Most of Richmond is in Contra Costa County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $81.38 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 6 ZIP codes in Richmond with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,930 to $2,080 a month. At the middle rent, $2,025, a full-time job would need to pay $73.59 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94801 | Contra Costa County | $1,930/mo | $69.47/hr |
| 94802 | Contra Costa County | $2,080/mo | $75.97/hr |
| 94804 | Contra Costa County | $1,930/mo | $69.47/hr |
| 94805 | Contra Costa County | $1,970/mo | $71.21/hr |
| 94807 | Contra Costa County | $2,080/mo | $75.97/hr |
| 94850 | Contra Costa County | $2,080/mo | $75.97/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Richmond needs to pay at least $81.38 an hour before taxes, about $169,268 a year. That is the figure for Contra Costa County, where the typical studio rent is $2,205 a month.
Yes. Across the 6 ZIP codes in Richmond with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,930 to $2,080 a month. At the middle rent of $2,025, the pay needed would be $73.59 an hour.
The minimum wage in Contra Costa County is $16.90 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.8 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads