What salary do you need to live in Chico, CA?

The cost side of living in Chico

Renters in Chico pay a median $1,417 a month for two bedrooms. Size matters: one bedroom is $1,112, three bedrooms $1,795, so going from the smallest to the largest of the three adds $8,196 a year.

On the ownership side, the typical owner-occupied home is valued at $424,700. Local median household income is $67,928, so the median home is 6.3× a typical income — high enough that ownership weighs heavily in the score unless income is well above the median.

BEA's Regional Price Parity for the metro is 101.2, where 100 is the US average. In plain terms, the full basket of goods, services and housing costs 1.2% more than average, so $100,000 here buys roughly what $98,817 would at average US prices.

The salary lines for a two-bedroom in Chico

With a two-bedroom at the median rent, the score enters Tight at $55,000, Okay at $110,000 and Comfortable at $221,000 a year before tax. At the Comfortable line, a year of rent takes 8% of income and the median home is 1.9× income.

The Royal grade is within reach at $649,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

Each figure is the lowest income, to the next $1,000, at which the calculator itself would show that grade for a two-bedroom in Chico.

What different incomes look like in Chico

Choosing a bigger place in Chico at $75,000 trims the score from 38 to 31 without leaving Tight.

Comfortable is above every row of the table here. At $150,000 a two-bedroom still grades Okay, with rent taking 11% of income.

How Chico ranks among 387 metros

Out of 387 metros, Chico has the 64th highest price parity and the 91st highest two-bedroom rent, which puts it in the top quarter on overall prices and in the top quarter on rent.

Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Providence-Warwick, RI-MA ($1,421) and Boise City, ID ($1,416).

Comparing Chico with California

Statewide, California's median two-bedroom rent is $2,103 and its median home value $734,700. Chico's rent is −33% against that, and its home value −42%; the price parity is 101.2 versus 110.7 for the state.

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $439,000 — above Chico's $221,000 line.

Looking for somewhere comparable without leaving California? Fresno, CA, Redding, CA, and Modesto, CA have the closest mix of rent and overall prices.

Does the typical Chico income clear the bar?

A household at the Chico median income of $67,928 would see a two-bedroom score of 31 — Tight — with rent at 25% of income. Put differently, Chico's typical household is $153,072 below the $221,000 it takes to read Comfortable on two bedrooms. For California as a whole, the median household income of $99,122 scores 23 against statewide rents. Since a household can have two or more earners, compare it with a combined income rather than one paycheck.

These are pre-tax estimates from public statistics, not financial advice.