City comparison
Bakersfield, CA vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Overall prices in Bakersfield, CA (100.9) and Salt Lake City, UT (100.9, U.S. average = 100) are within 1% of each other, so $100,000 in Bakersfield, CA goes as far as $100,000 in Salt Lake City, UT.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,456 a month in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,140 in Bakersfield, CA. On $100,000, that's 23% of take-home pay in Salt Lake City, UT and 18% in Bakersfield, CA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,536 a year higher in Bakersfield, CA than in Salt Lake City, UT.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −14.2% moving from Bakersfield, CA to Salt Lake City, UT ($124,085 → $106,437), while prices change by −0.0%. Net effect of the transfer: −14.2% in real buying power.
- Bakersfield, CA: price level 100.9 (about average)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Bakersfield, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 100.9 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $99,982 in Salt Lake City | $100,018 in Bakersfield |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,140/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 18% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,470 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Bakersfield-Delano, CA and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Bakersfield | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 90.3 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 158.3 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 100.9 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Bakersfield, CA → Salt Lake City, UT
Roughly even
Buying power +0.0%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax −$1,536/yr.
69 Fair offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Bakersfield, CA
Roughly even
Buying power −0.0%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$1,536/yr.
69 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Bakersfield, CA is in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Bakersfield, CA to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Bakersfield, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Bakersfield → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,957 | $61,722 | −14.2% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $87,061 | $74,678 | −14.2% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $104,349 | $89,508 | −14.2% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $124,085 | $106,437 | −14.2% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $146,632 | $125,776 | −14.2% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Bakersfield, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Bakersfield dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $79,900 | $77,920 | $77,934 (−2.5%) |
| Software Developers | $130,330 | $129,600 | $129,623 (−0.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,620 | $82,100 | $82,115 (+3.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $128,810 | $85,890 | $85,905 (−33.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.