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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Imperial, California

Imperial, California has about 21,430 people. Typical rent is $1,255 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $90,195 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.

Ranked #2 in California on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,255 a month.

Imperial is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $90,195 a year.

Is Imperial affordable?See benefits in Imperial
People
21,430
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,255
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$90,195
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$360,900
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,347
El Centro, CA MSA

Imperial, California has about 21,430 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $360,900.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Imperial County is $1,347 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Imperial. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the El Centro, CA metro area, prices sit at 95.2 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 Imperial'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 Imperial'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, 816 have higher typical rent than Imperial.

Nearby places

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.

Find SNAP stores near ImperialWhat EBT can buy in California

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.