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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Alhambra, CA vs South Pasadena, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Alhambra needs about $91,000 in South Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from South Pasadena, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Alhambra.

A few differences

Alhambra vs South Pasadena · facet by facet
FacetAlhambra, CASouth Pasadena, CA
Median home price$857,800$1,640,000
2-bedroom rent$2,070/mo$2,428/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index144193
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$88,024$127,175
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Alhambra, CA · South Pasadena, CA
Questions & answers
Is Alhambra cheaper than South Pasadena?
Alhambra has the lower day-to-day cost index (144 vs 193 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in South Pasadena equals $85,000 in Alhambra?
A household earning $85,000 in Alhambra needs about $91,000 in South Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of South Pasadena lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Alhambra.