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 $108,755 in the average US city. You'd need $8,755 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.
People moving to El Centro usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, year-round warm weather, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
El Centro sits at 92 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 8% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $938/mo against a typical household income of $54,922, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
A jacket, not a parka — winters in El Centro average 51°F. Summer ramps up to about 75°F, which is real heat, but the rest of the year is the kind of weather you'd pay good money to visit.
El Centro reports about 2,487 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
El Centro earns a Walk Score of 57/100 — 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.
The average one-way commute in El Centro is about 22 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 El Centro'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. El Centro's winter average of about 51°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 El Centro averages around 51°F — short, mild, mostly an excuse to break out a light jacket. Some plants don't even drop their leaves.
Pleasantly warm. El Centro'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.
Zone 10, give or take a half-zone. El Centro's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 10 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
El Centro sits roughly -36 feet (-11 m) above sea level — basically at the waterline. Storm surge, king tides, and long-term sea-level rise are real considerations for any coastal property here.
Average for an American city. El Centro's reported crime rate of about 2,487 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.
Roughly average. El Centro's cost-of-living index is 92, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Somewhat. El Centro earns a Walk Score of 57/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips.
Roughly $64,365 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 El Centro runs about $938/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.