El Monte vs Fairfield
The short version
- Fairfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the El Monte area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $624,300 in Fairfield and $644,000 in El Monte.
- Households earn more in Fairfield ($101,895 vs $68,030 median).
- El Monte has the warmer winter: January highs of 69°F vs 57°F.
- Fairfield is growing faster: +2.1% since 2020 vs -4%.
Side by side
| El Monte, CA | Fairfield, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 105,075 | 122,489 |
| Growth since 2020 | -4% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 10,995 | 2,945 |
| Median age | 37.8 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15% | 27% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $68,030 | $101,895 |
| Median home value | $644,000 | $624,300 |
| Home value to income | 9.5× | 6.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,736 | $2,266 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 108.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 142.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $81,400 |
| Homeowners | 40% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.8 | 30.7 |
| Work from home | 7% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 17.4% | 10.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 69° / 46° | 57° / 40° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 90° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 25 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 64 | 60 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 8 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 97.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 99% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | -0.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +14.3% |
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: El Monte: October to July. Fairfield: March to June and October to November.
Full monthly tables: El Monte weather by month and Fairfield weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in El Monte and $81,400 in Fairfield. Moving from El Monte to Fairfield, you would need about $71,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between El Monte and Fairfield
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from El Monte and Fairfield.
Which would you pick?
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