{"id":88227,"date":"2025-06-27T07:54:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T14:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=88227"},"modified":"2025-06-27T07:55:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T14:55:12","slug":"a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html","title":{"rendered":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-88228\" src=\"http:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84-1024x588.png\" alt=\"average cost to live in California\" width=\"395\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84-1024x588.png 1024w, https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84-730x420.png 730w, https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png 1312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 395px) 100vw, 395px\" \/>Many people dream of living in California. Considering it\u2019s one of the most expensive states, however, some fear their dream may never come true. However, the average cost to live in California depends on the numerous financial aspects of making the potential move.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Sitting down and breaking down the costs and looking over your own finances will help you determine if moving to California is a financially doable option for you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Are you ready to find out how expensive it really is to live in California? Let\u2019s take a detailed look.<\/p>\n<h3>Housing Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">The average cost of housing in California will vary greatly depending on where in the state you plan on moving to. It will also depend on the type of housing you opt for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">As a rough estimate, you can expect to pay anywhere from about $1600 to just over $3000 a month for housing, whether that be your mortgage or rent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The median cost per month for a mortgage in California is $2800. Meanwhile, the median cost for a one-bedroom apartment is about $1700 a month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Whether you\u2019re considering beautiful <a href=\"https:\/\/landseahomes.com\/northern-california\/alameda-county\/alameda\/alameda-marina\/\"><span class=\"s1\">homes for sale in Alameda, CA<\/span><\/a> or looking for a place to rent in an affordable Tulare County-based town, there\u2019s a housing option available for you within your budget in the Golden State.<\/p>\n<h3>Utility Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">As a general guideline, expect to pay about $400 a month in <a href=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id663-approximate-energy-costs-of-your-home-appliances-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">utility costs<\/a> when living in California, including cable and internet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The average monthly California bill for electricity is $145, with natural gas costing around $35, cable and internet accounting for around $120, and water being around $95.<\/p>\n<h3>Groceries Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">If you\u2019re a singleton, your monthly cost for groceries for yourself will likely be around $390 a month. Add that number again to your monthly expenses for any additional person living in your home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">However, keep in mind that grocery and restaurant costs vary drastically depending on the city you live in and the stores or restaurants you choose to support.<\/p>\n<h3>Transportation Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">For a single, childless adult, they can expect to spend about $10,600 in transportation costs annually when residing in California. That number increases to an average annual expense of $19,700 when there are two adults and three kids in the picture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Rest assured that there are many transportation options available in the Golden State, including free and\/or low-cost options.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">This includes Caltrans, public buses, Paratransit, the High-Speed Rail system, ferries, ride sharing, planes, bicycles, and trains.<\/p>\n<h3>Healthcare Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">Just about anywhere in the United States you live, healthcare costs can add up quickly. However, they\u2019re required, and what is more, they\u2019re essential.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chcf.org\/resource\/california-health-care-spending-almanac\/\">According to the California Health Care Foundation<\/a><\/span>, Californians spend about $10,300 a person on an annual basis. However, how much you actually end up spending a year will depend on your age, current state of health, and the plan you end up with.<\/p>\n<h3>Childcare Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">Childcare expenses can add up quickly, especially if you have more than one child. The good news is, there are many different childcare options to consider with varying costs. What is more, you can write childcare costs off on your taxes every year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Infant classrooms, toddler classrooms, preschooler classrooms, and home-based family child care cost roughly $1800, $1400, $1000, and $1300 a month per child, respectively, according to the <span class=\"s1\">Cost of Childcare organization<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">How much you pay for childcare each month not only depends on how many children you have but many other factors as well:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\">The demand and market value for childcare in your city<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">Children-per-teacher ratio<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">Teacher\/staff salaries<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">General facility costs<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">Food costs<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">Types of educational materials used<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">Activities and amenities available<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\">Type and intensity of curriculum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\">Remember that once your child reaches age four and enters pre-k, their care will be free, that is, unless you enroll them into a private school.<\/p>\n<h3>Taxes<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">Now, you\u2019re curious how California\u2019s tax system looks. They\u2019re something everyone pays, so you might as well become familiar with them now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/taxfoundation.org\/location\/california\/\"><span class=\"s1\">Tax Foundation<\/span><\/a>, individual income tax ranges from 1% to 13.3% and an 8.84% tax rate on corporations. The state of California\u2019s sales tax is 7.25%, and when combined with county sales tax, the average overall sales tax is 8.85%. As for the property tax rate, it\u2019s 0.68% in California.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">There are also other taxes as well such as the gas tax and cigarette excise tax, which are 68.1 cents a gallon and $2.87, respectively.<\/p>\n<h3>Other Expenses<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">Of course, how much you spend as a California resident goes beyond the essentials, from the cost of groceries to how much you spend on transportation each year. There are other expenses to keep in mind, which you can make as frugal or as lavish as you\u2019d like, depending on your budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Here are some other average, non-essential expenses Californians spend annually:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\">$2250 per vacation<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">$2700 on going out to eat<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\">$1400 on clothing per person<\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\">$5500 on unexpected expenses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>An Overview of the Costs<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">So, how expensive is it to make California your new permanent home? With all of the latter necessary expenses in mind, the average cost to live in California is around $64,835 a year. This will give you a better idea of whether or not California living is something you can afford or want to pay for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Remember that there are ways to make your living expenses more affordable in California. From moving to a cheaper California city and finding cheaper rent to considering less expensive childcare options and cutting back on non-essential expenses like dining out, there are ways to ensure your cost of living in the Golden State doesn\u2019t go well above your budget.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">For being a state with favorable weather, many things to do, great tourist attractions, and a diverse landscape, the average cost to in live in California isn\u2019t too shabby. What is more, there are plenty of cost-friendly cities in California to consider, from Bakersfield to Redding, if your budget is tighter. This makes California living a possibility for many folks.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-size: smaller;\">Photo Credit: stock photo<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people dream of living in California. Considering it\u2019s one of the most expensive states, however, some fear their dream may never come true. However, the average cost to live in California depends on the numerous financial aspects of making the potential move. Sitting down and breaking down the costs and looking over your own [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":88228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[459],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-88227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-family","8":"pmpro-has-access","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.8 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Len Penzo dot Com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1312\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"754\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tex Freitag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tex Freitag\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tex Freitag\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a709c99bd2016fa51a1fc107caa50cc1\"},\"headline\":\"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\"},\"wordCount\":996,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Untitled-84.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Home and Family\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\",\"name\":\"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Untitled-84.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Untitled-84.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Untitled-84.png\",\"width\":1312,\"height\":754,\"caption\":\"cost to live in California\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\",\"description\":\"The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Block_L.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Block_L.png\",\"width\":359,\"height\":360,\"caption\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LenPenzo\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/LenPenzo\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a709c99bd2016fa51a1fc107caa50cc1\",\"name\":\"Tex Freitag\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Tex Freitag\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?","description":"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?","og_description":"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:","og_url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html","og_site_name":"Len Penzo dot Com","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo","article_published_time":"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1312,"height":754,"url":"http:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Tex Freitag","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@LenPenzo","twitter_site":"@LenPenzo","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tex Freitag","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html"},"author":{"name":"Tex Freitag","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a709c99bd2016fa51a1fc107caa50cc1"},"headline":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?","datePublished":"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html"},"wordCount":996,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png","articleSection":["Home and Family"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html","name":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png","datePublished":"2025-06-27T14:54:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-27T14:55:12+00:00","description":"How expensive is California? After all expenses are considered the average cost to live in California is $64,835 a year. Now for the details:","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-84.png","width":1312,"height":754,"caption":"cost to live in California"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id88227-a-realistic-price-breakdown-the-average-cost-to-live-in-california.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Realistic Price Breakdown: How Expensive is California?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/","name":"Len Penzo dot Com","description":"The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Len Penzo dot Com","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Block_L.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Block_L.png","width":359,"height":360,"caption":"Len Penzo dot Com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo","https:\/\/x.com\/LenPenzo"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a709c99bd2016fa51a1fc107caa50cc1","name":"Tex Freitag","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/47e6dde1b6f473853861701215731fa7a65e73a4f2307ac31959398f7f147de2?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Tex Freitag"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88227"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88232,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88227\/revisions\/88232"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}