Cost of living in Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs is 132, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Palm Springs is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Palm Springs ranks as the #195 cheapest in California out of 634.
Palm Springs ranks as the #5,080 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Palm Springs is $623,753.
The median income in Palm Springs is $71,979.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Palm Springs has an overall cost of living index of 132, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Palm Springs has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than California's index of 141.
The standard of living in Palm Springs ranks as #195 most affordable out of the 634 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Palm Springs ranks as the #439 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Palm Springs, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Palm Springs. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Palm Springs is 112.
The Groceries index in Palm Springs is 115.
The Health index in Palm Springs is 100.
The Housing index in Palm Springs is 187.
The Transportation index in Palm Springs is 124.
The Utilities index in Palm Springs is 93.
| Living Expense | Palm Springs | California | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 132 | 141 | 100 | |
| Services | 112 | 110 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 115 | 112 | 100 | |
| Health | 100 | 110 | 100 | |
| Housing | 187 | 195 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 124 | 125 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 93 | 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 Palm Springs is $623,753.
The Median Rent in Palm Springs is $1,473.
The Median Income in Palm Springs is $71,979.
The Home Value To Income in Palm Springs is 8.7x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Palm Springs is 0.25x.
| Statistic | Palm Springs | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $623,753 | $763,287 | $303,400 |
| Median Rent | $1,473 | $1,956 | $1,348 |
| Median Income | $71,979 | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Home Value To Income | 8.7x | 7.9x | 3.9x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.25x | 0.24x | 0.21x |
| Item | Palm Springs | California |
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.34 | $1.28 |
| Movie | $11.04 | $12.13 |
| Bowling | $21.11 | $18 |
| Haircut | $27.27 | $24.26 |
| Beauty Salon | $41.78 | $45.56 |
| Item | Palm Springs | California |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $5.89 | $5.84 |
| Fried Chicken | $3.49 | $1.57 |
| Milk | $4.92 | $4.67 |
| Potatoes | $4.92 | $4.93 |
| Pizza | $15.31 | $12.09 |
| Beer | $10.26 | $10.41 |
| Toothpaste | $3.61 | $3.7 |
| Item | Palm Springs | California |
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $112.92 | $125.68 |
| Doctor | $95.5 | $135.78 |
| Dentist | $117.28 | $113.29 |
| Item | Palm Springs | California |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $4.75 | $3.46 |
| Tire Balancing | $61.38 | $59.92 |
| Item | Palm Springs | California |
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $378.97 | $193.99 |
| Phone | $180.31 | $192.25 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Palm Springs. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Indio, CA has a cost of living index of 124, 0.9x Palm Springs.
Palm Desert, CA has a cost of living index of 134, 1.0x Palm Springs.
La Quinta, CA has a cost of living index of 139, 1.1x Palm Springs.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Palm Springs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indio, CA | 90,669 | 124 | 0.9x |
| Palm Desert, CA | 51,551 | 134 | 1.0x |
| La Quinta, CA | 38,299 | 139 | 1.1x |
| Desert Hot Springs, CA | 32,786 | 113 | 0.9x |
| Rancho Mirage, CA | 17,375 | 152 | 1.2x |
| Bermuda Dunes, CA | 8,074 | 137 | 1.0x |
| Thousand Palms, CA | 7,662 | 112 | 0.8x |
| Garnet, CA | 6,979 | 112 | 0.8x |
| Desert Palms, CA | 6,522 | 143 | 1.1x |