Photo: David Wakely · CC BY-SA 2.5Even on the area’s higher pay, Pasadena costs more to live in than almost every U.S. town
It ranks #801 of 846 in California and #395 of 400 U.S. cities over 100,000 for affordability. Up 0.7% in a year, 56% above 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
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Pasadena’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: 36% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 53% of renters.
In dollars
- $1.2Mtypical home, 56% above the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $3,110a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 11.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$96K, Los Angeles-area income
- 28%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 53%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 36%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Pasadena’s housing numbers say
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 2,753 homes permitted in Pasadena’s past 10 years, 82% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
Prices vary a lot across the town lines
Typical values in the towns next door run from $928K in Los Angeles to $2.79M in San Marino. At $1.19M, Pasadena is the 4th most expensive of the 6. Vs. neighbors ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Pasadena’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pasadena is more affordable than 1% of U.S. towns, #801 of 846 in California. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Prices here have kept pace with California: up 17.8% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 17.8% in five years
Faster than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Pasadena | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $676,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $750,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $859,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $856,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $931,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $1,049,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $1,097,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $1,156,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $1,205,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $1,189,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $1,187,000 | $762,000 |
A typical Pasadena home worth $659K in October 2016 is worth about $1.19M today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.9 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 11.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pasadena’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $798K short of a typical Pasadena home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,110 a month here, $3,730 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pasadena’s typical property tax (0.63% 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 $3,110
Renters already here pay a median of $2,265, 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.
428 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 428 new homes in Pasadena in 2025: 99 single-family houses and 329 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $108.7 million to build. That's 3.1 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of California as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Pasadena has permitted 2,753 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pasadena gained 1,577 residents while 3,130 new homes were permitted: about 0.5 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes 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) | 93 | 73 | 20 | $28.6 million |
| 2025 | 428 | 99 | 329 | $108.7 million |
| 2024 | 149 | 96 | 53 | $46.8 million |
| 2023 | 57 | 55 | 2 | $16.7 million |
| 2022 | 96 | 51 | 45 | $22.7 million |
| 2021 | 330 | 46 | 284 | $34.9 million |
| 2020 | 336 | 23 | 313 | $78.8 million |
| 2019 | 252 | 35 | 217 | $56.3 million |
| 2018 | 524 | 31 | 493 | $95.2 million |
| 2017 | 171 | 30 | 141 | $43.9 million |
| 2016 | 410 | 33 | 377 | $114.4 million |
| 2015 | 510 | 26 | 484 | $91 million |
| 2014 | 684 | 15 | 669 | $125.5 million |
| 2013 | 100 | 44 | 56 | $20.7 million |
| 2012 | 398 | 22 | 376 | $69.4 million |
| 2011 | 25 | 21 | 4 | $7 million |
| 2010 | 56 | 52 | 4 | $14.6 million |
| 2009 | 24 | 20 | 4 | $5.8 million |
| 2008 | 549 | 39 | 510 | $56.5 million |
| 2007 | 303 | 133 | 170 | $64.2 million |
| 2006 | 549 | 68 | 481 | $83.9 million |
| 2005 | 523 | 61 | 462 | $49.2 million |
| 2004 | 322 | 160 | 162 | $41.7 million |
| 2003 | 1,040 | 113 | 927 | $109.7 million |
| 2002 | 552 | 52 | 500 | $46.1 million |
| 2001 | 759 | 59 | 700 | $78.7 million |
| 2000 | 644 | 33 | 611 | $52.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $6,843 (California: $5,124), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.63% 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+”.
Pasadena vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Pasadena has the 3rd-lowest. San Pasqual and East Pasadena have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasadena | D− | $1.2M | $1.1M | 0.63% | $3,110 |
| La Cañada Flintridge | D− | $2.5M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $3,900 |
| Altadena | D− | $1.1M | $1.1M | 0.57% | $2,990 |
| Los Angeles | D− | $928K | $921K | 0.66% | $2,940 |
| San Marino | D− | $2.8M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $2,940 |
| San Pasqual | D− | — | $1.3M | 0.59% | $3,120 |
| East Pasadena | D− | — | $1.1M | 0.73% | $3,120 |
| South Pasadena | D− | $1.7M | $1.6M | 0.61% | $3,080 |
“+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that. “—” 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 Pasadena
Is Pasadena expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pasadena costs more than 99% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #801 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 11.4 years of the median household income of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area ($96K).
How much does a house cost in Pasadena?
About $1.2M, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.7% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in Pasadena?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $293,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $6,840 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $124,000.
How much is rent in Pasadena?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $3,110 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,265 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pasadena?
The median bill is $6,843 a year, 0.63% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pasadena going up?
Barely: up 0.7% in the past year and 17.8% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pasadena 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.