Cost Of Living in Thermal, CA

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Thermal	California	National
Cost of living	102	140	100
Goods & Services	113	111	100
Groceries	116	112	100
Health care	105	109	100
Housing	74	196	100
Transportation	127	126	100
Utilities	107	127	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Thermal is 27% lower than the California average
The cost of living in Thermal is 2% higher than the national average
Thermal housing is 26% lower than the national average
California general sales tax is 42% higher than the national average
California state income tax is 61% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$14,164	$1,180	$330	$425
Renters	$36,167	$3,014	$844	$1,085

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Thermal, CA, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Thermal, the median monthly income is $14,164 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $330 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $36,167, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $844 on monthly rental expenses.

California Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
California	7.25%	10.5%

California Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
California	1%	13.3%

Goods & Services

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$26.92	$24.26	10.9%
Beauty Salon	$65.77	$45.56	44.3%
Toothpaste	$3.73	$3.70	0.7%
Shampoo	$1.50	$1.28	17.1%
Movie	$16.89	$12.13	39.2%
Bowling	$24.67	$18.00	37.1%

Groceries

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.47	$5.84	6.3%
Fried Chicken	$3.05	$1.57	93.7%
Milk	$4.98	$4.67	6.5%
Potatoes	$4.94	$4.93	0.0%
Pizza	$14.69	$12.09	21.5%
Beer	$11.25	$10.41	8.1%

Health Care

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$138.66	$125.68	10.3%
Doctor	$132.50	$135.78	2.4%
Dentist	$121.37	$113.29	7.1%
Ibuprofen	$12.01	$10.65	12.7%
Lipitor	$508.17	$468.60	8.4%

Housing

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$150,200.00	$184,700.00	18.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$5,168.91	$2,346.69	120.3%
Apartment Rent	$553.00	$949.00	41.7%

Transportation

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.68	$3.46	35.1%
Tire Balancing	$64.40	$59.92	7.5%

Utilities

Item	Thermal	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$223.42	$193.99	15.2%
Phone	$180.31	$192.25	6.2%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Oasis, CA	2,554	89	10.8%
North Shore, CA	2,580	103	2.6%
Mecca, CA	5,541	104	4.0%
Thousand Palms, CA	8,158	110	10.3%
Coachella, CA	45,658	115	14.8%
Thermal, CA	1,371	102	2.1%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
St. Francis, KS	1,371	87	13.2%
Waldoboro, ME	1,371	94	5.5%
Lynchburg, OH	1,371	91	9.2%
Clear Lake Shores, TX	1,371	125	25.3%
Teulon, MB	1,371	n/a
Thermal, CA	1,371	102	2.1%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Thermal, CA