has a cost of living index that's 1.5x higher than California's index of 141.
The standard of living in East Palo Alto ranks as #542 most affordable out of the 634 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies East Palo Alto ranks as the #92 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in East Palo Alto, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in East Palo Alto. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in East Palo Alto is 107.
The Groceries index in East Palo Alto is 116.
The Health index in East Palo Alto is 124.
The Housing index in East Palo Alto is 415.
The Transportation index in East Palo Alto is 128.
The Utilities index in East Palo Alto is 132.
| Living Expense | East Palo Alto | California | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 207 | 141 | 100 | |
| Services | 107 | 110 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 116 | 112 | 100 | |
| Health | 124 | 110 | 100 | |
| Housing | 415 | 195 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 128 | 125 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 132 | 128 | 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 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in East Palo Alto is $995,792.
The Median Rent in East Palo Alto is $2,209.
The Median Income in East Palo Alto is $104,832.
The Home Value To Income in East Palo Alto is 9.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in East Palo Alto is 0.25x.
| Statistic | East Palo Alto | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $995,792 | $763,287 | $303,400 |
| Median Rent | $2,209 | $1,956 | $1,348 |
| Median Income | $104,832 | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Home Value To Income | 9.5x | 7.9x | 3.9x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.25x | 0.24x | 0.21x |
| Item | East Palo Alto | California |
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.66 | $1.28 |
| Movie | $13.31 | $12.13 |
| Bowling | $33.3 | $18 |
| Haircut | $33.94 | $24.26 |
| Beauty Salon | $48.51 | $45.56 |
| Item | East Palo Alto | California |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $5.79 | $5.84 |
| Fried Chicken | $2.13 | $1.57 |
| Milk | $5.05 | $4.67 |
| Potatoes | $4.77 | $4.93 |
| Pizza | $14.92 | $12.09 |
| Beer | $10.99 | $10.41 |
| Toothpaste | $3.72 | $3.7 |
| Item | East Palo Alto | California |
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $158.95 | $125.68 |
| Doctor | $194.05 | $135.78 |
| Dentist | $147.78 | $113.29 |
| Item | East Palo Alto | California |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $4.81 | $3.46 |
| Tire Balancing | $65.62 | $59.92 |
| Item | East Palo Alto | California |
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $294.74 | $193.99 |
| Phone | $190.07 | $192.25 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around East Palo Alto. 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 266, 1.3x East Palo Alto.
San Mateo, CA has a cost of living index of 248, 1.2x East Palo Alto.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 283, 1.4x East Palo Alto.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. East Palo Alto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnyvale, CA | 153,455 | 266 | 1.3x |
| San Mateo, CA | 103,555 | 248 | 1.2x |
| Mountain View, CA | 82,363 | 283 | 1.4x |
| Pleasanton, CA | 77,500 | 226 | 1.1x |
| Palo Alto, CA | 67,231 | 334 | 1.6x |
| Cupertino, CA | 58,886 | 326 | 1.6x |
| Newark, CA | 47,145 | 198 | 1.0x |
| San Bruno, CA | 42,612 | 220 | 1.1x |
| Menlo Park, CA | 32,775 | 334 | 1.6x |
| Los Altos, CA | 30,736 | 339 | 1.6x |