San Luis Obispo

Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

2
254/265
Details
Large apartment$2500.00
Medium apartment$1900.00
Small apartment$1200.00

Cost of Living

N/A
Details
A Cappuccino$4.20
A beer$3.30
A kilogram of Apples$3.40
Bread$1.10
Lunch$13.00
Monthly fitness club membership$48.00
Monthly public transport$42.00
Movie ticket$12.00

Startups

4
154/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups2
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.27
Coworking spaces [score]0.30
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co5
Meetups [score]0.12
Meetups groups11
Meetups members2362
Number of investors9
Number of startup events in the last 12 months152
Number of upcoming meetup events3
Startup climate scene [score]0.37
Startup events6
Startup events [score]0.27
Startups [score]0.50
Total number of startups26

Venture Capital

3
95/192
Details
Venture capital [score]0.31

Travel Connectivity

1
247/266
Details
Airport hub4
Airport hub [score]0.11
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.12

Commute

1
250/255
Details
Traffic handling [score]0.56

Business Freedom

9
69/264
Details
Business freedom84.70
Business freedom [score]0.86
Freedom from corruption74.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.79
Lack of labor restrictions91.40
Lack of labor restrictions [score]1.00
Time to open a business5.60
Time to open a business [score]0.95

Safety

8
76/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.94
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year8
Guns per 100 residents61
Lack of gun related deaths [score]0.79
Lack of guns [score]0.67
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score]0.73

Healthcare

8
148/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.99
Healthcare quality [score]0.74
Life expectancy (years)79.28
Life expectancy [score]0.76

Education

4
165/240
Details
Country mean scores in PISA math test478.04
Country mean scores in PISA reading test497.58
Country mean scores in PISA science test497.41
PISA math ranking (high school)30
PISA ranking24
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.72
PISA reading (high school)16
PISA science (high school)19
Percent of happy students0.77
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.26
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.17
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.18
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.09
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.08
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.07

Environmental Quality

7
86/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.75
Cleanliness [score]0.91
Drinking water quality [score]0.43
Urban greenery [score]0.86

Economy

7
16/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area1.00
Currency for urban areaUSD
GDP growth rate0.02
GDP growth rate [score]0.43
GDP per capita$54596.65
GDP per capita [score]0.87

Taxation

4
143/266
Details
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score]0.54
Income tax level [score]0.36
Profit tax (% of profit)0.44
Time overhead to file company taxes175

Internet Access

8
22/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)43.88
Internet access (download) [score]0.59
Internet access (upload) [score]1.00
Upload speed (Mbps)74.75

Leisure & Culture

3
242/264
Details
Art galleries29
Art galleries [score]0.37
Cinemas8
Cinemas [score]0.29
Comedy clubs2
Comedy clubs [score]0.32
Concert venues24
Concerts [score]0.40
Historical sites8
Historical sites [score]0.41
Museums11
Museums [score]0.14
Performing art venues23
Performing arts [score]0.46
Sport venues4
Sports [score]0.28
Zoos3
Zoos [score]0.50

Tolerance

10
4/266
Details
LGBT Equality Index93.19
LGBT Equality Index [score]0.96
LGBT adoption rights✔ Legal
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
LGBT conversion therapy regulations✔ Banned
LGBT discrimination legality✔ Illegal
LGBT employment discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT gender changing rights✔ Legal, but requires surgery
LGBT homosexuality rights✔ Legal
LGBT housing discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT marriage rights✔ Legal
Tolerance towards minorities [score]0.98

Outdoors

2
245/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.20
Median peak in meters419.00
Presence of hills in city1.00
Presence of mountains in city1.00
Seaside access1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)73.00
Water access [score]0.10
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Cost of living

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Housing costs (USD)

$1,600$2,100
$1900
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Movie ticket$12
Monthly fitness club membership$48
Monthly public transport$42
Lunch$13
-35%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in San Luis Obispo

Job salary calculator

Software Engineer salaries in San Luis Obispo are above average. For this job type, San Luis Obispo ranks 80th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in San Luis Obispo.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$57,258
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in San Luis Obispo

Locals review San Luis Obispo

Do locals recommend living in San Luis Obispo?

What could San Luis Obispo do better?#improveSanLuisObispo

How could San Luis Obispo improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of San Luis Obispo - Heidi Harmon
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes San Luis Obispo a special place?#praiseSanLuisObispo

Is San Luis Obispo a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
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Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of
Get more information about visas in San Luis Obispo here

Explore San Luis Obispo’s neighborhoods

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Great for

  • Eating Out
  • Gym & Fitness
  • Internet Access
  • Lack of Traffic
  • Neighborly Spirit

Not Great for

    Who lives here

    • Professionals
    • Singles
    • Families with kids
    • Retirees
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    Explore the streets of San Luis Obispo

    People in San Luis Obispo

    Population of San Luis Obispo

    47,300
    287 /km²
    239/264
    Density (people per unit of area)
    3%
    Growth in 2015-2020
    San Luis Obispo

    Demographics of United States

    Median age
    38
    Elderly people
    15%
    Life expectancy at birth
    80
    GDP per capita (in USD)
    $54,597
    12/263
    Unemployment
    5%
    110/264

    Languages

    English proficiency score
    100
    1/228
    Common spoken languages
    English

    Friends living in San Luis Obispo

    Find out which of your friends are living in San Luis Obispo. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

    Teleport Users  X  San Luis Obispo

    Teleport users who are      San Luis Obispo

    Work in:

    Software Engineer
    28.57%
    UX Designer
    14.29%
    Customer Support
    14.29%
    Pharmacist
    14.29%
    Project Manager
    14.29%
    Other
    14.29%

    Come from:

    Climate

    Average number of days per year without rain

    337

    Climate type

    Mediterranean

    Average daily maximum temperature

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    Impressions from San Luis Obispo

    2:17 dreamland \ san luis obispo

    A video by vzdz

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    On living in San Luis Obispo

    San Luis Obispo is a city in San Luis Obispo County in the Central Coast region of California.

    About half way between Los Angeles (200 miles to the south) and San Francisco (230 miles to the north), nine small but impressive volcanic peaks march down a valley of the Santa Lucia range to the Pacific Ocean. Nestled around two of these peaks is San Luis Obispo ("SLO", "slow", or "San Luis" to locals), a small college town that also is one of California's oldest communities. San Luis and its neighboring communities boast extraordinary resources for hiking, mountain biking, sea kayaking, swimming and surfing; outstanding natural beauty; a carefully preserved and thriving 19th-century downtown centered around a meticulously restored 18th century mission; a small but thriving art gallery scene; and a large and growing collection of top-quality wineries.

    San Luis Obispo is bounded by the imposing line of Cuesta Ridge to the northeast, the Irish Hills to the southwest, dramatic Bishop Peak to the northwest and Islay Hill to the southeast. The town clusters around the feet of the 1000 foot Cerro San Luis, notably marked with a big white "M" (for Mission High School). Cal Poly sits hard against Cuesta Ridge (with its big white "P") and the downtown area runs from Cerro San Luis roughly toward campus around two parallel streets, Higuera and Monterey. Most restaurants, bars and shops are located on Higuera Street, nearer the Mission and Cerro San Luis; hotels are mostly located on Monterey Street, nearer the university but still within a mile of the central downtown. A few restaurants are located in the charming Railroad District, about 5 blocks east of Higuera via Santa Rosa Street, near the train station and youth hostel.

    Read more

    Good Country Index

    Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.

    Overall ranking

    United States
    23rd from a total of 163 countries

    World Order

    26th

    Refugees hosted

    Refugees generated

    Charity giving

    Birth rate

    UN Treaties signed

    International Peace & Security

    66th

    Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

    International violent conflict

    Peacekeeping troops

    Arms exports

    Internet security (2014)

    Planet & Climate

    34th

    Ecological footprint

    Reforestation since 1992

    Hazardous pesticides exports

    CO2 emissions

    Ozone

    Prosperity & Equality

    46th

    Development assistance

    FDI outflows

    Fairtrade market size

    UN volunteers abroad

    Open trading

    Culture

    53rd

    Freedom of movement

    Press freedom

    Creative services exports

    UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

    Creative goods exports

    Science & Technology

    20th

    Nobel prizes

    Patents

    Journal exports

    International publications

    International Students

    Health & Wellbeing

    12th

    Pharmaceutical exports

    Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

    Food aid

    Humanitarian aid donations

    International Health Regulations Compliance

    See details ▽

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