Living in Bell, CA
Suburb in California
Bell is a suburb in California, home to about 33,000 people, with 11.4 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Bell a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 32 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: LGB is 11 mi away
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
👎 Cons
- Few dog parks: 15 within 9 mi
- Weaker public schools: test results well below the US average
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $715k, and rent is $3,300 a month
- Higher taxes: about $3,279 state income tax per resident, 0.81% property tax
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Bell ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Bell: common questions
What is the cost of living in Bell?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $715k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,300 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 114, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Bell?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.81% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Bell safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.2× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Bell?
Public schools in Bell test well below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 24 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Bell?
Bell is warm all year: winter days average around 68°F and summer days around 81°F.
Does Bell get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes: 15 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.03 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Bell?
The nearest major airport is LGB, about 11 mi away.
How Bell scores
Each bar compares Bell with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Bell
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in California.
Is Bell right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.