Cost of living in Chester, California

Chester, California has about 1,759 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $304,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Plumas County is $1,422 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Chester. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

California's prices sit at 110.7 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

California taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Chester'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 Chester'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, 893 have higher typical rent than Chester.