Per diem · CA · GSA FY2027 from October 1, 2026
Per diem rates in California, FY2027
California has 32 GSA areas in FY2027, more than any other state, and the dearest night is in San Francisco.
GSA FY2027 ZIP file published · rates checked · Published by Radif Partners · Rules and data
Federal per diem for the trip
$1,159
San Francisco, CA · Sun, Oct 25 to Wed, Oct 28
| Lodging, 3 nights at the GSA maximum | $837 |
| M&IE before meal deductions | $322 |
| M&IE paid | $322 |
| Total | $1,159 |
Rates of fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027). How this is calculated.
Day by day
| Day | Lodging | M&IE rate | Share | Meals off | M&IE paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 25 FY2027 | $279 | $92 | 75% | – | $69 |
| Mon, Oct 26 FY2027 | $279 | $92 | 100% | – | $92 |
| Tue, Oct 27 FY2027 | $279 | $92 | 100% | – | $92 |
| Wed, Oct 28 FY2027 | – | $92 | 75% | – | $69 |
- GSA areas above the standard rate
- 32
- Highest lodging maximum
- $325
- Where
- San Francisco
- Everywhere else
- $113 + $68
Federal per diem in California runs from the standard $113 of lodging and $68 of M&IE in counties GSA does not list, up to $325 a night in San Francisco in January, February and March, with $92 of M&IE. 32 areas have their own FY2027 rate, from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties share one area at $199 all year, but the city of Santa Monica is carved out at $283. Seasonal swings are widest at South Lake Tahoe ($168 to $262) and Monterey. A three-night trip to San Francisco in mid-October 2026 comes to $1,159.00 at the federal maximum, before lodging taxes. The calculator above starts on San Francisco; search any California city or ZIP code to switch.
Two Californias in the GSA table
The coast and the big valleys do not live on the same scale. Most Bay Area counties sit in non-standard areas, with San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and Marin at the top $92 M&IE tier, while Kern County (Bakersfield and Ridgecrest) and San Joaquin County (Stockton) are at $74. Bakersfield is the area that moved most this year: $132 of lodging in FY2026, $164 in FY2027. Large parts of the Sierra foothills, the northern interior and the Imperial Valley have no line at all and take the standard $113.
The Santa Monica exception and Edwards Air Force Base
The Los Angeles area is defined as Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties plus Edwards Air Force Base, "less the city of Santa Monica." A meeting in Santa Monica is paid at $283 and $92, one in Culver City next door at $199 and $86. Edwards sits in Kern County but is attached to the Los Angeles rate, which is why the ZIP search here is the safest way to check a base or an address near a county line.
Seasons: Tahoe, Monterey and the desert
South Lake Tahoe pays its highest maximum in December, January, February and March, Mammoth Lakes in the ski months, Palm Springs in February, March and April, and Monterey in July and August. San Francisco is the odd one: its top maximum falls in January, February and March, not in summer. A traveler who books Tahoe across a season change gets two different caps in the same week, and the day-by-day table of the calculator shows each night.
South Lake Tahoe, CA: per diem for a stay
Lodging + M&IE at the federal maximum
$895
| Lodging: 3 × $198 | $594 |
| M&IE: 2 travel days at $64.50 | $129 |
| M&IE: 2 full days at $86 | $172 |
Lodging taxes on top; provided meals are deducted in the full calculator.
Driving in California: the rate is national, the fuel is not
The IRS mileage rate does not change at the state line: 76 cents a mile since July 1, 2026. What changes is what a mile really costs you. California regular gasoline averaged $6.227 a gallon in the EIA survey of October 5, 2026, against $4.354 for the country. At 28 miles per gallon that is $0.222 a mile of fuel alone, so an employer paying a flat 50 cents leaves a California driver with little for insurance and wear. The gas cost calculator uses the California series by default.
Fuel for a drive at California prices
Fuel cost
$66.72
| 10.7 gal × $6.227 | $66.72 |
| Per mile | $0.222 |
| Same miles at the IRS rate ($0.76) | $228 |
For the meals, the rule is the federal one: 75% of the M&IE on the travel days, provided conference meals deducted at the GSA breakdown.
Every GSA area in California: FY2027 against FY2026
| GSA area | Counties or limits | Lodging FY2027 | M&IE | Lodging FY2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | San Francisco | $232 to $325 | $92 | $259 to $272 |
| Monterey | Monterey | $196 to $293 | $92 | $191 to $279 |
| Santa Monica | City limits of Santa Monica | $283 | $92 | $273 |
| Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | $214 to $277 | $92 | $205 to $262 |
| Napa | Napa | $194 to $266 | $92 | $172 to $246 |
| South Lake Tahoe | El Dorado | $168 to $262 | $86 | $141 to $247 |
| San Diego | San Diego | $208 to $249 | $86 | $199 to $237 |
| Sunnyvale / Palo Alto / San Jose | Santa Clara | $218 | $92 | $192 |
| San Mateo / Foster City / Belmont | San Mateo | $194 to $217 | $86 | $183 |
| San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | $170 to $213 | $86 | $163 to $203 |
| Yosemite National Park | Mariposa | $184 to $212 | $86 | $181 to $203 |
| Mammoth Lakes | Mono | $146 to $208 | $86 | $139 to $195 |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles / Orange / Ventura / Edwards AFB less the city of Santa Monica | $199 | $86 | $191 |
| Palm Springs | Riverside | $141 to $192 | $86 | $141 to $186 |
| Eureka / Arcata / McKinleyville | Humboldt | $130 to $181 | $86 | $125 to $172 |
| Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | $149 to $181 | $86 | $139 to $176 |
| Truckee | Nevada | $148 to $178 | $86 | $142 to $173 |
| Mill Valley / San Rafael / Novato | Marin | $169 | $92 | $153 to $175 |
| Bakersfield / Ridgecrest | Kern | $164 | $74 | $132 |
| Santa Rosa | Sonoma | $163 | $86 | $157 |
| Sacramento | Sacramento | $156 | $86 | $150 |
| Death Valley | Inyo / NAWS China Lake | $154 | $80 | $142 |
| Oakland | Alameda | $152 | $92 | $145 |
| West Sacramento / Davis | Yolo | $148 | $80 | $142 |
| Antioch / Brentwood / Concord | Contra Costa | $147 | $86 | $147 |
| Oakhurst | Madera | $137 | $80 | $135 |
| Stockton | San Joaquin | $137 | $74 | $132 |
| Fresno | Fresno | $136 | $86 | $129 |
| Visalia | Tulare | $136 | $80 | $131 |
| Point Arena / Gualala | Mendocino | $134 | $86 | $129 |
| Tahoe City | Placer | $132 | $86 | $131 |
| Barstow / Ontario / Victorville | San Bernardino | $129 | $86 | $124 |
| Rest of the state | All other counties | $113 | $68 | $110 |