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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Arcadia, CA vs 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 Arcadia needs about $91,500 in Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Pasadena, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Arcadia.

A few differences

Arcadia vs Pasadena · facet by facet
FacetArcadia, CAPasadena, CA
Median home price$1,441,800$1,093,300
2-bedroom rent$2,284/mo$2,457/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index180163
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$113,516$105,192
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: Arcadia, CA · Pasadena, CA
Questions & answers
Is Arcadia cheaper than Pasadena?
Pasadena has the lower day-to-day cost index (163 vs 180 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Pasadena equals $85,000 in Arcadia?
A household earning $85,000 in Arcadia needs about $91,500 in Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Pasadena lifestyle costs about $79,000 in Arcadia.