Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Burbank's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Burbank?
Your $100,000 in Burbank has the same purchasing power as $73,110 in the average US city. You'd need $26,890 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 Burbank's cost index of 137, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Burbank, 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 you can walk to most of what you need, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Median household income in Burbank is $91,455, 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.
Burbank earns a Walk Score of 73/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
45% of adults 25 and over in Burbank 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 Burbank'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. Burbank'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 Burbank 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. Burbank'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 Burbank. (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.)
Burbank is at about 627 feet (191 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Burbank's reported crime rate of about 3,059 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 — Burbank 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.
Yes — Burbank is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 73/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 46 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $95,746 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 Burbank runs about $2,004/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.