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Los Angeles County · California · West · 19k residents

South El Monte, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life

Residential facts for South El Monte: 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 South El Monte is $601,000, 15% below the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,843/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 127 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $72,990 a year.

What the numbers show

Source-confirmed findings
  • Housing value: The ACS median home value in South El Monte is $601,000, 15.1% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
  • Household income: Median household income is $72,990, 26.5% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
  • Adult education: 10.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 67.6% below the median for ACS-covered places in California.
  • Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 8.2 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 South El Monte about 11 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
  • Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days and 0 inches of annual snow.
  • 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 South El Monte side by side

Cost of living index

127

cheaper than 19% of US cities

ACS median home value

$601,000

15% vs state mediancheaper than 20% of US cities

2-bedroom rent

$1,843/mo

cheaper than 28% of US cities

Median household income

$72,990

26% vs state medianhigher than 38% of US cities

Housing momentum

How fast South El Monte's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.

37/100

Steady

Home prices YoY: +0.4% (bottom 40%)Home prices MoM: -0.3% (bottom 25%)
Momentum slowing · 42 over 2 yr

Ranks South El Monte's home-price 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.

$a year

Adjusted by South El Monte's cost-of-living index versus the US average.

All facets · South El Monte
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Real listings in South El Monte

Homes on ZillowRealtor.comRentals on ZillowApartments.com

Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.

Questions & answers
What is the cost of living in South El Monte, CA?
South El Monte indexes at 127 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,843/mo and a acs median home value of $601,000.
How much does a house cost in South El Monte?
The acs median home value in South El Monte is $601,000, 15% below the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
How much is rent in South El Monte?
A two-bedroom in South El Monte rents for about $1,843/mo.