Cost of living in Fairfield 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 Fairfield 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 Fairfield is 151, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Fairfield is 1.5x higher than the national average.
Fairfield ranks as the #323 cheapest in California out of 634.
Fairfield ranks as the #5,719 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Fairfield is $605,115.
The median income in Fairfield is $102,321.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Fairfield has an overall cost of living index of 151, which is 1.5x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Fairfield has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than California's index of 141.
The standard of living in Fairfield ranks as #323 most affordable out of the 634 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Fairfield ranks as the #311 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Fairfield, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Fairfield. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Fairfield is 113.
The Groceries index in Fairfield is 118.
The Health index in Fairfield is 121.
The Housing index in Fairfield is 220.
The Transportation index in Fairfield is 130.
The Utilities index in Fairfield is 136.
| Living Expense | Fairfield | California | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 151 | 141 | 100 | |
| Services | 113 | 110 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 118 | 112 | 100 | |
| Health | 121 | 110 | 100 | |
| Housing | 220 | 195 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 130 | 125 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 136 | 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 Fairfield is $605,115.
The Median Rent in Fairfield is $2,191.
The Median Income in Fairfield is $102,321.
The Home Value To Income in Fairfield is 5.9x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Fairfield is 0.26x.
| Statistic | Fairfield | California | United States | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $605,115 | $763,287 | $303,400 | 
| Median Rent | $2,191 | $1,956 | $1,348 | 
| Median Income | $102,321 | $96,334 | $78,538 | 
| Home Value To Income | 5.9x | 7.9x | 3.9x | 
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.26x | 0.24x | 0.21x | 
| Item | Fairfield | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.45 | $1.28 | 
| Movie | $16.46 | $12.13 | 
| Bowling | $27.22 | $18 | 
| Haircut | $25.0 | $24.26 | 
| Beauty Salon | $76.0 | $45.56 | 
| Item | Fairfield | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $5.7 | $5.84 | 
| Fried Chicken | $3.43 | $1.57 | 
| Milk | $4.91 | $4.67 | 
| Potatoes | $4.87 | $4.93 | 
| Pizza | $13.49 | $12.09 | 
| Beer | $11.18 | $10.41 | 
| Toothpaste | $3.64 | $3.7 | 
| Item | Fairfield | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $137.4 | $125.68 | 
| Doctor | $110.0 | $135.78 | 
| Dentist | $118.27 | $113.29 | 
| Item | Fairfield | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $4.6 | $3.46 | 
| Tire Balancing | $60.97 | $59.92 | 
| Item | Fairfield | California | 
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $182.51 | $193.99 | 
| Phone | $180.31 | $192.25 | 
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Fairfield. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Concord, CA has a cost of living index of 168, 1.1x Fairfield.
Vacaville, CA has a cost of living index of 147, 1.0x Fairfield.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 283, 1.9x Fairfield.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Fairfield | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord, CA | 124,260 | 168 | 1.1x | 
| Vacaville, CA | 102,085 | 147 | 1.0x | 
| Mountain View, CA | 82,363 | 283 | 1.9x | 
| Napa, CA | 78,816 | 172 | 1.1x | 
| Martinez, CA | 36,926 | 170 | 1.1x | 
| Benicia, CA | 26,861 | 169 | 1.1x | 
| American Canyon, CA | 21,698 | 162 | 1.1x | 
| Dixon, CA | 19,158 | 139 | 0.9x | 
| Rodeo, CA | 8,735 | 152 | 1.0x | 
| Winters, CA | 7,453 | 141 | 0.9x |