Benicia cost of living score 134.3 More expensive 34.3% higher than the US average 10.4% lower than the California average Benicia, California gets a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 134.3, which means the total cost of housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities is 34.3% higher than the U.S. average and 10.4% higher than the average for California.