Cost of Living: El Centro, CA vs San Antonio, TX

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in El Centro, CA versus $4,516/mo in San Antonio, TX. In the model, rent is about 14.45% of gross in El Centro, CA versus 18.33% in San Antonio, TX, so El Centro, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in El Centro, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in San Antonio, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in El Centro, CA
14.45%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in San Antonio, TX
18.33%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between El Centro, CA and San Antonio, TX.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): San Antonio, TX
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): El Centro, CA
  • Lower home prices: San Antonio, TX
  • Higher median household income: San Antonio, TX

Cost of Living Index

El Centro, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Antonio, TX: 88.6 (U.S. = 100)

San Antonio, TX has a lower cost-of-living index than El Centro, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

El Centro, CA: $943/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Antonio, TX: $1,195/mo

Median rent in San Antonio, TX is $252/mo higher than in El Centro, CA.

Median Home Price

El Centro, CA: $291,100 · San Antonio, TX: $219,700

Median home price in El Centro, CA is $71,400 higher than in San Antonio, TX.

Median Household Income

El Centro, CA: $56,093 · San Antonio, TX: $62,917

San Antonio, TX has a higher median household income than El Centro, CA by $6,824.

El Centro, CA overview · San Antonio, TX overview · Popular comparisons