Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Arcadia's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Arcadia?
Your $100,000 in Arcadia has the same purchasing power as $73,121 in the average US city. You'd need $26,879 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Arcadia's cost index of 137, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Arcadia, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously paychecks come in above the us average and a well-educated peer group. Here's the longer version.
Median household income in Arcadia is $108,214, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
55% of adults 25 and over in Arcadia hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Arcadia's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Almost never. Arcadia's winter average of about 50°F is too warm for snow most years. A measurable snowfall is the kind of event that closes schools and gets photographed for the local paper.
Barely. Winter in Arcadia averages around 50°F — short, mild, mostly an excuse to break out a light jacket. Some plants don't even drop their leaves.
Pleasantly warm. Arcadia's summer averages around 75°F — comfortable for outdoor evenings, hot enough on peak days to warrant AC but mild compared to the Sun Belt.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 10. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 10 or colder should survive a typical winter in Arcadia. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Arcadia sits at about 453 feet (138 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Average for an American city. Arcadia's reported crime rate of about 3,321 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes — Arcadia is one of the more expensive places to live in the US. The cost-of-living index is 137, about 37% above the national average. Housing is the dominant factor, and salaries here have to be high to compensate.
Mostly car-dependent. Arcadia's Walk Score of 41/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $95,732 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Arcadia runs about $1,997/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.