Most of Walnut Creek 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 4 ZIP codes in Walnut Creek with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,100 to $2,700 a month. At the middle rent, $2,380, a full-time job would need to pay $88.95 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94595 | Contra Costa County | $2,100/mo | $76.83/hr |
| 94596 | Contra Costa County | $2,420/mo | $90.69/hr |
| 94597 | Contra Costa County | $2,340/mo | $87.22/hr |
| 94598 | Contra Costa County | $2,700/mo | $102.16/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Walnut Creek 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 4 ZIP codes in Walnut Creek with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,100 to $2,700 a month. At the middle rent of $2,380, the pay needed would be $88.95 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