Cost of living in Avenal, CA — Housing, Rent & Index

All states·California·Avenal·Cost of living

Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.

$255,942
Median home value
/mo
Median rent
72
Cost index (US=100)
+0.8%
Home YoY change

The median home value in Avenal, CA is $255,942 as of 2026-04. That places Avenal below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 72 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Avenal has moved sideways, and over the past five years it has averaged +6.4% annual growth. The current price sits +0.0% from its 5-year peak in 2026-04.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Avenal are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.

Housing

Median home value$255,942
1-year change+0.8%
5-year price growth+6.4%
10-year price growth+7.9%
vs 5-year peak+0.0%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How Avenal compares

Cost index72 (below US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)-27.9%
Population14,108
Momentum score70 (Rising)

Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.

Affordability reality

Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Avenal’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income27% of local median income
Home price-to-income4.7× local median income

At $1,229/mo, rent eats about 27% of the local median household income of $54,741 — within the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 4.7× the local median income (stretched).

Daily life in Avenal

Climate

82°/60° summer60°/41° winter258 sunny days8″ snow/yr22″ rain/yr

Summers run mild (highs near 82°F) and winters are mild (highs near 60°F), with about 8″ of snow a year.

Natural-hazard & insurance risk

Flood: moderateTornado: very lowHurricane: very lowWildfire: very highEarthquake: very high

Insurance heads-up: in Avenal, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.

Getting around

The average commute is 38 min — longer than the US average of ~27 min; 1% of workers are remote; 45% own their home.

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.