Sacramento County · California
Sacramento cost of living (CA)
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Sacramento costs 6.7% above the national average — all-items price level 106.7, rank 16 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $106,670 here. Utilities is the reason, at 151.3.
- All items
- 106.7US average = 100
- Housing
- 130.230.2% above the national average
- Goods
- 105.25.2% above the national average
- Other services
- 100.3in line with the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 105.2 | +5.2% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 130.2 | +30.2% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 151.3 | +51.3% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 100.3 | +0.3% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
Reading the Sacramento price level
What the 106.7 figure actually means for a household here.
Sacramento prices sit 6.7% above the US average — an all-items parity of 106.7, rank 16 of 94 covered metros. Moderately above average. The median covered metro reads 100.8.
Utilities drives it: 151.3, 51.3% above average. Other services pull the other way at 100.3. The spread between the cheapest and dearest component is 51.0 points, so the headline number hides real variation — a renter and an owner in Sacramento do not face the same cost gap versus the rest of the country.
A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $106,670 here to buy the same basket. Run it the other way: the $82,659 median household income in Sacramento is worth $77,490 in national-average dollars, 1.3% below the $78,538 US median. Local pay does not cover the local price level.
Parities are published for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA as a whole. Neighbourhood prices inside that metro diverge widely, and BEA revises the series annually.
What your salary is worth in Sacramento, CA
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (106.7 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $77,490
- Needed to match US average
- $88,172
- Monthly difference
- $459
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
$82,659 median household income in Sacramento is worth $77,490 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 106.7.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- Is Sacramento expensive?
- Yes — 6.7% above the US average, rank 16 of 94 covered metros. utilities is the component furthest from average at 151.3.
- What salary do you need to live in Sacramento, CA?
- $106,670 to match a $100,000 national-average salary. The local median household earns $82,659, worth $77,490 after adjusting for the 106.7 price level.
- Why is the cost of living high in Sacramento?
- Utilities at 151.3 versus other services at 100.3. A 51.0-point spread between components means one category, not general inflation, sets the headline figure.
More Sacramento data
Other Sacramento datasets on this site.
- Sacramento population and income
- Sacramento sales tax rate
- Sacramento property tax
- Sacramento home values and rent
- Sacramento crime rates
- Sacramento public schools
- Sacramento weather normals
- Sacramento commute times
- Sacramento jobs and wages
Statewide: California cities · California ZIP codes · California sales tax · California counties
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.