Oakland vs Salinas
The short version
- Salinas is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Oakland area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $654,100 in Salinas and $929,900 in Oakland.
- Households earn more in Oakland ($101,600 vs $91,908 median).
- Oakland is growing faster: +0% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Salinas (27 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Oakland, CA | Salinas, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 440,838 | 159,134 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0% | -2.7% |
| People per square mile | 7,877 | 6,767 |
| Median age | 37.9 | 32.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,600 | $91,908 |
| Median home value | $929,900 | $654,100 |
| Home value to income | 9.2× | 7.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,979 | $1,991 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 109.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 145.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $81,800 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.8 | 26.6 |
| Work from home | 27% | 4% |
| Take public transit | 13% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.4% | 4.7% |
| Poverty rate | 13.4% | 13.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 45° | 62° / 42° |
| July high / low | 72° / 57° | 71° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 23 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 6 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 10 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 98.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 86% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +3.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +28.4% |
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: Oakland: February to November. Salinas: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Oakland weather by month and Salinas weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $86,700 in Oakland and $81,800 in Salinas. Moving from Oakland to Salinas, you would need about $70,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Oakland and Salinas
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Oakland and Salinas.
Which would you pick?
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