Living in Palm Springs, CA
Resort town in California
Palm Springs is a resort town in California, home to about 45,000 people, with 745,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Palm Springs a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Easy flying: PSP is 2 mi away
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Hot summers: highs around 106°F
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $837k, and rent is $2,910 a month
- Higher taxes: about $3,279 state income tax per resident, 0.78% property tax
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Palm Springs ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Palm Springs: common questions
What is the cost of living in Palm Springs?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $837k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,910 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 111, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Palm Springs?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.78% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Palm Springs safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.4× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Palm Springs?
Palm Springs is warm all year: winter days average around 71°F and summer days around 106°F.
Does Palm Springs get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and earthquakes: 11 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.23 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Palm Springs?
The nearest major airport is PSP, about 2 mi away.
How Palm Springs scores
Each bar compares Palm Springs with the other 1143 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).
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Is Palm Springs right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.