Living in Sacramento

What is the Cost of Living in Sacramento?

Sperling’s Best Places provides us with cost of living information for Sacramento along with comparisons to the averages for the US and California.

The Sperling’s scale represents the average USA cost of living as 100, with numbers above 100 representing a higher cost of living, and numbers below 100 representing a lower cost of living.

On that scale, the cost of living for California is 149.9 on average. But in Sacramento, it is only 118.2, making Sacramento significantly more affordable than California as a whole.

The biggest difference in cost of living between Sacramento, the rest of California, and the US as a whole it is housing.

The median home cost in the USA is $231,200. For California, it is $552,800. For Sacramento, it is $327,300.

So, purchasing a home in Sacramento will cost you more than it would in many other locations across the country, but less than it would in many other California locations.

Employment Opportunities in Sacramento

According to the US Census, the median household income for Sacramento County is $63,902.

That’s higher than the nationwide average, and helps to offset the higher cost of housing in California compared to the US average.

Sacramento Education

With 202 public schools and 41 private schools, there are many opportunities to find the perfect school for your child.

The Sacramento area also boasts campuses for a number of institutions of higher learning. Some of these include Sacramento State, the University of California, the University of the Pacific (including the McGeorge School of Law), the National University Sacramento, the University of San Francisco, the University of Southern California, Epic Bible College, Western Seminary, the Professional School of Psychology, and others.

With so many different institutions in one area, it is hard to think of many other locations that can compete with respect to higher learning.

Getting Around Sacramento

Public transportation options in Sacramento include Amtrak and the Sacramento Regional Transit (Sac RT) bus and light rail system. Around 58,200 passengers ride Sac RT every day.

If you enjoy cycling for commuting or for leisure, you’ll love the easy terrain and dedicated bicycle paths around the city.

Sperling’s reports that the average commute time (by vehicle) in Sacramento is 25.4 minutes, which is slightly shorter than the US average one-way commute time of 26.4 minutes.

73.7% of people in Sacramento drive to work alone, while 11.1% carpool. 3.7% rely on public transportation, while the remaining 5.2% work from home.

How is the Weather in Sacramento?

The climate in Sacramento is a beautiful one, receiving a score of 8.2 out of 10 on the Sperling’s Best Places Comfort Index.

Lows get down to around 39°F, and highs go up to around 93°F. You can expect around 20 inches of annual rainfall, and around 269 sunny days each year (greater than the 205 days a year which is the US average).

Leisure and Entertainment in Sacramento

As a major metropolitan region, Sacramento offers no end of opportunities for leisure and entertainment. Directly in town, you can visit destinations such as Old Sacramento, Chinatown, the Sacramento Zoo, the Crocker Art Museum, and the Aerospace Museum of California. Sports fans can cheer for the Sacramento Kings, while performing arts fans can attend performances at the Community Center Theater.

Foodies will also love living in Sacramento, as many restaurants use locally-sourced ingredients. Indeed, Sacramento has called itself “America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital.”

Finally, Sacramento’s centralized location puts residents within a couple hours’ drive of the San Francisco Bay Area, which opens up even more opportunities for shopping, dining and entertainment. Drive a couple hours east instead, and you will arrive at Lake Tahoe. You are also only several hours away from Yosemite National Park. So, outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty to explore.