What it's like to live in Calexico
Calexico is a small city in California with rent below the national average and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Calexico deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Low crime rates
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
How Calexico compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Calexico
Based on Calexico's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,186
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $43,720 a year
- 57% of Calexico renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,720
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,360
- Homes cost 6.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 23% below US
$1,093/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,093 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $313,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $313,600 · 57% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 598% above US
30.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 30.0%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 37% below US
209 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 838/100k · Calexico Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 106°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 48% below US
19% 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
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 24:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Joshua Tree National Park (87 miles away).
Bottom line
Calexico's strongest points are rent below the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,093/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, anyone who doesn't drive, and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Calexico
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