What it's like to live in Brentwood
Brentwood is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brentwood deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, long average commutes, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Brentwood compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Brentwood
Based on Brentwood's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$5,516
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $110,320 a year
- 55% of Brentwood renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$167,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $83,660
- Homes cost 5.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 95% above US
$2,758/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,758 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $836,600. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $836,600 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 14% above US
4.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.9%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 39% below US
202 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1568/100k · Brentwood Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 54% above US
40 min average commute
Commutes run long, averaging 40 minutes, and that's just the average, meaning a lot of people are doing significantly more. This isn't a city where living far from the office is a comfortable bet. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 19% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
39% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site (18 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Brentwood's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,758/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Brentwood
All California guides →Moving to Discovery Bay →
7 mi away · pop. 14,911
Rent $3,029/mo · Income $147,117
Compare with Brentwood →Moving to Pittsburg →
11 mi away · pop. 76,257
Rent $2,264/mo · Income $99,861
Compare with Brentwood →Not sure Brentwood is the one?
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