Should I Move To
Palm Springs, California is a population of 44,935 . Cost of living is expensive — 15% above the national average, with median rent around $1,397/month and median household income of $67,451. Overall it earns an UrbRank Score of 23/100 (grade F), ranking #992 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Palm Springs's composite cost-of-living index sits at 115 (US average = 100), placing it in the expensive tier. At $1,397/month median rent against $67,451 median household income, residents spend about 25% of household income on rent — within the standard 30% rule of thumb. Median home value is $504,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Palm Springs has a hot-summer climate — summer highs average 103°F and winter lows average 37°F, with 4 inches of precipitation annually. Car-dependent for most errands, with pockets of walkability downtown. Crime data isn't available for this city.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Palm Springs is a less obvious fit for families. It earns a Score of 39/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Especially strong on education (70/100), weakest on climate (7/100).
Palm Springs is a less obvious fit for retirees. It earns a Score of 26/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Especially strong on education (70/100), weakest on climate (7/100).
Palm Springs is a less obvious fit for remote workers. It earns a Score of 27/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Especially strong on education (70/100), weakest on climate (7/100).
Palm Springs is a less obvious fit for young professionals. It earns a Score of 24/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Especially strong on education (70/100), weakest on climate (7/100).
Palm Springs, California has an overall UrbRank Score of 23/100 (grade F), ranked #992 nationally. The score is a weighted average across affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Palm Springs's cost-of-living index is 115 (US average = 100), so it's expensive — 15% above the national average. Median rent is $1,397/month.
Palm Springs has a hot-summer climate. Summer highs average 103°F and winter lows average 37°F, with 4 inches of annual precipitation.
Palm Springs has a Walk Score of 40/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with pockets of walkability downtown.
Palm Springs has a population of 44,935, with 44% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher and a median age of 57.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Palm Springs side-by-side with any other US city — housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality of life metrics displayed together. The leaderboard pages also show how Palm Springs ranks for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Palm Springs with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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