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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in San Luis Obispo, California

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,965 a month.

San Luis Obispo is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $73,685 a year.

Is San Luis Obispo affordable?See benefits in San Luis Obispo
People
48,491
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,965
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$73,685
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$935,100
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$2,720
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA

San Luis Obispo, California has about 48,491 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $935,100.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in San Luis Obispo County is $2,720 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in San Luis Obispo. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area, prices sit at 108.6 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 San Luis Obispo'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 San Luis Obispo'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, 427 have higher typical rent than San Luis Obispo.

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 San Luis ObispoWhat 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.