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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Shafter, California

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,253 a month.

Shafter is a city in California. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $71,215 a year.

Is Shafter affordable?See benefits in Shafter
People
21,193
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,253
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$71,215
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$335,800
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,656
Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA

Shafter, California has about 21,193 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $335,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Kern County is $1,656 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Shafter. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, prices sit at 100.9 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 Shafter'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 Shafter'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, 817 have higher typical rent than Shafter.

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 ShafterWhat 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.