What is Cost of Living?

Cost of living is the amount of money an individual needs to be able to maintain a certain standard of living in a particular location. Understanding the cost of living in Laguna Beach, California will help you determine whether you would be able to afford your preferred lifestyle when relocating here.

The perks of living along the Laguna Coast, particularly Laguna Beach, are seemingly endless. With its breathtaking coastline and pristine beaches, great schools and convenient commutes on immaculate roadways, commuter trains and air. Nearby airports – such as John Wayne, Long Beach and LAX in Los Angeles – provide easy access to the world. Moreover, this iconic area of Orange County is emerging as something of a fashion capital with world-class shopping and boutiques galore at nearby Fashion Island, Irvine Center Marketplace and South Coast Plaza. We do, however, pay a price for living in paradise, which invites the question: Is the cost of living in Laguna Beach worth it? Read on!

This coastal city generally sustains a higher cost of living compared to the rest of the nation. Although, once you’ve experienced the unique lifestyle that has come to define Laguna Beach, it’s easy to understand the increased cost of living relative to the benefits of residing along California’s “Riviera”.

2019 Cost of Living Index in Laguna Beach, CA

The cost of living is determined by checking the prices of a representative sample of goods and services, then taking into account the importance of each of these items in relation to an individual’s budget within a span of one year. The cost of living “index” measures the relative cost of living between two or more locations over time. Our primary location, Laguna Beach, has been given a fixed value of 100 for purposes of comparison.

To help assess the affordability of this coastal utopia, we have prepared the table below to show the cost of living for Laguna Beach compared to both the state of California and the national average.

Index Laguna Beach California United States Overall 256 138 100 Goods and Services 108 110 100 Groceries 114 115 100 Healthcare 105 109 100 Housing 591 196 100 Transportation 132 125 100 Utilities 103 114 100

Based on the table above, we can see that the overall cost of living index in Laguna Beach is 256, compared to the rest of California’s index of 138. This means that Laguna Beach residents, in general, pay 118% more for basic living expenses compared to those living in other parts of California (and the nation). One can infer from this table that the highest expense in this city is housing – with an index of 591. Let’s take a look at each of these expenses in detail.