Los Angeles County · California · West · 169k residents
Lancaster, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Lancaster: 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 Lancaster is $446,600, 37% below the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,678/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 116 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $81,511 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Lancaster is $446,600, 36.9% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Household income: Median household income is $81,511, 17.9% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Adult education: 20% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 38.3% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 5.5 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 high-desert city where aerospace, poppy fields, and wide-open Antelope Valley landscapes meet.
Known for: Aerospace, Antelope Valley poppies, desert skies, and the California Poppy Reserve.
Calendar note: The California Poppy Festival is the city’s signature celebration.
Story source: Destination Lancaster
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Lancaster about 33 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days.
- 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 Lancaster side by side
Cost of living index
116
ACS median home value
$446,600
2-bedroom rent
$1,678/mo
Median household income
$81,511
Housing momentum
How fast Lancaster's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
33/100
Cooling
Ranks Lancaster'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 Lancaster's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $446,600 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,349/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,678/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Cost of living index | 116 |
| 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 | $81,511 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 169k |
| 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 | 98°F |
| January low | 31°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.2% |
| Home price MoM | -0.3% |
| Rent YoY | +1.2% |
| Rent MoM | +1.1% |
| Ocean coast | 51 mi |
| Big lake | 216 mi |
| Mountains | 33 mi |
| Major airport | 36 mi |
| Ski resort | 40 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Palmdale, CA · 165k
- Santa Clarita, CA · 230k
- Burbank, CA · 105k
- Glendale, CA · 191k
- Pasadena, CA · 137k
Similar size
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Real listings in Lancaster
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 Lancaster, CA?
- Lancaster indexes at 116 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,678/mo and a acs median home value of $446,600.
- How much does a house cost in Lancaster?
- The acs median home value in Lancaster is $446,600, 37% below the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Lancaster?
- A two-bedroom in Lancaster rents for about $1,678/mo.