San Luis Obispo County · California · West · 48k residents
San Luis Obispo, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for San Luis Obispo: 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 San Luis Obispo is $935,100, 32% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,154/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 150 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $73,685 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in San Luis Obispo is $935,100, 32% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Household income: Median household income is $73,685, 25.8% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Adult education: 54.4% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 67.9% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 12.7 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 researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places San Luis Obispo about 9 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 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 San Luis Obispo side by side
Cost of living index
150
ACS median home value
$935,100
2-bedroom rent
$2,154/mo
Median household income
$73,685
Housing momentum
How fast San Luis Obispo's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
60/100
Steady
Ranks San Luis Obispo'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 San Luis Obispo's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $935,100 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,535/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,154/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Cost of living index | 150 |
| 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 | $73,685 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 48k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 96/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 78°F |
| January low | 41°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +1.9% |
| Home price MoM | +0.1% |
| Rent YoY | +3.3% |
| Rent MoM | 0.0% |
| Ocean coast | 9 mi |
| Big lake | 239 mi |
| Mountains | 154 mi |
| Major airport | 117 mi |
| Ski resort | 183 mi |
Popular comparisons
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Real listings in San Luis Obispo
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 San Luis Obispo, CA?
- San Luis Obispo indexes at 150 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,154/mo and a acs median home value of $935,100.
- How much does a house cost in San Luis Obispo?
- The acs median home value in San Luis Obispo is $935,100, 32% above the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in San Luis Obispo?
- A two-bedroom in San Luis Obispo rents for about $2,154/mo.