CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

36.50° N · 121.73° W · GEOID 0611324

Carmel Valley Village

Monterey County, California · part of the Salinas, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaCarmel Valley Village, CACarmel Valley VillageCarmel Valley Village

The short answer

Carmel Valley Village is home to 4,785 people. Median household income is $156,161 a year and median rent is $2,211 a month, 17.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $1,275,500, about 8.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,211
62% above the median place
Median household income
$156,161
95% above the median place
Median home value
$1,275,500
299% above the median place
Unemployment
6.3%
29% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Carmel Valley Village

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 11.8% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,790 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 97% of places its size.
  • The median home is valued at $1,275,500, more than in 98% of places its size.
  • 36% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 97% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 54.7 years old, older than in 96% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 99 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Many people here skip the commute entirely: 36% work from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 71% of places.

01

Moving to Carmel Valley Village

Monterey County loses about 12.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in11,763
Moved out16,313
Net−4,550

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$101K
Leavers$77K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Monterey County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.8% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Monterey County report $100,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $76,800, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$88,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,211 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $4,001 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $1,275,500.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 36.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
View Park-Windsor Hills, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.2%
26% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-12.8
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7
$100,819
43% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.2%26% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.8%9% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-12.8below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$100,81943% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$76,8389% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median home value is $1,275,500, 299% above the median place.

Carmel Valley Village17.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$88,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.0%
17% below the median place
Home price to income
8.2x
115% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$127,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Carmel Valley Village, $2,211 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Carmel Valley Village, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
El Granada, CA11.4% vs 17.0%$62,400Compare
Northwest Harbor, NY13.5% vs 17.0%$4,200Compare
Orono, MN12.6% vs 17.0%$19,100Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Carmel Valley Village.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Carmel Valley Village? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$1,275,500
299% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$4,001
114% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$8,618
164% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,21162% above
Rent to income117.0%17% below
Property tax rate10.7%25% below
Home price to income18.2x115% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure109.08% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,41650% above
HUD area median income4County figure$110,5003% above
Property tax paid (median)1$8,618164% above
Median home value1$1,275,500299% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.3%59% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure43.9%15% below
Homeownership179.2%19% above
Renters paying 30%+150.5%0% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$4,001114% above
Vacant homes112.6%79% above
Median year built119681% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
36.1%
190% above the median place
Income per person1
$93,360
133% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$156,161 +95%
Poverty rate4.8% −56%
Unemployment6.3% +29%
Mean commute29 min +15%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$156,16195% above
Income per person1$93,360133% above
Unemployment16.3%29% above
Average annual pay6County figure$63,5944% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.6%3% below
Jobs6County figure198,52532% above
Poverty rate14.8%56% below
Mean commute129 min15% above
Works from home136.1%190% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 54.7, 40% above the median place.

Median age1
54.7
40% above the median place
High school or higher1
97.8%
6% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
64.0%
100% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband94.9% +3%
Household size2.4 −6%
Born abroad6.8% −22%
All 8 people measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,7856646th largest
Median age154.740% above
Bachelor's or higher164.0%100% above
High school or higher197.8%6% above
Household size12.46% below
Born abroad16.8%22% below
No health insurance1County figure9.6%50% above
Homes with broadband194.9%3% above
05

Life in Carmel Valley Village

64 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 8 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.2 −59%
Playgrounds per 10k16.7 +78%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k20.9 +87%
Libraries per 10k4.2 4.8×
Named paths and bike trails32 km 15.9×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.6 2.8×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops29.2 −4%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.0 −2%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.5 −13%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher11
21.5
40% above the median place
Public schools11
149
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
73,728
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure149above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure73,728above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure21.540% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k8County figure29.24% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.02% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.513% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.917% below
Parks per 10k94.259% below
Playgrounds per 10k916.778% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k920.987% above
Libraries per 10k94.2380% above
Named paths and bike trails931.8above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.6176% above
National Register listings10County figure64392% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 98.7, 61% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Carmel Valley Village. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
98.7
61% above the median place
Tornado risk13
28.7
65% below the median place
Good air days14
86.0%
26% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureCarmel Valley VillageAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure86°F1% below
January average low12County figure38°F51% above
Average temperature12County figure59°F7% above
Annual precipitation12County figure21.0 in52% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure98.77% above
Tornado risk13County figure28.765% below
Wildfire risk13County figure98.761% above
Heat wave risk13County figure95.86% above
Median air quality index14County figure3812% below
Good air days14County figure86.0%26% above
08

Carmel Valley Village in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, down from 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,211/mo (2024)$2,750/mo$2,260 to $3,360/mo+3.7%
Median household income$156,161 (2024)$202,500$171,000 to $239,500+4.4%
Median home value$1,275,500 (2024)$1,798,000$1,305,000 to $2,477,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 8.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 8.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Carmel Valley Village

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
View Park-Windsor Hills, CA$2,132$130,504Compare
Fairfax, CA$2,367$141,653Compare
Bainbridge Island, WA$2,194$172,188Compare
North Tustin, CA$2,462$177,351Compare
North Tustin, CABainbridge Island, WAFairfax, CAView Park-Windsor Hills, CACarmel Valley Village, CACarmel Valley VillageFairfaxBainbridge IslandNorth TustinCarmel Valley VillageFairfaxBainbridge IslandNorth Tustin

Common questions

Is Carmel Valley Village a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 11.8% a year while rent rose 3.5%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,790 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 97% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 64 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Carmel Valley Village expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $1,275,500.

What salary do you need to live in Carmel Valley Village?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $88,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Carmel Valley Village?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are View Park-Windsor Hills, CA, Fairfax, CA, Bainbridge Island, WA and North Tustin, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Carmel Valley Village with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Carmel Valley Village itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/carmel-valley-village-california

Citytistics. “Carmel Valley Village, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/carmel-valley-village-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.