Hayward cost of living score 195.5 More expensive 95.5% higher than the US average 30.4% higher than the California average Hayward, California gets a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 195.5, which means the total cost of housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities is 95.5% higher than the U.S. average and 30.4% lower than the average for California.