El Centro cost of living
Prices in the El Centro, CA metro area run at 95.2 against a national average of 100, ranking it #162 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 66.3.
What drives the number
Prices in El Centro run at 95.2 where the national average is 100, so about 4.8 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #162 of 387 metro areas. Against California as a whole it is 15.5 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 66.3 against goods at 105.2 and other services at 157.2, so the overall figure of 95.2 understates how affordable the housing itself is. Services, which are priced by local wages, are what hold the overall number up. Goods at 105.2 are themselves 5.2 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
Low prices only help if pay does not fall by more. Dividing the local median wage by 95.2 is how to check, and the wage pages carry that comparison.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in El Centro is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 7,220 | $33,360 | $35,042 | $34,900 |
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 3,300 | $36,400 | $38,235 | $35,690 |
| Cashiers | 2,150 | $34,750 | $36,502 | $31,190 |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,860 | $35,010 | $36,775 | $34,580 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,670 | $36,600 | $38,445 | $30,480 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | 1,320 | $104,090 | $109,338 | $57,970 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,310 | $39,130 | $41,103 | $37,090 |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,210 | $40,370 | $42,405 | $43,630 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 95.2.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 115.6 | 194.7 | #1 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 113.6 | 170.4 | #3 |
| Napa | 112.6 | 197.4 | #4 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 111.9 | 179.3 | #6 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 110.5 | 171.1 | #9 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 110.4 | 211.9 | #10 |
El Centro: common questions
Is El Centro expensive?
Prices are 4.8% below the national average, a parity of 95.2 where the country is 100. It ranks #162 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against California as a whole it is 15.5 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in El Centro?
The median worker there earns $44,470, which buys what $46,712 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 66.3 against goods at 105.2. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.