Cost of living in Sacramento, CA
The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area (2,463,127 people) ranks #18 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Sacramento with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Sacramento to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from San Francisco, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Sacramento: $122,500
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $122,500 in Sacramento, CA to match $135,000 in San Francisco, CA ($12,500 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in California, so state income tax is the same; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Sacramento
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Sacramento
On a $100,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $72,825 after 2026 federal tax ($13,170), Social Security and Medicare ($7,650) and California income tax ($5,055), plus $1,300 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Sacramento area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,904/mo |
| Median home value | $605,500 |
| Median property tax | $4,594/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $3,712 |
| Median household income | $98,775 |
Climate and jobs in Sacramento
In the Sacramento area the average January low is 41°F and the average July high 94°F, and the area has about 90 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 5.0% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $59,750 a year, 17% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 41°F |
| July high | 94°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 90 a year |
| Precipitation | 19 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $59,750 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 1.1 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Sacramento 5 ESE station (USW00023271). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Sacramento
A single retiree spends about $3,556 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,779 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Sacramento
- Sacramento to San Francisco
- Sacramento to Los Angeles
- Sacramento to Stockton
- Sacramento to San Jose
- Sacramento to San Diego
- Sacramento to Vallejo
- Sacramento to Reno
- San Francisco to Sacramento
- Los Angeles to Sacramento
- San Jose to Sacramento
- Stockton to Sacramento
- Vallejo to Sacramento
- San Diego to Sacramento
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Sacramento area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 96.1 of 100), with expected losses of about $315 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in California.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Sacramento?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $88,100 in Sacramento. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $76,160, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $159,088.
Is Sacramento expensive?
The Sacramento metro area's price level is 106.7 (U.S. = 100), #18 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 130.2, 30% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Sacramento?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Sacramento had a net gain of about 1,407 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Sacramento?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Sacramento area (Sacramento 5 ESE weather station), the average January low is 41°F and the average July high 94°F. The area has about 90 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 19 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Sacramento?
The Sacramento metro area's unemployment rate averaged 5.0% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $59,750 a year in May 2025, 17% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Sacramento?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 96.1). The highest relative risks are earthquake, riverine flooding, wildfire.
Compare Sacramento with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Moving from California