What is the cost of living in Napa?

Napa has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 112.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 197.4, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $2,773/month.

What is the median salary in Napa?

The median salary in Napa is $76,900 annually (mean: $80,890). Top occupations include Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons.

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

What are the schools like in Napa?

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 Napa?

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

Is Napa a good place to relocate?

Napa has a Life Score of 38.9/100 (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 places Napa in the bottom decile of scored metros; compare individual dimensions to see where the biggest gaps are.

Where does Napa sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Napa ranks #380 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

Napa, CA

BEA RPP 112.6 ranks #383 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

112.6
Cost index (US=100): $2,773
2BR rent / mo: $76,900
Median salary: 25.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Napa ranks #380 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (25.6/100), with its strongest marks in job market and climate.

#380
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: cost of living (1/100). 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), Napa ranks #380 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 112.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $2,773/mo, median salary $76,900; LiveAbility Score 25.6/100, strongest in job market and climate.

Signature: BEA RPP 112.6 ranks #383 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 112.6 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $2,773/mo.

LiveAbility 25.6/100 puts Napa in the bottom third (#380 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Napa area is 70,260.

Napa 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)

26 Top 98% higher than 2% 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

Napa housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Napa MSA; housing RPP 197.4 (100 = national average); 2BR $2,773/mo.

Studio

$1,912

/month

1 Bedroom

$2,113

/month

2 Bedroom

$2,773

/month

3 Bedroom

$3,532

/month

4 Bedroom

$4,134

/month

Napa wages and employment

Napa posts 70,260 total employment with median salary $76,900 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$76,900

Mean Salary

$80,890

Total Employment

70,260

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	$44,370
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,320
Retail Salespersons	$40,780
Waiters and Waitresses	$37,130
Cashiers	$38,500

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Napa 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 Napa area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$17,920

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,300

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Napa's composite Life Score is 38.9/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

1/100

Bottom decile

Wages

95/100

Elite

Rent

2/100

Bottom decile

Crime

11/100

Bottom decile

Schools

94/100

Elite

Childcare

7/100

Bottom decile

Environment

76/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Napa ranks #380 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 25.6/100 - a composite of 7 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized). Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (95/100)

Job market

95
Climate

64
Safety

11
Low hazard

11
Schools

6
Housing

2
Cost of living

1

What this shows Napa's strongest dimensions are job market and climate; its weakest among scored dims is cost of living at 1/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%; this metro uses 7 of 8 dims with renormalized weights.

Compare Napa to

Coeur d'Alene College Station-Bryan Colorado Springs Columbia Columbia Columbus

Metros near Napa on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Napa 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

Napa cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Napa 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 Napa?

Napa runs a $76,900 median salary at a 112.6 cost index, ranking #380 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Napa's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Napa head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Napa
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.