2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Novato, CA vs Bakersfield, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Bakersfield or is it cheaper to live in Novato?
- Bakersfield is 56.6% less expensive than Novato.

Which city has more affordable housing, Bakersfield or Novato?
- Bakersfield housing costs are 69.6% less expensive than Novato housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Novato or is Health Care more affordable in Bakersfield.
- Health related expenses are 16.8% less in Bakersfield.
 Novato, CABakersfield, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock99.8100
 Food & Groceries111.9  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock91.6100
 Housing351.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$349,300$338,100
 Utilities95  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock103.6100
 Miscellaneous164.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Novato    9 Reviews

Lush hills, hiking trails, and easy access to both wine country and San Francisco. We love it here.  More

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Over 11 years ago

Novato is a family oriented community located about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge. The quality of life is excellent here assuming your job pays you enough to  More

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Over 12 years ago

We recently moved to a secluded neighborhood in Novato after 25 years in central Marin. While there are fewer restaurants and galleries, we are very pleased with our  More

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Reviews for Bakersfield    75 Reviews

I am a millennial, born and raised here. As someone who wrestled with staying for years, there are a lot of valid reasons to not come to Bakersfield. Air quality, summer  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have lived here all of my life. 40+ years. It used to be fun and kinda safe but now it is so scary to go outside. We are literally a homeless dumping ground and there  More

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I moved here from Seattle 25 years ago, when it had a population of 200,000, and practically the only place to get coffee was a place called “Duke’s Ranch”. Why did I  More

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