WhereDoIMove · Relocation report
West · California · pop 162K
Salinas, CA
Weak match
at the reference profile: one person earning $6,700/mo gross, default weights.
Personalize this score →After estimated taxes in CA, your $6,700/mo income nets about $5,120, while estimated essentials run about $5,141/mo — roughly $21 short.
Expect summer highs near 71°F, winter lows around 41°F, and about 0 sunny days a year.
Reported crime rates sit below most similar-sized cities in this dataset.
Tradeoff: home prices run high relative to local incomes, so buying may take longer than elsewhere.
The Salinas fit print
Est. monthly cost
$5,141/mo
Typical rent
$2,498/mo
Home value ÷ income
6.9×
Score breakdown
The data behind the score
Money (Census ACS · HUD)
- Median gross rent
- $2,498/mo
- Median home value
- $610,900
- Median household income
- $89,150
- Population
- 161,993
Work (BLS)
- Unemployment rate
- 0.0%
- Job growth (1yr)
- 0.0%
Safety (FBI CDE, per 100k)
- Violent crime rate
- 0
- Property crime rate
- 0
Climate (NOAA normals)
- Avg. summer high
- 71°F
- Avg. winter low
- 41°F
- Sunny days / year
- 0
- Days ≥100°F by 2050 (air temp)
- ≈1/yr
- Dangerous humid days by 2050 (feels-like)
- ≈0/yr
- Unhealthy air days
- ≈10/yr
- Annual rain
- 0"
- Annual snow
- 0"
Community & access (approx.)
- 2024 county margin
- D+30
- Bachelor's degree or higher
- ≈16%
- Major airport
- ≈15 mi
- Time zone
- PT
- Walkability
- 40/100
- Transit
- 30/100
- Disaster risk
- 48/100
- Top natural hazard
- Drought
Data vintage: acs2023-5yr+zori-2026-06-30. Sources & methodology
Natural-hazard risk
Wildfire
high risk
Hurricanes
low risk
Tornadoes
low risk
Flooding
high risk
Earthquakes
high risk
Severe winter
low risk
Per-hazard risk-index scores from FEMA's National Risk Index for this city's county, with any hazard FEMA doesn't score filled in by our model. Screen by hazard from search.
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Go deeper
Buy vs. rent the median home
Owning the median Salinas home would run about $4,190/mo (mortgage, tax, insurance, upkeep) versus $2,498/mo to rent — about $1,692/mo more to buy at today's 6.60% rate.
- Mortgage (P&I)
- $3,121
- Property tax
- $382
- Insurance (state avg)
- $178
- Maintenance
- $509
Buying costs about $1,692/mo more.
Median home $610,900 · $122,180 down
Estimate only: 30-year fixed, state-average property tax and homeowners insurance, ~1%/yr maintenance. Part of the mortgage payment builds equity, which a pure outlay comparison ignores; and the median home is typically larger than the median rental, which biases the gap toward renting. Ignores closing costs, HOA dues, PMI on low down payments, and the opportunity cost of the down payment. Not a lending quote.
What will the move cost?
Moving to Salinas
About 2,552 mi from New York, NY.
DIY — rental truck
$3,150–$4,550
One-way truck, mileage, and fuel. Your labor.
Full-service movers
$7,650–$11,000
Pros load, drive, and unload. Packing usually extra.
Rough estimates from distance and household size — real quotes vary with season, access, exact inventory, and fuel. Get a few binding quotes before you book.
Find jobs in Salinas
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