This Is the Living Wage Your Family Needs To Survive in California

The living wage for a family of four in America’s 50 most populated cities ranges from as low as $32,000 to as high as $136,000. And it is only going to go up as tariffs bump prices on many products and the overall cost of living across the United States.

Perhaps not surprisingly, California cities top the list: San Jose requires around $136,000, San Francisco about $123,000, San Diego $105,000 and Los Angeles $97,000.

Check out the living wage in California’s nine biggest cities.

Also see the living wage a single person needs in all 50 states.

• Median household income: $141,565
• Living wage: $135,604

• Median household income: $141,446
• Living wage: $122,849

• Median household income: $104,321
• Living wage: $105,204

• Median household income: $80,366
• Living wage: $97,110

• Median household income: $83,969
• Living wage: $88,410

• Median household income: $97,369
• Living wage: $80,277

• Median household income: $83,753
• Living wage: $57,027

• Median household income: $77,397
• Living wage: $51,281

• Median household income: $68,804
• Living wage: $49,384

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found the “living wage” needed for a family of four to live in the largest 50 cities by population. The “living wage” was defined as the cost of living. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Sperling’s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the Federal Reserve Economic Data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 9, 2025.