Cost of Living
per year
per month
How South Gate's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in South Gate?
Your $100,000 in South Gate has the same purchasing power as $74,091 in the average US city. You'd need $25,909 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 South Gate's cost index of 135, sorted by closest match.
Why do people move to South Gate? On the data, the answer is largely daily errands don't require a car. The detail is below.
South Gate earns a Walk Score of 79/100 — 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.
Reasons are pulled from South Gate'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. South Gate'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 South Gate 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. South Gate'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. South Gate'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.
South Gate sits at about 115 feet (35 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. South Gate's reported crime rate of about 3,853 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 — South Gate is one of the more expensive places to live in the US. The cost-of-living index is 135, about 35% above the national average. Housing is the dominant factor, and salaries here have to be high to compensate.
Yes — South Gate is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 79/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $94,479 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 South Gate runs about $1,400/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.