COMPARE COST OF LIVING

Pima County, AZ→Kern County, CA

Equivalent salary in Kern County, CA

$54,350

+8.7% higher

Current salary: $50,000

Household: 1 adult · 0 children

Median Income in Pima County, AZ: $87,639

Median Income in Kern County, CA: $75,186

Living Index in Pima County, AZ 48.50

Living Index in Kern County, CA 61.45

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Pima County, AZ to Kern County, CA.

* Living index is estimated from (estimated total cost / median_income of area) * 100.A living index above 100% means costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary/TLDR:

If you were to move to Kern County, CA from Pima County, AZ would be, though moderately, more expensive overall. You would spend an estimated additional $3,699 per year (a 8.7% increase). To keep the same lifestyle, you’d likely want your income to be at least 8.7% higher in this new location. Moving can lead to some savings in Food According to the Economic Policy Institute’s 2025 Family Budget data, Pima County, AZ's Food costs are 0.27% higher ($4,038 vs. $4,027), driving a large part of the cost difference. Movers could potentially save $11 in annual expenses. Housing, Transport, Healthcare, Other Costs and Taxes costs for Kern County, CA , however, rise slightly.

Since Food is one of the biggest drivers of living costs, this gap alone can noticeably change how the move feels month to month. Families and people who eat out often will notice this difference in their weekly grocery and restaurant spending.

Below we break down the key differences driving this gap.

What changed the most?

The following numbers represent which categories have the highest and lowest cost increase when moving to Kern County, CA.

Biggest Increase

Highest new COST when moving to Kern County, CA

Average Cost:

$11,828 per year

TRANSPORT costs are highest in Kern County, CA.

Smallest Increase

Highest money SAVE when moving to Kern County, CA

Average Cost:

$4,027 per year

FOOD costs are lowest in Kern County, CA.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

Category	Difference
Housing	5.96% higher
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $10872.00 $11520.00 INFO: Housing costs are based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data represented shows the rental cost at the 40th percentile at a given area for privately owned, rental unit. Studio apartments were paired with 1 adult families, 1 Bedroom apartments with 2 Adult families, and 2 bedroom apartments for families with 1 or 2 children.
Food	-0.27% lower
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $4038.00 $4027.00 INFO: Food cost are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food plan. Numbers are normalized to each area using weights from Feeding America and the Meal Gap data. This number assumes most food is bought at a local grocery store and then prepared at home.
Transport	14.02% higher
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $11828.00 $13486.00 INFO: Transportation costs are a combination of auto ownership, auto use, and public transit. Data is collected from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).
Healthcare	8.74% higher
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $4533.00 $4929.00 INFO: Health care expenses come from an average of insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The data assumes families purchase the lowest cost available insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Data comes from Kaiser Family foundation and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Other Costs	4.27% higher
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $5017.00 $5231.00 INFO: This cost is calculated through the average spending of categories deemed necessary by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. These include apparel, personal care, household supplies, reading materials, and school supplies.
Taxes	12.79% higher
Pima County, AZ Kern County, CA Average Cost $6217.00 $7012.00 INFO: Taxes are calculated from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The number weighs in personal income tax, state income tax, federal Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

In your new location your total average costs would be $46205.00 compared to your previous average costs of $42506.00.

The higher price could be attributed to different factors. For example, larger differences, the delta could be attributed to the fact that a city is a metropolitan location.

In this case Kern County, CA and Pima County, AZ are both metropolitan locations.

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