Alameda County · California · West · 120k residents
Berkeley, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Berkeley: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Berkeley is $1,413,900, 100% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,413/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 180 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $108,092 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Berkeley is $1,413,900, 99.7% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Household income: Median household income is $108,092, 8.9% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Adult education: 74.9% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 131.2% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 13.1 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A Bay Area university city where food, free speech history, and neighborhood experimentation remain central.
Known for: UC Berkeley, gourmet food, bookstores, activism, and the hills.
Calendar note: The Berkeley Kite Festival and Greek Theatre calendar are signature traditions.
Story source: Visit Berkeley
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Berkeley about 14 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days and 0 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 29 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Berkeley side by side
Cost of living index
180
ACS median home value
$1,413,900
2-bedroom rent
$2,413/mo
Median household income
$108,092
Housing momentum
How fast Berkeley's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
48/100
Steady
Ranks Berkeley's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Berkeley's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $1,413,900 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,063/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,413/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Cost of living index | 180 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $108,092 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 120k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 74°F |
| January low | 43°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | +0.7% |
| Home price MoM | +0.5% |
| Rent YoY | +1.6% |
| Rent MoM | +0.4% |
| Ocean coast | 14 mi |
| Big lake | 51 mi |
| Mountains | 20 mi |
| Major airport | 11 mi |
| Ski resort | 132 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Oakland, CA · 439k
- Richmond, CA · 116k
- Alameda, CA · 77k
- Walnut Creek, CA · 70k
- San Leandro, CA · 88k
Similar size
- Fairfield, CA · 121k
- Concord, CA · 124k
- Antioch, CA · 116k
- Vallejo, CA · 124k
- Clovis, CA · 125k
Real listings in Berkeley
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Berkeley, CA?
- Berkeley indexes at 180 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,413/mo and a acs median home value of $1,413,900.
- How much does a house cost in Berkeley?
- The acs median home value in Berkeley is $1,413,900, 100% above the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Berkeley?
- A two-bedroom in Berkeley rents for about $2,413/mo.