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Residential comparison · 13 facts

El Monte, 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 El Monte needs about $95,000 in Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Pasadena, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $75,000 in El Monte.

A few differences

El Monte vs Pasadena · facet by facet
FacetEl Monte, CAPasadena, CA
Median home price$644,000$1,093,300
2-bedroom rent$1,801/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 index129163
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$68,030$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: El Monte, CA · Pasadena, CA
Questions & answers
Is El Monte cheaper than Pasadena?
El Monte has the lower day-to-day cost index (129 vs 163 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Pasadena equals $85,000 in El Monte?
A household earning $85,000 in El Monte needs about $95,000 in Pasadena to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Pasadena lifestyle costs about $75,000 in El Monte.