Cost of living in El Cerrito, California
Simple answer
Typical rent is $2,548 a month.
El Cerrito is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $127,876 a year.
- People
- 25,994
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $2,548
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $127,876
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $1,124,400
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $2,805
- Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
El Cerrito, California has about 25,994 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $1,124,400.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Contra Costa County is $2,805 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in El Cerrito. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, prices sit at 115.6 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 El Cerrito'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 El Cerrito's bill.
In 2025, all-grades gas in California averaged $4.53 a gallon. EIA prints this yearly price for only some states.
Among 982 places we list in California with a rent figure, 181 have higher typical rent than El Cerrito.
Nearby places
- Kensington
Typical rent $3,501
Compare with El Cerrito - East Richmond Heights
Typical rent $2,071
Compare with El Cerrito - Albany
Typical rent $2,445
Compare with El Cerrito - Rollingwood
Typical rent $1,836
Compare with El Cerrito - San Pablo
Typical rent $2,018
Compare with El Cerrito - Berkeley
Typical rent $2,133
Compare with El Cerrito - El Sobrante
Typical rent $2,216
- Richmond
Typical rent $1,960
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in California
Bigger places in California
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.