What it's like to live in Bell Gardens
Bell Gardens is a small city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bell Gardens deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, and household incomes below the national average.
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
How Bell Gardens compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bell Gardens
Based on Bell Gardens's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,388
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $67,760 a year
- 54% of Bell Gardens renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$112,780
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $56,390
- Homes cost 9.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 20% above US
$1,694/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,694 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $563,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $563,900 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 33% above US
5.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.7%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
299 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1102/100k · Bell Gardens Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 46°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 80% below US
7% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (36 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Bell Gardens's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,694/mo) equals 33% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Bell Gardens
All California guides →Moving to Commerce →
2 mi away · pop. 11,993
Rent $1,549/mo · Income $77,064
Compare with Bell Gardens →Moving to Downey →
2 mi away · pop. 110,939
Rent $1,937/mo · Income $90,699
Compare with Bell Gardens →Not sure Bell Gardens is the one?
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