Cost of Living in Orange County, CA (2024)

FAQs

How much money do you need to live comfortably in Orange County? ›

Orange County's housing expenses are 157% higher than the national average and the utility prices are 8% lower than the national average. Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices are 29% higher than the national average. Orange County has grocery prices that are 11% higher than the national average.

In the Inland Empire, a middle income for that family would be between $60,336 and $211,177. In Orange County, those numbers are $71,920 to $251,722. And in the Bay Area the range is $74,750 to $261,623.

The limits for what is considered low-income have increased in almost every county statewide. Orange County is the most expensive of the SoCal counties, one-person households making less than $80,000 are considered low-income.

For example, while a single-person household in Orange County is considered low-income at about $80,000 a year, a four-person household has a nearly $115,000 limit. Our table below shows the annual income that is considered low-income in each county in California from 2022 to 2023 for different household sizes.

Why is Orange County, CA so expensive? When it comes to high cost of housing in Orange County, it all boils down to basic supply and demand. There's more demand for housing than available supply.

Concerning the cost of living, San Diego is marginally less expensive than Orange County. The median residential property value in San Diego is lower than that of Orange County, although San Diego also has a lower median income.

In many California cities like San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego, as well as Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C., a $150K salary is considered a middle-class income, CNBC reports.

When analyzing LA, the study said that the annual take-home pay from $100,000 after taxes is $68,050, but the cost of living is 52.5% higher than the national average.

How much house can I afford if I make $70,000 a year? ›

Let's say you earn $70,000 each year. By using the 28 percent rule, your mortgage payments should add up to no more than $19,600 for the year, which equals a monthly payment of $1,633. With that magic number in mind, you can afford a $305,000 home at a 5.35 percent interest rate over 30 years.

How much does a Public School Teacher make in Orange, CA? The average Public School Teacher salary in Orange, CA is $63,314 as of June 26, 2023, but the range typically falls between $52,872 and $77,215.

Here's what the data shows for the Golden State: Average top 5% income: $447,207. Lower limit of top 5%: $250,000.

Average Home Price in Orange County

The middle class is generally considered to be made up of households that make between $50K and $120K a year. According to the OC Register, however, in order to qualify as “low-income” in Orange County, you need only make less than $84K.

The data used in the study analyzed the cost of living in each city as of 2022. For California cities like Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego, a single person must make more than $76,000 to “live comfortably,” the data shows.