Cost of Living
per year
per month
How El Centro's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in El Centro?
Your $100,000 in El Centro has the same purchasing power as $108,378 in the average US city. You'd need $8,378 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 El Centro's cost index of 92, sorted by closest match.
El Centro, California has a cost-of-living index of 92, which is 8% below the national average. The typical renter pays $938 per month. The median household earns $54,922 per year.
To match the lifestyle of a $70,000 earner in the average US city, you'd need about $64,589 per year in El Centro. Single renters typically want at least three times the $11,256 threshold to cover housing comfortably.
El Centro is cheaper than most US cities. Overall prices are 8% below the national average.