Living in Salinas, CA
Mid-size city in California
Salinas is a mid-size city in California, home to about 162,000 people, with 711,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Salinas a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 71°F
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Strong healthcare: 3 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Fewer graduates: 16% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $732k, and rent is $3,620 a month
- Smaller job market: about 711,000 people live within 31 mi
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Salinas ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Salinas: common questions
What is the cost of living in Salinas?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $732k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,620 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 109, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Salinas?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.65% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Salinas safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.3× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Salinas?
Salinas has mild winters: winter days average around 62°F and summer days around 71°F.
Does Salinas get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.21 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Salinas?
The nearest major airport is SJC, about 49 mi away.
How Salinas scores
Each bar compares Salinas 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 Salinas right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.