Living here
Cost of living in Downey
Housing is much more expensive than the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,892/mo
40% above US
Median home value
$728,500
140% above US
Median household income
$87,400
11% above US
Rent as share of income
26%
US 21%
Home price to income
8.3×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
11%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA HUD Metro FMR Area (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Downey compares
- Downey$1,892
- California$1,956
- United States$1,348
- Norwalk$2,014
- Pico Rivera$1,775
- South Gate$1,471
- Whittier$1,829
- Cerritos$2,909
- Carson$1,914
- Alhambra$1,852
- El Monte$1,677
- Downey$728,500
- California$695,400
- United States$303,400
- Norwalk$616,600
- Pico Rivera$621,400
- South Gate$608,500
- Whittier$751,700
- Cerritos$908,600
- Carson$645,600
- Alhambra$812,700
- El Monte$626,000
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in Downey
Questions
Is Downey expensive to live in?
Housing in Downey is much more expensive than the national average: median rent is $1,892 (40% above US) and the median home value is $728,500 (140% above US).
How much is rent in Downey?
The median gross rent is $1,892 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $2,151, 1 bedroom $2,402, 2 bedrooms $2,964, 3 bedrooms $3,760, 4 bedrooms $4,208.
How much of their income do renters spend in Downey?
At the median, a year’s rent ($22,704) equals about 26% of the median household income ($87,400); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Downey?
Sales tax is 11% and property taxes run about 0.72% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; CDTFA California City & County Sales & Use Tax Rates.