Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Glendale's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Glendale?
Your $100,000 in Glendale has the same purchasing power as $92,217 in the average US city. You'd need $7,783 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 Glendale's cost index of 108, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Glendale, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously you don't actually need a car and it's an easy city to live in on a bike. Here's the longer version.
Glendale's Walk Score is 92/100 — 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.
Glendale's Bike Score is 69/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Reasons are pulled from Glendale'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. Glendale's winter average of about 47°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 Glendale averages around 47°F — short, mild, mostly an excuse to break out a light jacket. Some plants don't even drop their leaves.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Glendale averages about 105°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
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 Glendale. (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.)
Glendale is at about 1,148 feet (350 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. Glendale's reported crime rate of about 3,916 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. Glendale's cost-of-living index is 108, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Genuinely so. Glendale's Walk Score of 92 out of 100 puts it in "Walker's Paradise" territory — daily errands don't require a car at all. Transit Score is 40 out of 100. Many residents skip car ownership entirely.
Roughly $75,908 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 Glendale runs about $1,268/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.