Monterey, CA


21 Reviews



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Monterey, CA

About Monterey, CA

Monterey, CA is an iconic beach city located on the Monterey Peninsula of California's central coast. This picturesque coastal community offers stunning beaches, world-class golf courses, fabulous restaurants and galleries, plus numerous other recreational activities. Beach town/Small city - Northern California, on the south end of Monterey Bay, 110 miles south of San Francisco.

State: California
County: Monterey County
Metro Area: Salinas Metro Area
City: Monterey
Zip Codes: 93940 93943
Cost of Living:
Time zone: Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Elevation: 267 ft above sea level

Agricultural Salinas was dubbed the “salad bowl of the nation” by John Steinbeck because of its lettuce crops. Salinas is affordable and small in comparison to the others, but has the character of a typical California Central Valley town – dry, dusty, functional and with little intellectual stimulation. By contrast, nearby Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove are located on the coastal Monterey Peninsula. Carmel, a noted artist colony and Hollywood refuge, has controlled growth and maintains a charming village character with some exceptional residential properties, while Monterey is a more commercialized setup honoring its fishing village heritage for its many visitors. Pacific Grove, with its assortment of well-built Victorian and Craftsman-era homes, is probably the most livable city on the peninsula.

Not surprisingly, you’ll need a large endowment to afford any of the coastal cities and particularly Carmel. The Cost of Living index and the median home price are quite high. What’s worse, you won’t earn the money locally, as employment prospects, especially for high paying jobs, are bleak. Crime rates are quite high for the type of area. Aside from these issues, the location is a bit isolated from big-city amenities and services, all of which are available to the north in San Francisco, which while not far is hard to access. Bottom line- this is a magnificent area to live in if you can afford to live in the right parts of it.

Salinas sits in an agricultural valley. The peninsula cities are in an area of low hills, with dense pine and cypress trees. Large sand dunes occur at the head of Monterey Bay. South of Carmel, hills grow larger and the coastline becomes rugged and elevated. The climate is coastal Mediterranean. Heavy, low stratus clouds, known locally as “fog,” occur in all seasons. Summer days, when clear, are invariably sunny, cool, and breezy, but can be quite hot at Salinas and inland. Winters are moderate with periods of Pacific rain.

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Monterey Cost of Living

Attractive setting, year-round climate, and recreation/entertainment make Monterey a great place to live.

$1,022,100
66.9% lower than avg
$85,365
+19.1% higher than avg
9.2 / 7.5
Comfort Index
summer/winter
Monterey Crime
53.6 / 100
Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low) to 100 (high). US average: 35.4
Minimum annual income
To live comfortably in Monterey, California
$195,840
for a family
$116,400
for a single person
Pros & Cons of Monterey
   Attractive setting
Tourist impact
   Year-round climate
Isolation
   Recreation/Entertainment
Cost of living and housing
Reviews for Monterey
    See all (21)

Over 7 years ago
The Monterey city area is an excellent place to live and one of the few California locales where it's relatively safe to raise a family. If I could no longer live here I  More
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I grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and had to leave to climb out of poverty. The median income is $35,000 and outside of the military, the jobs are mostly service  More
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My husband and I are just crazy about Monterey. I wonder if we take housing expenses (mortgage or rent) out of the picture, is Monterey still a very expensive city to  More
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