Cost of Living in La Mesa, CA

An Overview of Cost of Living in La Mesa, CA

Are you thinking about relocating, but curious about the potential cost of living in La Mesa? Is it more expensive or more affordable than average? Based on the most recent report, the cost of living in La Mesa stands at 159, making it 59% higher than the national average. The cost of living directly affects the affordability of one's desired lifestyle. Knowing the cost of housing, transportation, groceries and other essentials in the new area allows people to gauge whether they can maintain their preferred standard of living.

If you value affordability in your search for a new place to live, La Mesa may not be the most suitable option, as it stands out as one of the priciest areas in the entire United States. Only a small fraction of regions have a cost of living that is more than 20% higher than the national average, and regrettably, La Mesa falls into this category, which may not align with your desire for an affordable place to call home.

Housing costs significantly influence the La Mesa cost of living index, typically accounting for a substantial portion of one's post-tax income. Regrettably, within this particular region, expenses related to both residential ownership and renting exceeded those observed in an average city by 164.9%. This entails elements such as housing and rental prices, mortgage interest rates and insurance costs.

Recurring goods and services expenses like haircuts, toothpaste, gym memberships and movie nights are a big part of your spending and make up 33% of the cost of living index. In La Mesa, these items will cost you 12.6% more than what most folks pay, making it a bit more expensive to live here.

The surge in grocery costs is indeed alarming, especially when groceries make up a large portion of your monthly expenditures. Over the past two years, there has been an inflation of over 10% in grocery prices. Unfortunately, La Mesa does not fare better, with grocery expenses coming in at 15.6% higher than the national average.

What Do Locals Say About the Cost of Living in La Mesa?

When it comes to knowing a city, its residents are the experts. We conducted a survey with 6 locals to understand their opinions on the cost of living in La Mesa. The results indicated that 0% found it reasonably priced with decreasing prices of goods and services, while 100% viewed it as quite expensive, with increasing prices.

Is La Mesa Affordable?

Is La Mesa affordable? It's a key consideration when pondering a move, as affordability often shapes your choices. The cost of living index (we discussed it earlier), coupled with housing costs and income levels, serves as the cornerstone for determining a location's affordability. Take La Mesa, for instance, where the median home price falls 205.8% higher than the national average, and monthly rent rates are 69.3% higher than usual. Additionally, median income levels contribute to the equation, with La Mesa flaunting a median household income of $71,287, 28.9% higher than the national norm.

What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in La Mesa?

Groceries: Grocery expenditures have undergone notable escalation over the last 2-3 years. In some markets, the cost of food products has surged by more than 20%, while others have experienced only modest increments. These fluctuations in food costs can have a significant impact on the overall cost of living in any region. In La Mesa, the groceries index registers 15.6% higher than the national average.

Housing: When there's a high demand for housing in trendy places, it can cause property prices and rental rates to soar, leading to a significantly higher cost of living. Conversely, in less desirable locations, where demand is low, prices tend to decrease, resulting in a more budget-friendly cost of living. In La Mesa, the housing index is 164.9% higher than the national average.

Transportation: If public transportation is limited or not available, residents may need to own and maintain vehicles, which can add to the cost of living. Gas, insurance, regular maintenance and potentially lease or finance payments will all need to be paid on a monthly basis. In La Mesa, the transportation index is 27% higher than the national average.

Where is the Data From?

The La Mesa cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. The index takes into account data from 300 independent researches, covering more than 60 goods and services across 6 different categories, to create an overall index for each area, with 100 being the average. The C2ER index does not include sales or income tax rates in their data, however AreaVibes does include both income and sales tax rates in the overall cost of living score for each area.