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Cost of living, pay and housing

37.10° N · 121.02° W · GEOID 0670028

Santa Nella

Merced County, California · part of the Merced, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaSanta Nella, CASanta NellaSanta Nella

The short answer

Santa Nella is home to 2,107 people. Median household income is $99,154 a year and median rent is $927 a month, 11.2% 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 $435,000, about 4.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$927
32% below the median place
Median household income
$99,154
23% above the median place
Median home value
$435,000
36% above the median place
Unemployment
10.6%
116% 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 Santa Nella

  • The median rent takes only 11.2% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 655 California places.
  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 10.7% a year while rent rose 1.3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 97% of places its size.
  • Households average 3.76 people, larger than in 98% of places its size.
  • 32% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 95% of places its size.
  • Only 28% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 94% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 97 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Santa Nella

Merced County loses about 3.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in9,237
Moved out9,936
Net−699

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$51K
Leavers$54K

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

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Merced County report $51,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $54,100, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$37,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $927 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,113 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $435,000.
Getting to work
56 minutes each way on average; 6.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Moapa Valley, NV matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in7
$51,109
28% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$54,074
23% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%19% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-3.0400% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$51,10928% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$54,07423% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 11.2%, 45% below the median place.

Santa Nella11.2%
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
$37,080
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.2%
45% below the median place
Home price to income
4.4x
16% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
11%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$85,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Santa Nella, $927 a month, and local prices for everything else (102.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Santa Nella.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Santa Nella? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
28.4%
44% below the median place
Median year built1
2000
1% above the median place
Median home value1
$435,000
36% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$92732% below
Rent to income111.2%45% below
Property tax rate10.8%13% below
Home price to income14.4x16% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.33% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,5176% below
HUD area median income4County figure$75,80029% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,4175% above
Median home value1$435,00036% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.8%75% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure45.7%11% below
Homeownership160.6%9% below
Renters paying 30%+128.4%44% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,11313% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.3%25% below
Median year built120001% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 56 min, 124% above the median place.

Mean commute1
56 min
124% above the median place
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$27,949
30% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$99,15423% above
Income per person1$27,94930% below
Unemployment1County figure10.6%116% above
Average annual pay6County figure$56,82614% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.4%8% below
Jobs6County figure85,66343% below
Poverty rate1County figure19.1%77% above
Mean commute156 min124% above
Works from home1County figure6.6%47% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.8, 50% above the median place.

Household size1
3.8
50% above the median place
High school or higher1
67.4%
27% below the median place
Born abroad1
32.1%
264% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,1076646th largest
Median age135.110% below
Bachelor's or higher1County figure15.3%52% below
High school or higher167.4%27% below
Household size13.850% above
Born abroad132.1%264% above
No health insurance1County figure8.1%27% above
Homes with broadband191.6%1% below
05

Life in Santa Nella

16 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k47.5 4.3×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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 bars12.8 −38%
Shops19.0 −37%
Arts, recreation and fitness1.5 −63%
Doctors' offices and clinics12.3 −39%
Child care centers1.4 −39%

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

Public schools11
1
89% below the median place
Public school students11
225
95% below the median place
Students per teacher11
20.5
33% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11189% below
Public school students1122595% below
Students per teacher1120.533% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure12.838% below
Shops per 10k8County figure19.037% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure1.563% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure12.339% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.439% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k947.5326% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure1623% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 11.5 in, 74% below 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 Santa Nella. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation12
11.5 in
74% below the median place
July average high12
94°F
8% above the median place
Tornado risk13
26.2
68% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSanta NellaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure94°F8% above
January average low12County figure39°F55% above
Average temperature12County figure63°F14% above
Annual precipitation12County figure11.5 in74% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure96.85% above
Tornado risk13County figure26.268% below
Wildfire risk13County figure92.251% above
Heat wave risk13County figure97.78% above
Median air quality index14County figure5016% above
Good air days14County figure51.0%26% below
08

Santa Nella in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 11% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 11% 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$927/mo (2023)$1,200/mo$970 to $1,490/mo+3.8%
Median household income$99,154 (2024)$128,000$108,500 to $151,500+4.4%
Median home value$435,000 (2024)$636,000$462,000 to $876,000+6.5%

The median home would be worth 5.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.4 now.

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

09

Places like Santa Nella

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

PlaceRentIncome
Moapa Valley, NV$1,135$89,250Compare
Estacada, OR$682$94,435Compare
Nephi, UT$1,007$106,108Compare
Tooele, UT$1,214$96,221Compare
Tooele, UTNephi, UTEstacada, ORMoapa Valley, NVSanta Nella, CAMoapa ValleyEstacadaNephiTooeleMoapa ValleyEstacadaNephiTooele

Common questions

Is Santa Nella a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes only 11.2% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 655 California places. Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 10.7% a year while rent rose 1.3%, so pay gained on rent more 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 Santa Nella expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.2% 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 $435,000.

What salary do you need to live in Santa Nella?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $37,080 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Santa Nella?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Moapa Valley, NV, Estacada, OR, Nephi, UT and Tooele, UT.

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 Santa Nella with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Santa Nella itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/santa-nella-california

Citytistics. “Santa Nella, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/santa-nella-california/

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