Modesto cost of living
Prices in the Modesto, CA metro area run at 104.1 against a national average of 100, ranking it #35 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 108.5.
What drives the number
Prices in Modesto run at 104.1 where the national average is 100, so about 4.1 per cent above the country as a whole. It ranks #35 of 387 metro areas. Against California as a whole it is 6.6 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
The parts move together here rather than pulling against each other: goods at 105.2, rents at 108.5, other services at 152.3. That is less common than it sounds. In most places rents sit well away from the other two, and the overall figure is really a housing figure in disguise. Goods at 105.2 are themselves 5.2 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
A salary offer here is worth less than the same offer somewhere at 100, and the parity is the arithmetic that says by how much. Divide the offer by 104.1 and multiply by 100 to get the nationally comparable figure.
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 Modesto 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 | 8,370 | $33,380 | $32,065 | $34,900 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 7,250 | $37,430 | $35,956 | $30,480 |
| Registered Nurses | 5,260 | $169,460 | $162,786 | $93,600 |
| Cashiers | 4,980 | $36,030 | $34,611 | $31,190 |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,910 | $36,210 | $34,784 | $34,580 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 4,630 | $46,230 | $44,409 | $38,940 |
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 4,620 | $38,750 | $37,224 | $35,690 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 3,630 | $52,720 | $50,644 | $57,440 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 104.1.
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 |
Modesto: common questions
Is Modesto expensive?
Prices are 4.1% above the national average, a parity of 104.1 where the country is 100. It ranks #35 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against California as a whole it is 6.6 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Modesto?
The median worker there earns $49,360, which buys what $47,416 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 108.5 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.