San Gabriel Mission · Photo: Robert A. Estremo · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, San Gabriel costs more to live in than 98% of U.S. towns
It ranks #701 of 846 in California for affordability. Up 2.7% in a year, 43% 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. San Gabriel’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: 29% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 51% of renters.
In dollars
- $1.1Mtypical home, 43% above the California typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,550a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 9.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$96K, Los Angeles-area income
- 24%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across California: 55%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in San Gabriel, in brief
Prices vary a lot across the town lines
Typical values in the towns next door run from $890K in Rosemead to $2.79M in San Marino. At $1.09M, San Gabriel is the second most expensive of the 6. Vs. neighbors ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, San Gabriel lost 150 residents while 412 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
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 May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind San Gabriel’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, San Gabriel is more affordable than 2% of U.S. towns, #701 of 846 in California. The four inputs sit close together, so no single cost explains the grade.
Values have outpaced California: the typical San Gabriel home is up 22.5% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 22.5% in five years
Faster than California (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | San Gabriel | California |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $627,000 | $451,000 |
| 2018 | $694,000 | $499,000 |
| 2019 | $771,000 | $537,000 |
| 2020 | $767,000 | $548,000 |
| 2021 | $831,000 | $604,000 |
| 2022 | $920,000 | $700,000 |
| 2023 | $963,000 | $723,000 |
| 2024 | $1,017,000 | $754,000 |
| 2025 | $1,057,000 | $778,000 |
| 2026 | $1,086,000 | $763,000 |
| September 2026 | $1,086,000 | $762,000 |
A typical San Gabriel home worth $611K in October 2016 is worth about $1.09M today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 15 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 9.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to San Gabriel’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $703K short of a typical San Gabriel home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,550 a month here, $3,800 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, San Gabriel’s typical property tax (0.73% 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 $2,550
Renters already here pay a median of $1,915, 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.
61 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 61 new homes in San Gabriel in 2025: 53 single-family houses and 8 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $12.9 million to build. That's 1.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across California (2.7). Over the past 10 years, San Gabriel has permitted 797 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, San Gabriel's population fell by 150 even though 412 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) | 42 | 37 | 5 | $7.3 million |
| 2025 | 61 | 53 | 8 | $12.9 million |
| 2024 | 111 | 64 | 47 | $18.7 million |
| 2023 | 60 | 60 | 0 | $9.3 million |
| 2022 | 91 | 79 | 12 | $17.8 million |
| 2021 | 55 | 55 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| 2020 | 199 | 46 | 153 | $36.9 million |
| 2019 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2018 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $4.9 million |
| 2017 | 97 | 82 | 15 | $32.3 million |
| 2016 | 84 | 73 | 11 | $29.1 million |
| 2015 | 120 | 76 | 44 | $34.5 million |
| 2014 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $7.6 million |
| 2013 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2012 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2011 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2010 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3.7 million |
| 2009 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2008 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2007 | 44 | 17 | 27 | $13.7 million |
| 2006 | 54 | 43 | 11 | $14.4 million |
| 2005 | 68 | 53 | 15 | $16.3 million |
| 2004 | 44 | 41 | 3 | $11.1 million |
| 2003 | 75 | 63 | 12 | $17.3 million |
| 2002 | 49 | 44 | 5 | $10.8 million |
| 2001 | 49 | 40 | 9 | $7.9 million |
| 2000 | 40 | 33 | 7 | $6.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the California norm
The median bill is $6,908 (California: $5,124), 0.73% 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+”.
San Gabriel vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, San Gabriel has the 5th-lowest. East San Gabriel has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Gabriel | D− | $1.1M | $946K | 0.73% | $2,550 |
| East San Gabriel | D− | — | $962K | 0.73% | $2,720 |
| Rosemead | D− | $890K | $807K | 0.63% | $2,270 |
| Alhambra | D− | $911K | $858K | 0.67% | $2,490 |
| San Marino | D− | $2.8M | $2.0M | 0.50%+ | $2,940 |
| Temple City | D− | $1.1M | $962K | 0.72% | $2,670 |
| Monterey Park | D− | $910K | $863K | 0.69% | $2,360 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that.
Questions about the cost of living in San Gabriel
Is San Gabriel expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, San Gabriel costs more than 98% of U.S. towns: a D− for cost of living, #701 of 846 in California. The typical home costs 9.9 years of the median household income of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area ($96K).
How much does a house cost in San Gabriel?
About $1.1M, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.7% in a year. The California typical home is $762K.
What salary do you need to live in San Gabriel?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $272,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $6,350 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $102,000.
How much is rent in San Gabriel?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,550 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,915 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in San Gabriel?
The median bill is $6,908 a year, 0.73% of the median home value (California: $5,124, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in San Gabriel going up?
Yes: up 2.7% in the past year and 22.5% in five years, against 13.3% across California (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What San Gabriel 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, May 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.