Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Caldwell's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Caldwell?
Your $100,000 in Caldwell has the same purchasing power as $101,523 in the average US city. You'd need $1,523 less 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 Caldwell's cost index of 99, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Caldwell, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously it's a quieter city by the numbers and you'll get your commute time back. Here's the longer version.
Caldwell reports roughly 1,772 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
The average one-way commute in Caldwell is about 25 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Caldwell'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.
Yes, several times a winter. Caldwell's winter average of about 27°F sits right around freezing, so storms typically drop real snow that lingers a few days before slush sets in.
Cold but workable. Winter in Caldwell averages about 27°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Caldwell runs about 88°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 8. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 8 or colder should survive a typical winter in Caldwell. (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.)
Caldwell sits at about 2,395 feet (730 m) — meaningfully higher than coastal cities, but not high enough to noticeably affect breathing or cooking.
By the numbers, yes. Caldwell reports roughly 1,772 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. Caldwell's cost-of-living index is 99, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Somewhat. Caldwell earns a Walk Score of 53/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips.
Roughly $68,950 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 Caldwell runs about $1,012/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.