What it's like to live in Grand Terrace

Grand Terrace is a small city in California. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Grand Terrace deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average unemployment in the county
  • Air quality concerns
  • High student-teacher ratio
  • High rent burden for renters

How Grand Terrace compares

Median household income

Grand Terrace$83,628
California avg$99,122
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Grand Terrace$2,024
California avg$2,036
US$1,413

Median home value

Grand Terrace$517,600
California avg$734,700
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Grand Terrace

Based on Grand Terrace's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,048

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $80,960 a year
  • 61% of Grand Terrace renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$103,520

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $51,760
  • Homes cost 6.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 43% above US

$2,024/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,024 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 $517,600. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $517,600 · 61% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

5.4% county unemployment

Unemployment in San Bernardino County is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

San Bernardino County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 25% below US

247 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 1028/100k · Grand Terrace Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.6 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; 11% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
75%
Work from home
11%
Carpool
11%
Other
1.8%
Walk
1.6%

Climate

Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
30°50°70°90°110°2.5"Jan: 2.11" precipitationFeb: 2.45" precipitationMar: 1.54" precipitationApr: 0.57" precipitationMay: 0.29" precipitationJun: 0.08" precipitationJul: 0.03" precipitationAug: 0.03" precipitationSep: 0.23" precipitationOct: 0.40" precipitationNov: 0.68" precipitationDec: 1.51" precipitationJJan: high 70°F, low 44°FFFeb: high 70°F, low 45°FMMar: high 72°F, low 47°FAApr: high 75°F, low 50°FMMay: high 80°F, low 55°FJJun: high 87°F, low 58°FJJul: high 94°F, low 63°F97°AAug: high 97°F, low 64°FSSep: high 93°F, low 61°FOOct: high 82°F, low 55°FNNov: high 76°F, low 47°F43°DDec: high 69°F, low 43°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 21% below US

28% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (12 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Nothing in Grand Terrace'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 ($2,024/mo) equals 29% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone moving without a job lined up.

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