The Salary Needed To Afford California’s Largest Cities

Living in California’s biggest cities comes at a steep price — especially if comfort is the goal.

You’ll find 15 of the nation’s 75 most populous cities in the Golden State. Of those 15, even the least expensive requires an annual salary of more than $100,000 to earn a comfortable living.

That’s according to a recent GOBankingRates analysis of data from the U.S. Census, the Zillow Home Value Index and Federal Reserve Economic Data. Using these sources, GOBankingRates calculated the annual cost of living, then doubled it to determine what it takes to live comfortably in each city. This approach is based on the 50/30/20 rule, which states that needs should not exceed 50% of total household income. Doubling the amount needed leaves enough for comfortable discretionary spending and savings/debt.

While California’s 15^th-least expensive major city still requires six figures to live comfortably, it’s possible to go much higher. In the Golden State’s most expensive major city, you’ll need to pull in a whopping $315,000 a year to make a comfortable living.

Here’s a look at all 15 cities and their annual living costs, along with populations and livability scores sourced from AreaVibes.

• Population: 3,857,897
• Livability: 67
• Total cost of living annually: $100,266
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $200,532

California’s most populous city — and the second most populous city in the nation — has a household median income of around $80,000. Single-family homes in L.A. are valued at $1.4 million on average.

• Population: 1,385,061
• Livability: 75
• Total cost of living annually: $106,761
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $213,522

You’ll have to top $200,000 a year to make a comfortable living in sunny San Diego. The annual household median income is well short of that, coming in around $104,000. Single-family homes here were valued at $1.2 million on average as of last May.

• Population: 990,054
• Livability: 79
• Total cost of living annually: $140,115
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $280,229

San Jose’s annual cost of comfortable living is the nation’s second highest. The average single-family home in this Silicon Valley city was valued at $1.55 million last May. San Jose’s median household income is $142,000.

• Population: 836,321
• Livability: 75
• Total cost of living annually: $129,872
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $259,745

San Francisco saw its population dip 1.7% between 2022 and 2023 — the steepest drop among the 75 largest U.S. cities. Living in the City by the Bay remains expensive, with single-family homes valued at $1.4 million.

• Population: 543,615
• Livability: 63
• Total cost of living annually: $51,638
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $103,276

Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno offers the least expensive annual living costs among California’s 15 largest cities. Single-family homes here are valued at a relatively cheap $400,000 on average. Fresno’s median household income sits around $67,000.

• Population: 524,802
• Livability: 73
• Total cost of living annually: $60,000
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $120,000

Single-family homes in California’s capital were valued just shy of $500,000 as of last May. Sacramento’s median household income is about $84,000, well short of the total needed to live comfortably.

• Population: 458,491
• Livability: 69
• Total cost of living annually: $91,653
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $183,305

Long Beach has drawn in more seniors in recent years — its 65+ population increased by about three-quarters of a percent between 2022 and 2023. Single-family homes in Long Beach were valued at $933,000 as of last May.

• Population: 438,072
• Livability: 71
• Total cost of living annually: $84,401
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $168,802

Oakland’s median income is around $97,000. Single-family homes here are valued at $829,000.

• Population: 408,366
• Livability: 76
• Total cost of living annually: $51,677
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $103,354

Bakersfield’s livability score from AreaVibes is the second lowest among the nation’s 75 largest cities. Still, you’ll need an annual salary over $100,000 to live comfortably here. Bakersfield’s median household income came in well below that — around $77,000.

• Population: 344,553
• Livability: 69
• Total cost of living annually: $92,355
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $184,711

It’s still possible to find a single-family home in Anaheim for less than $1 million, with the average value listed at $975,000 in May. Anaheim’s median household income sits around $91,000 a year.

• Population: 320,470
• Livability: 59
• Total cost of living annually: $56,670
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $113,341

Among the 75 largest U.S. cities, Stockton has the third-lowest livability score from AreaVibes. You’d still require an annual salary of $113,000 to live comfortably here, according to GBR’s analysis. Single-family homes in Stockton were valued at $451,000 in this study, relatively cheap for the state.

• Population: 316,241
• Livability: 67
• Total cost of living annually: $72,243
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $144,486

Depending on traffic, Riverside is about an hour east of Los Angeles by car. As of last May, single-family homes were valued around $661,000.

• Population: 311,639
• Livability: 51
• Total cost of living annually: $87,907
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $175,814

Santa Ana’s livability score from AreaVibes is the lowest among the 75 largest U.S. cities. It’s still an expensive place to live, however, with the 11^th highest total annual cost of living among those cities. Santa Ana’s median household income is about $88,000 — almost exactly half of the salary required to live comfortably.

• Population: 308,160
• Livability: 76
• Total cost of living annually: $157,492
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $314,983

Among America’s 75 largest cities, Irvine saw the largest jumps between 2022 and 2023 in average household median income (+$6,700) and average value for a single-family home (+$167,000). Irvine’s comfortable cost of living annually is the highest among those 75 cities. The average value of a single-family home here is $1.9M.

• Population: 275,030
• Livability: 75
• Total cost of living annually: $88,478
• Comfortable cost of living annually: $176,956

You’ll find Chula Vista about halfway between San Diego and the U.S.-Mexico border. Based on the most recent numbers available, the median household income in Chula Vista is $105,000. The average single-family home is valued at $904,000.

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the 75 largest U.S. cities by population and determined the salary needed to live comfortably in each location. GBR determined the top 75 cities by population using the U.S. Census American Community Survey and sourced data for total population, population ages 65 and over, total households and median household income. The single-family home value was sourced from the Zillow Home Value Index from May 2025 and May 2024. By assuming a 10% down payment and using the national 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.75% (sourced on July 21 from Federal Reserve Economic Data), the average mortgage cost was calculated. Using the average mortgage cost and average expenditures, the average total cost of living was calculated for each city. Using the 50/30/20 rule, which states that needs should not exceed 50% of total household income, the total cost of living was doubled to find the comfortable cost of living. All data was collected on and is up to date as of July 21, 2025.