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Residential comparison · 13 facts

La Mesa, CA vs Montebello, 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 La Mesa needs about $81,500 in Montebello to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Montebello, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $88,500 in La Mesa.

A few differences

La Mesa vs Montebello · facet by facet
FacetLa Mesa, CAMontebello, CA
Median home price$812,000$697,900
2-bedroom rent$2,217/mo$1,885/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index144133
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$95,028$79,971
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: La Mesa, CA · Montebello, CA
Questions & answers
Is La Mesa cheaper than Montebello?
Montebello has the lower day-to-day cost index (133 vs 144 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Montebello equals $85,000 in La Mesa?
A household earning $85,000 in La Mesa needs about $81,500 in Montebello to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Montebello lifestyle costs about $88,500 in La Mesa.