2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Chico, CA vs Fort Walton Beach, FL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Fort Walton Beach or is it cheaper to live in Chico?
- Fort Walton Beach is 8.5% less expensive than Chico.

Which city has more affordable housing, Fort Walton Beach or Chico?
- Fort Walton Beach housing costs are 34.3% less expensive than Chico housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Chico or is Health Care more affordable in Fort Walton Beach.
- Health related expenses are 13.7% less in Fort Walton Beach.
 Chico, CAFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Overall  Unlock100.9100
 Food & Groceries102.0  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock104.2100
 Housing145.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$322,200$338,100
 Utilities111  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.1100
 Miscellaneous115.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Chico    31 Reviews

Chico is imperfect like most places, but it's still good. Any and all of it's issues proceed from it's main fault of growing increasingly liberal, which is to be  More

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Uuwuu · 
Over 4 years ago

Chico's decent. I've been living here for ~5 years now. Eveen though my brother loves Chico and would like to stay, I would like to leave. I have no issues with crime or  More

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I was born in Oroville and I grew up in Oroville and Biggs. I have heard all my life about crime in chico. Well I have lived in Chico near Chapman for almost 10 years  More

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Reviews for Fort Walton Beach    10 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Ive lived in Fort Walton for atleast 15yrs.Ive seen the good days(early to late 200's)and now the bad.If you move here,youd better make atleast $10,000 a month.These  More

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I would like to know if Fort Walton Beach is a better place to live rather than busy Clearwater FL. We want to re-locate to a quieter city with all the amenities of a  More

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FWB is great for its beautiful beaches and saltwater fishing. It's also easy to move around town except during rush hour (yes, we have a rush hour - but it literally  More

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