West Coast · Updated October 2026
California in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$2,632/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
31.5%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
13.3%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.71%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
103.9
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
87th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where California stands out: the 5th highest median household income among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 8th heaviest state and local tax bill, the 6th highest violent crime, the 2nd highest natural-disaster risk, the most expensive two-bedroom rent, the 2nd biggest rent-to-income bite, the 5th highest everyday costs and the highest top income-tax rate.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 9.5% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 8th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Downtown USC Campus station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 68°F | 49°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 72°F | 55°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 81°F | 64°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 78°F | 59°F |
$2,964/mo two-bedroom · $2,402 one-bedroom (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Los Angeles is less a city than a hundred neighbourhoods stitched together by freeways — extraordinary food, beaches, mountains and creative industries, alongside severe traffic, a visible homelessness crisis and housing costs that dominate every budget. Car ownership is effectively mandatory.
$3,697/mo two-bedroom · $3,003 one-bedroom (San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
San Francisco is dense, walkable, cool and foggy, with the highest concentration of tech capital anywhere. Expect exceptional food and transit by American standards, staggering rents, sharp street-level inequality, and a compact city you can cross in twenty minutes.
$2,823/mo two-bedroom · $2,335 one-bedroom (San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA)
San Diego has arguably the best climate in the country — mild, dry, coastal — plus a large military and biotech presence. It is expensive, sprawling and car-dependent, with a laid-back beach culture and comparatively few late-night options for its size.
$2,201/mo two-bedroom · $1,793 one-bedroom (Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Sacramento is California's state-government capital: cheaper than the coast, hotter in summer, with a strong farm-to-table food scene and easy access to Tahoe and the Bay. Increasingly a landing spot for people priced out of San Francisco.
$3,272/mo two-bedroom · $2,778 one-bedroom (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
San Jose is the suburban heart of Silicon Valley — high salaries, high housing costs, and a low-rise sprawl that feels more like an office park than a city. Excellent weather, strong Vietnamese and Indian communities, thin nightlife.
$2,805/mo two-bedroom · $2,290 one-bedroom (Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Oakland is the East Bay's big city: diverse, creative and a short BART ride from San Francisco, with a lakeside downtown and hills neighbourhoods. Cheaper than the city across the bay but still expensive, with persistent public-safety concerns.
$3,057/mo two-bedroom · $2,610 one-bedroom (Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Irvine is a master-planned Orange County city with a University of California campus, a large tech and business base and consistently low crime. Very expensive, very orderly, and car-dependent by design.
$1,656/mo two-bedroom · $1,273 one-bedroom (Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA)
Bakersfield is the southern Central Valley's oil and agriculture city, far more affordable than the coast. Very hot summers, some of the worst air quality in the country, and a growing logistics economy.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. California’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 13.3% (California tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 9.5% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $2,632 a month and a one-bedroom for about $2,151, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $873 more than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 103.9 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 210.6 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 31.5% of the state’s median household income of $100,149.
California recorded 486 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 6th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are earthquakes, wildfires and flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, California’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 87th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and San Jose. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.