Cost of Living and Housing in El Centro, California

El Centro has about 44,240 residents. Median gross rent is $1,052 per month and median household income is $53,082.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $1,052/mo 36% below the dataset median

Median Home Value $323,100 14% below the dataset median

Median Household Income $53,082 37% below the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 49% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 24% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 6.1x Median value ÷ household income

How El Centro compares

Rent is 36% below the dataset median, while household income is 37% below the dataset median. Within California, El Centro ranks #2 from lowest to highest rent and #342 from highest to lowest household income among 347 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in California

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in El Centro?

Median gross rent is $1,052 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in El Centro?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $323,100 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in El Centro is $53,082 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.