2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
San Rafael, CA vs Chico, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Chico or is it cheaper to live in San Rafael?
- Chico is 52.1% less expensive than San Rafael.

Which city has more affordable housing, Chico or San Rafael?
- Chico housing costs are 67.3% less expensive than San Rafael housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in San Rafael or is Health Care more affordable in Chico.
- Health related expenses are 9.7% more in Chico.
 San Rafael, CAChico, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock110.3100
 Food & Groceries113.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock120.8100
 Housing445.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$440,000$338,100
 Utilities97  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock84.9100
 Miscellaneous164.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for San Rafael    7 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

San Rafael is only 30 minutes from downtown San Francisco, but the weather is completely different. It's sunny most of the year, including in the summer when the city  More

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Over 15 years ago

I feal very safe in this town. I think getting stopped for talking on your cell phone while driving is a big deal here. Thats about all I can  More

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Over 17 years ago

Cost of living too high. Unfriendly  More

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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 3 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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