Bakersfield vs Simi Valley
The short version
- Bakersfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the Simi Valley area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $371,700 in Bakersfield and $823,800 in Simi Valley.
- Households earn more in Simi Valley ($122,081 vs $80,540 median).
- Simi Valley has the warmer winter: January highs of 70°F vs 59°F.
- Bakersfield is growing faster: +4.4% since 2020 vs -1.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bakersfield (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Bakersfield, CA | Simi Valley, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 422,165 | 124,861 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.4% | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,809 | 3,005 |
| Median age | 32.1 | 41.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,540 | $122,081 |
| Median home value | $371,700 | $823,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.6× | 6.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,472 | $2,579 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 110.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 90.3 | 171.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $82,900 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 73% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.6 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 8% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 5% |
| Poverty rate | 16.3% | 6.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 70° / 43° |
| July high / low | 98° / 71° | 95° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 6 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 112 | 115 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 11 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 7 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.9 | 99.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 52% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | -1.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.8% | +28.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bakersfield: February to May and October to November. Simi Valley: October to January and March to May.
Full monthly tables: Bakersfield weather by month and Simi Valley weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Bakersfield and $82,900 in Simi Valley. Moving from Bakersfield to Simi Valley, you would need about $82,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bakersfield and Simi Valley
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bakersfield and Simi Valley.
Which would you pick?
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