California Is the Most Expensive Place to Live in the U.S.
According to the study done by Business Insider, California contains six out of 10 of the most expensive U.S. metros for families.
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This is based on a list of factors that a family of four is typically expected to use monthly and how much these are expected to cost.
The Family Budget Calculator
The family budget calculator was created by the Economic Policy Institute and helps families in various cities and states discover the rough amount they might be spending monthly.
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These factors are housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, other necessities, and taxes. All of these add up to show what the average family in the U.S. is likely to spend per month.
Bakersfield, California
According to Business Insider, one of the cheapest places to live in California is Bakersfield.
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Bakersfield has a monthly cost of $8,269, with child care being more expensive than housing, as this costs $1,766, whereas housing costs $1,137.
Modesto, California
Next up is Modesto, California, which has an average monthly total of $8,835.
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Child care is also the most expensive here; however, it is cheaper than Bakersfield and costs $1,648 a month. Housing here costs $1,365.
Stockton, California
At a slight jump up from Modesto is Stockton, with a monthly cost of $9,467.
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Here, transportation costs slightly more than housing as it costs $1,516, whereas housing costs $1,513. Child care is also the most expensive and costs $1,832.
Sacramento, California
Another jump up from Stockton is Sacramento, which goes into an average monthly cost of five figures at $10,373.
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Housing is significantly more expensive here than any other factor and costs $1,756 a month. The cheapest is any other necessities a family might have, which is roughly $1,013 a month.
Napa, California
A significantly bigger jump is Napa, California, with a monthly cost of $12,765.
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Just like with Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, the highest monthly cost is housing, which costs the average family $2,388. Similarly, the cheapest monthly cost is food, which costs $1,261.
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California
Jumping up a bit now in terms of overall monthly price is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California, which costs around $12,901 a month.
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Housing is significantly more expensive here as it costs roughly $2,667 a month, with child care and taxes also significantly adding to this as they cost $2,301 and $2,246 a month, respectively.
Oakland-Fremont, California
Slightly further up the list is Oakland-Fremont, California, with an average monthly cost of $12,972.
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As with most cities on the list, the most expensive is housing, as this costs $2,405 a month. Food and other necessities a family might have are the cheapest on the list, as they cost $1,200 and $1,276, respectively.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
Much further up the list was San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, with a jump of almost $1,000 at a monthly overall cost of $13,752.
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Housing in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara costs just under $3,000 a month. However, food costs are cheaper than in Oakland-Fremont, as they cost $1,183.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California
Next up on the list and another significant jump in terms of overall cost is Santa Cruz-Watsonville, which costs an average of $14,509.
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Housing is significantly higher than other costs on the list, costing $3,293 a month, with taxes coming in second at $2,728 a month.
San Francisco, California
Finally, the most expensive on the list, which may or may not come as a surprise is San Francisco, California, which costs $15,106 a month.
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However, housing in San Francisco is slightly cheaper than in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, as this costs $3,188 a month. Health care is roughly half this amount and is said to cost around $1,682 a month.