What is the cost of living in Vallejo?

Vallejo has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 108.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 142.0, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $2,178/month.

What is the median salary in Vallejo?

The median salary in Vallejo is $81,560 annually (mean: $84,859). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses.

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

What are the schools like in Vallejo?

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 Vallejo?

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

Is Vallejo a good place to relocate?

Vallejo has a Life Score of 40.6/100 (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 Vallejo sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Vallejo ranks #355 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

Vallejo, CA

BEA RPP 108.5 ranks #370 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

108.5
Cost index (US=100): $2,178
2BR rent / mo: $81,560
Median salary: 35.1
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Vallejo ranks #355 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (35.1/100), with its strongest marks in job market and climate.

#355
of 387 US metros · 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 (3/100). 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), Vallejo ranks #355 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 108.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $2,178/mo, median salary $81,560; LiveAbility Score 35.1/100, strongest in job market and climate.

Signature: BEA RPP 108.5 ranks #370 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 108.5 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $2,178/mo.

LiveAbility 35.1/100 puts Vallejo in the bottom third (#355 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Vallejo area is 134,880.

Vallejo 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)

35 Top 92% higher than 8% 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

Vallejo housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Vallejo MSA; housing RPP 142.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $2,178/mo.

Studio

$1,567

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,705

/month

2 Bedroom

$2,178

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,911

/month

4 Bedroom

$3,297

/month

Vallejo wages and employment

Vallejo posts 134,880 total employment with median salary $81,560 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$81,560

Mean Salary

$84,859

Total Employment

134,880

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,320
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$44,110
Registered Nurses	$203,290
Retail Salespersons	$38,420
Cashiers	$37,810

Schools & Education

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

Infant (Center)

$17,920

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,300

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Vallejo's composite Life Score is 40.6/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

4/100

Bottom decile

Wages

99/100

Elite

Rent

6/100

Bottom decile

Crime

8/100

Bottom decile

Schools

97/100

Elite

Childcare

3/100

Bottom decile

Environment

80/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Vallejo ranks #355 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 35.1/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (99/100)

Job market

99
Climate

97
Air quality

89
Safety

8
Low hazard

7
Housing

6
Cost of living

4
Schools

3

What this shows Vallejo's strongest dimensions are job market and climate; its weakest among scored dims is schools at 3/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Vallejo to

Kingston Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh Knoxville Kokomo La Crosse-Onalaska Lafayette

Metros near Vallejo on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Vallejo 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

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

Vallejo runs a $81,560 median salary at a 108.5 cost index, ranking #355 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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