Photo: Justefrain · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Commerce costs more to live in than 88% of U.S. towns
It ranks #292 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 1.7% in a year, 9% below the California typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area ($96K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Commerce’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($96K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 31% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 55% of renters.
In dollars
- $695Ktypical home, 9% below the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,070a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 6.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$96K, Los Angeles-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 55%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Commerce, in brief
Very little new building
Commerce permitted 27 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.2 a year per 1,000 residents. Across California, the pace in 2025 was 2.7. In 2025, Commerce permitted 20. New homes ↓
A median income doesn’t stretch to the towns next door
At Commerce’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $310K covers neither the typical home here ($695K) nor in any of the six neighboring towns. The least expensive is East Los Angeles at $671K. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Commerce’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Commerce is more affordable than 12% of U.S. towns, #292 of 846 in California. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with California: up 17.7% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 17.7% in five years
Faster than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Commerce | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $365,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $415,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $488,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $502,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $555,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $610,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $646,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $684,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $705,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $693,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $695,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Commerce home worth $359K in October 2016 is worth about $695K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 6.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Commerce’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $308K short of a typical Commerce home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,070 a month here, $1,950 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Commerce’s typical property tax (0.65% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,070
Renters already here pay a median of $1,549, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
20 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 20 new homes in Commerce in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.5 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, Commerce has permitted 27 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Commerce's population fell by 445 even though 7 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across California: 2.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 7 | 7 | 0 | $871,000 |
| 2025 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $107,000 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $107,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $107,000 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 2 | $472,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $165,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $159,000 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $475,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2007 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2006 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2005 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2004 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2003 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2002 | 38 | 33 | 5 | $4.4 million |
| 2001 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| 2000 | 42 | 37 | 5 | $4.9 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the California norm
The median bill is $3,915 (California: $5,124), 0.65% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Commerce vs. its neighbors
Of the 7 towns here with a Zillow value, Commerce has the 4th-lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commerce | D | $695K | $599K | 0.65% | $2,070 |
| Montebello | D− | $818K | $698K | 0.74% | $2,390 |
| East Los Angeles | D | $671K | $643K | 0.62% | $2,070 |
| Bell | D | $690K | $592K | 0.81% | $2,170 |
| Bell Gardens | D | $692K | $564K | 0.68% | $2,180 |
| Vernon | – | — | $917K | 0.40% | $2,070 |
| Downey | D− | $880K | $797K | 0.67% | $2,560 |
| Los Angeles | D− | $928K | $921K | 0.66% | $2,940 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Commerce
Is Commerce expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Commerce costs more than 88% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #292 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 6.2 years of the median household income of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area ($96K).
How much does a house cost in Commerce?
About $695K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.6% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Commerce?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $172,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $4,020 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $83,000.
How much is rent in Commerce?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,070 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,549 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Commerce?
The median bill is $3,915 a year, 0.65% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Commerce going up?
Yes: up 1.6% in the past year and 17.7% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Commerce buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.