Cost of living in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California has about 3,162 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $2,000,001.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Monterey County is $2,416 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Salinas, CA metro area, prices sit at 109.0 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

California taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Carmel-by-the-Sea's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical California home paid 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Carmel-by-the-Sea's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in California was $6.216 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,983.68 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in California shares this price.

Among 982 places we list in California with a rent figure, 152 have higher typical rent than Carmel-by-the-Sea.