Cost of living in Salinas, CA
The Salinas, CA metro area (436,251 people) ranks #11 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Salinas with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Salinas to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from San Jose, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Salinas: $162,600
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $162,600 in Salinas, CA to match $165,000 in San Jose, CA ($2,400 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in California, so state income tax is the same; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Salinas
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Salinas
On a $95,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $69,838 after 2026 federal tax ($12,070), Social Security and Medicare ($7,268) and California income tax ($4,590), plus $1,235 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Salinas area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,007/mo |
| Median home value | $808,600 |
| Median property tax | $5,016/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $4,823 |
| Median household income | $93,290 |
Climate and jobs in Salinas
In the Salinas area the average January low is 42°F and the average July high 71°F, and the area has about 6 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 7.9% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $47,380 a year, 7% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 42°F |
| July high | 71°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 6 a year |
| Precipitation | 13 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 7.9% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $47,380 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 186,430 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Salinas Municipal Airport station (USW00023233), with snowfall from Salinas #2 (USC00047668) because the main station doesn't record it. Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Salinas
A single retiree spends about $3,614 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,904 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Salinas
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Salinas area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 98.7 of 100), with expected losses of about $917 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in California.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Salinas?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $90,500 in Salinas. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $80,280, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $206,690.
Is Salinas expensive?
The Salinas metro area's price level is 109.0 (U.S. = 100), #11 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 145.7, 46% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Salinas?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Salinas had a net loss of about 1,467 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Salinas?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Salinas area (Salinas Municipal Airport weather station), the average January low is 42°F and the average July high 71°F. The area has about 6 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 13 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Salinas?
The Salinas metro area's unemployment rate averaged 7.9% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $47,380 a year in May 2025, 7% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Salinas?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 98.7). The highest relative risks are drought, landslide, earthquake.
Cities with similar prices
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Moving from California