Chico vs Yuba City
Chico, California versus Yuba City, California: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Chico and Yuba City score about the same overall (50 vs 47 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Chico | Yuba City |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $66k | $70k |
| Cost of Living | $54k | $56k |
| Home Value | $428k | $379k |
| Monthly Rent | $1k | $1k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $2k | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.74% | 0.86% |
| Income Tax | 13.30% | 13.30% |
| Sales Tax | 8.85% | 8.85% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 21.03% | 20.86% |
| Unemployment | 6.9% | 7.7% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 47°F | 47°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 81°F | 79°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 28.3 in | 20.1 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sunny Days | 293 days | 318 days |
| Summer Humidity | 52°F | 55°F |
| Comfortable Days | 84 days | 73 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 50.4 | 44.1 |
| Air Quality | 42 AQI | 47 AQI |
| School Quality | 62.4 | 57.2 |
| Violent Crime | 1066/100k | 835/100k |
| Property Crime | 1661/100k | 1449/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 102,790 | 69,535 |
| Median Age | 30.4 | 35.6 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.42 | 0.67 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.96 | 1.00 |
| Political Leaning | Even | R+17 |
| White (%) | 67.9% | 39.9% |
| Black (%) | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Hispanic (%) | 19.2% | 31.4% |
| Asian (%) | 4.9% | 19.6% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 18 min | 29 min |
| Walkability | 9.0/20 | 14.6/20 |
| Airport Distance | 74 mi | 30 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 92.5% | 87.7% |
| Amenities Nearby | 20.92 | 14.38 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Good |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Chico or Yuba City more affordable?
- Chico has the lower cost of living: its index is $54k, compared with Chico's $54k and Yuba City's $56k. Median rent is $1k in Chico versus $1k in Yuba City.
- Is Chico or Yuba City safer?
- Yuba City has the lower violent crime rate. Chico reports 1066/100k and Yuba City reports 835/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Chico or Yuba City?
- The median home value is $428k in Chico and $379k in Yuba City, so homes are more affordable in Yuba City.