USA, California All Areas CA

Country Full Name: United States of America.

Country Location: The United States of America (USA) is in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico.

Country Climate: Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Country Terrain: Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii.

Country Major Languages: English.

Country Major Religions: Christianity.

Location Population: 37.7 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the United States is a capitalist mixed economy, fuelled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) equal to a quarter of nominal global GDP and a fifth of global GDP at purchasing power parity.

Country Currency: US Dollar (USD).

Country Inflation: 2.2% (2012 est.).

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state.

California is the centre of the American entertainment industry, with a large, state-wide tourism sector. California also has large technology and information sectors, centred in Silicon Valley. California's economy is also strong in the agricultural industry, aerospace, education, and manufacturing sectors. If California were a country, it would be the eighth-largest economy in the world and the 35th most populous nation.

The cost of living in California CA is high compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for California CA is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for California CA is 253 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are average compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 366 places that are more expensive, and 413 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 493 places that are more expensive, and 286 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 370 places that are more expensive, and 409 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very high compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 79 places that are more expensive, and 700 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are low compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 501 places that are more expensive, and 278 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are average compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 315 places that are more expensive, and 464 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very high compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 93 places that are more expensive, and 686 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are high compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 210 places that are more expensive, and 569 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are average compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 403 places that are more expensive, and 376 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are high compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 240 places that are more expensive, and 539 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 443 places that are more expensive, and 336 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 293 places that are more expensive, and 486 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are high compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 156 places that are more expensive, and 623 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

California CA is ranked as minimal hardship with a typical hardship premium of 10%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

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