Living in San Luis Obispo, CA
College town in California
San Luis Obispo is a college town in California, home to about 48,000 people, with 383,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is San Luis Obispo a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 78°F
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $1.10M, and rent is $3,370 a month
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Smaller job market: about 383,000 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 San Luis Obispo ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in San Luis Obispo: common questions
What is the cost of living in San Luis Obispo?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $1.10M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,370 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 109, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in San Luis Obispo?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.62% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is San Luis Obispo safe?
Violent crime is close to the national rate (1.1× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in San Luis Obispo?
San Luis Obispo has mild winters: winter days average around 65°F and summer days around 78°F.
Does San Luis Obispo get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and earthquakes: 10 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.22 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to San Luis Obispo?
The nearest major airport is FAT, about 117 mi away.
How San Luis Obispo scores
Each bar compares San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.