Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, California costs less to live in than 95% of U.S. towns
It ranks #9 of 247 in Missouri for affordability. Up 4.2% in a year, 7% below the Missouri typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Jefferson City, MO metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Jefferson City metro earn ($74K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.1 years of metro income, and 39% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $248Ktypical home, 7% below the Missouri typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $940a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Jefferson City metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 62)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Jefferson City-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 39%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Missouri: 46%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is California?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind California’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, California is more affordable than 95% of U.S. towns, #9 of 247 in Missouri. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Missouri: the typical California home is up 35.3% in five years, against 26.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 35.3% in five years
Faster than Missouri (26.3%).
Show as a table
| January | California | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $133,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $140,000 | $155,000 |
| 2019 | $146,000 | $163,000 |
| 2020 | $152,000 | $171,000 |
| 2021 | $170,000 | $191,000 |
| 2022 | $189,000 | $217,000 |
| 2023 | $206,000 | $234,000 |
| 2024 | $216,000 | $245,000 |
| 2025 | $231,000 | $255,000 |
| 2026 | $242,000 | $260,000 |
| September 2026 | $248,000 | $265,000 |
A typical California home worth $131K in October 2016 is worth about $248K 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 9 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 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to California’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical California home, with $47K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $940 a month here, $510 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, California’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 $940
Renters already here pay a median of $756, 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 (Cooper County, MO 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.
Property tax runs below the Missouri norm
The median bill is $1,114 (Missouri: $1,948), 0.73% of a home’s value a year, against 0.85% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near California
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Jefferson City, MO metro area, or Missouri. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 88 | MO 91 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | MO 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 85 | MO 79 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 93 | MO 95 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
California and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | A | $248K | $153K | 0.73% | $940 |
Questions about the cost of living in California
Is California expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, California costs less than 95% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #9 of 247 in Missouri. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of the Jefferson City, MO metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in California?
About $248K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.2% in a year. The Missouri typical home is $265K.
What salary do you need to live in California?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $62,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,450 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $38,000.
How much is rent in California?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $940 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $756 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in California?
The median bill is $1,114 a year, 0.73% of the median home value (Missouri: $1,948, 0.85%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in California going up?
Yes: up 4.2% in the past year and 35.3% in five years, against 26.3% across Missouri (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What California 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. 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.