City profile
Fresno, CA cost of living
CA · BEA RPP 102.158
2024 overall RPP
102.158
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
95.725
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
105.168
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,685/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Fresno, CA sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#25 of 67
+2.2 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+2.7
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#36 of 67
-4/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Fresno, CA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 23420). HUD: Fresno, CA HUD Metro FMR Area (code METRO23420M23420); counties or county equivalents: Fresno County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Fresno, CA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Fresno, CA metro.
Moved in
16,527
people · 9,383 households
Moved out
16,896
people · 9,826 households
Net
−369
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#35 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-740
median +371 people
Largest flow share
14% in / 13% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Tulare County, CA 2,352
- Los Angeles County, CA 1,518
- Merced County, CA 1,139
- Santa Clara County, CA 1,050
- Kings County, CA 951
Where residents moved to
- Tulare County, CA 2,225
- Los Angeles County, CA 1,228
- Kings County, CA 1,219
- Sacramento County, CA 859
- Merced County, CA 793
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Fresno, CA?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Fresno, CA | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,079 | $50,000 x (102.158/100) |
| $75,000 | $76,619 | $75,000 x (102.158/100) |
| $100,000 | $102,158 | $100,000 x (102.158/100) |
| $125,000 | $127,697 | $125,000 x (102.158/100) |
| $150,000 | $153,237 | $150,000 x (102.158/100) |
| $200,000 | $204,316 | $200,000 x (102.158/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Fresno, CA?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Fresno, CA has an overall Regional Price Parity of 102.158 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 2.2% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Fresno, CA?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $102,158 in Fresno, CA, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Fresno, CA?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Fresno, CA is $1,685 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Fresno, CA?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 16,527 people moved into the Fresno, CA metro and 16,896 moved out — a net loss of roughly 369 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Tulare County, CA.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Fresno, CA, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Fresno, CA
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Fresno, CA's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log