Cost of living in Sacramento research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Sacramento is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in California, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Sacramento is 120, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Sacramento is 1.2x higher than the national average.
Sacramento ranks as the #193 cheapest in California out of 635.
Sacramento ranks as the #4,798 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Sacramento is $385,500.
The median income in Sacramento is $71,074.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Sacramento has an overall cost of living index of 120, which is 1.2x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Sacramento has a cost of living index that's 0.9x lower than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Sacramento ranks as #193 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Sacramento ranks as the #442 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Sacramento, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Sacramento. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Sacramento is 117.
The Groceries index in Sacramento is 106.
The Health index in Sacramento is 120.
The Housing index in Sacramento is 134.
The Transportation index in Sacramento is 132.
The Utilities index in Sacramento is 110.
Living Expense | Sacramento | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 120 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 117 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 106 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 120 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 134 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 132 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 110 | 124 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in California, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Sacramento is $385,500.
The Median Rent in Sacramento is $1,434.
The Median Income in Sacramento is $71,074.
The Home Value To Income in Sacramento is 5.4x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Sacramento is 0.24x.
Statistic | Sacramento | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $385,500 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,434 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $71,074 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.4x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.24x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Sacramento | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.24 | $1.06 |
Movie | $13.93 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $20.08 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $24.02 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $62.28 | $39.05 |
Item | Sacramento | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $5.05 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.31 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.66 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.2 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $17.03 | $10.62 |
Beer | $9.52 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.79 | $2.34 |
Item | Sacramento | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $148.5 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $194.75 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $94.8 | $99.13 |
Item | Sacramento | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.24 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $51.87 | $50.07 |
Item | Sacramento | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $192.37 | $167.67 |
Phone | $186.51 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Sacramento. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Arden-Arcade, CA has a cost of living index of 126, 1.1x Sacramento.
Citrus Heights, CA has a cost of living index of 117, 1.0x Sacramento.
Folsom, CA has a cost of living index of 144, 1.2x Sacramento.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Sacramento |
---|---|---|---|
Arden-Arcade, CA | 95,909 | 126 | 1.1x |
Citrus Heights, CA | 87,521 | 117 | 1.0x |
Folsom, CA | 79,201 | 144 | 1.2x |
Davis, CA | 67,208 | 159 | 1.3x |
West Sacramento, CA | 53,589 | 121 | 1.0x |
Florin, CA | 51,568 | 109 | 0.9x |
Antelope, CA | 48,421 | 125 | 1.0x |
Vineyard, CA | 41,505 | 134 | 1.1x |
Orangevale, CA | 35,729 | 131 | 1.1x |
Fair Oaks, CA | 31,750 | 134 | 1.1x |