Cost of Living
per year
per month
How El Monte's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in El Monte?
Your $100,000 in El Monte has the same purchasing power as $73,757 in the average US city. You'd need $26,243 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 El Monte's cost index of 136, sorted by closest match.
People moving to El Monte usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: on the calmer side of the national distribution, most daily life happens on foot. Here's what's actually on the table.
El Monte reports about 2,269 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 Monte's Walk Score is 81/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change. Transit Score comes in at 56/100 too, so even the trips that are too far to walk are usually doable on a bus or train.
Reasons are pulled from El Monte'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 Monte'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 El Monte 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. El Monte'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 Monte'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 Monte sits at about 292 feet (89 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. El Monte's reported crime rate of about 2,269 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 — El Monte is one of the more expensive places to live in the US. The cost-of-living index is 136, about 36% above the national average. Housing is the dominant factor, and salaries here have to be high to compensate.
Yes — El Monte is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 81/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 56 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $94,906 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 Monte runs about $1,605/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.