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

All states·California·Ojai·Cost of living

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

$1,156,434
Median home value
$3,935/mo
Median rent
326
Cost index (US=100)
-1.2%
Home YoY change

The median home value in Ojai, CA is $1,156,434 as of 2026-04. That places Ojai above the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 326 versus a national baseline of 100.

Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Ojai has moved sideways, and over the past five years it has averaged +4.6% annual growth. The current price sits -1.7% from its 5-year peak in 2024-09.

Renters pay a median of $3,935 per month in Ojai. Rents have changed — over the last year and averaged — per year over five years.

Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Ojai 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$1,156,434
1-year change-1.2%
5-year price growth+4.6%
10-year price growth+5.5%
vs 5-year peak-1.7%

Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).

How Ojai compares

Cost index326 (above US)
Median home vs US (~$355k)+225.8%
Population7,563
Momentum score58 (Stable)

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 Ojai’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.

Median rent vs income57% of local median income
Home price-to-income14.0× local median income

At $3,935/mo, rent eats about 57% of the local median household income of $82,656 — well above the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.

The median home runs about 14.0× the local median income (severely stretched — a stretch even for local earners).

Daily life in Ojai

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 Ojai, 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 24 min — shorter than the US average of ~27 min; 27% of workers are remote; 59% own their home.

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