What is the cost of living in Modesto?

Modesto has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 104.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 108.5, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,758/month.

What is the median salary in Modesto?

The median salary in Modesto is $72,702 annually (mean: $76,968). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

The violent crime rate in the Modesto area is 477 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1986 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Modesto?

The state of CA has 10,006 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 21.5:1. Charter schools make up 12.8% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Modesto?

Infant center-based childcare in the Modesto area averages $17,920 per year. Preschool averages $11,385/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Modesto a good place to relocate?

Modesto has a Life Score of 41.7/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Modesto sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Modesto ranks #375 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Modesto, CA

LiveAbility 27.2/100 places Modesto #375 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

104.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,758
2BR rent / mo: $72,702
Median salary: 27.2
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Modesto ranks #375 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (27.2/100), with its strongest marks in job market and climate.

#375
of 387 US metros · Well below median: 39,431,263
metro-area population: 477
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 10,006
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: schools (7/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Modesto ranks #375 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 104.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,758/mo, median salary $72,702; LiveAbility Score 27.2/100, strongest in job market and climate.

Signature: LiveAbility 27.2/100 places Modesto #375 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 104.1 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,758/mo.

LiveAbility 27.2/100 puts Modesto in the bottom third (#375 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Modesto area is 187,990.

Modesto vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

27 Top 97% higher than 3% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Modesto housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Modesto MSA; housing RPP 108.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,758/mo.

Studio

$1,255

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,356

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,758

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,442

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,823

/month

Modesto wages and employment

Modesto posts 187,990 total employment with median salary $72,702 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$72,702

Mean Salary

$76,968

Total Employment

187,990

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,320
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$42,630
Retail Salespersons	$37,430
Cashiers	$36,490
Registered Nurses	$132,590

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Modesto area from NCES.

Schools

10,006

Enrollment

5,787,663

Student:Teacher

21.5:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Modesto area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$17,920

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,300

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Modesto's composite Life Score is 41.7/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

9/100

Bottom decile

Wages

90/100

Elite

Rent

16/100

Bottom decile

Crime

12/100

Bottom decile

Schools

94/100

Elite

Childcare

7/100

Bottom decile

Environment

76/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Modesto ranks #375 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 27.2/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (90/100)

Job market

90
Climate

63
Housing

16
Air quality

13
Safety

12
Low hazard

11
Cost of living

9
Schools

7

What this shows Modesto's strongest dimensions are job market and climate; its weakest among scored dims is schools at 7/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Modesto to

Bay City Beaumont-Port Arthur Beckley Bellingham Bend Billings

Metros near Modesto on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Modesto on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Modesto cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Modesto wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Modesto?

Modesto runs a $72,702 median salary at a 104.1 cost index, ranking #375 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Modesto's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Modesto head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Modesto
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.