Example household · $83,730 · same pay · 1 adult

El Centro skyline

El Centro

Cost of Living in El Centro, CA (2026): Rent, Utilities & Take-Home

$2,093 left/mo

Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia

$3,234/mo in El Centro. $2,093 left each month. Prices near the US average.

Monthly costs

Take-home $5,327/mo.

  • Taxes$1,651
  • Rent$1,009
  • Other$2,225
  • Left$2,093

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay
$83,730
Federal income tax
−$9,591
Social Security and Medicare
−$6,405
State income tax (CA)
−$3,814
Take-home pay
$63,920
Effective tax rate
23.7%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br
$1,009
Groceries
$433
Getting around
$655
Healthcare
$487
Utilities and internet
$271
Everything else
$379
Total spending
$3,234

After tax and rent

$2,093 left/mo

Stats

Rent
$1,201
2 bd median
Take-home
$5,327
Per month
Tax
24%
Of pay
Prices
8% above
US, besides rent

Average electric bill in California

About $282 a month for a household using 900 kWh. That is the EIA residential price for California in 2025, 31.35¢ per kWh. It is a state average, not a El Centro utility bill, and the utilities line in the monthly costs above already includes a modelled power cost.

Moving from El Centro

Take-home by job in El Centro

Pay and leftover for every job in El Centro

Other California metros

All California metros

Compare El Centro

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