Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Visalia's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Visalia?
Your $100,000 in Visalia has the same purchasing power as $100,210 in the average US city.
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 Visalia's cost index of 100, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Visalia, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously housing is the bargain and paychecks come in above the us average, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Even if other categories track the national average in Visalia, housing comes in noticeably cheaper. Median rent is about $1,289/mo, and the housing sub-index lands at 86 (US avg = 100). That's where most of the day-to-day affordability difference shows up for newcomers.
Median household income in Visalia is $75,658, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Visalia reports about 2,969 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.
Visalia's Bike Score is 63/100 — 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.
The average one-way commute in Visalia 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 Visalia'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.
Now and then. Visalia's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 41°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Visalia's winter average of about 41°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Visalia averages about 95°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 9. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 9 or colder should survive a typical winter in Visalia. (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.)
Visalia sits at about 322 feet (98 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. Visalia's reported crime rate of about 2,969 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. Visalia's cost-of-living index is 100, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Mostly car-dependent. Visalia's Walk Score of 37/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $69,853 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 Visalia runs about $1,289/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.