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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Scotts Valley, California

Scotts Valley, California has about 12,044 people. Typical rent is $2,491 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $143,750 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 #256 in California on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $2,491 a month.

Scotts Valley is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $143,750 a year.

Is Scotts Valley affordable?See benefits in Scotts Valley
People
12,044
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$2,491
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$143,750
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$1,105,700
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$4,254
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA

Scotts Valley, California has about 12,044 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $1,105,700.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Santa Cruz County is $4,254 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Scotts Valley. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, prices sit at 109.9 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 Scotts Valley'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 Scotts Valley'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, 198 have higher typical rent than Scotts Valley.

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 Scotts ValleyWhat 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.