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Cost of Living: New York vs Sacramento

How expensive is Sacramento compared with New York City? Overall prices, rent, goods, utilities and services in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area versus the New York metro area, plus the salary you’d need to live the same way.

Sacramento is 5% cheaper than New York
Cost of living index 95 (New York metro = 100) · 2024

Salary converter

Same lifestyle in Sacramento
$94,765
You’d need $5,235 less per year
≈ $100,248 in New York buys the same standard of living.

Before taxes. Income tax, sales tax and benefits differ a lot between places and aren’t included.

Where the difference comes from

Rent & housing
12% cheaper
Goods (groceries, clothing, etc.)
5% cheaper
Utilities
19% pricier
Other services (healthcare, dining, transport…)
5% cheaper
New York metroSacramento metro

Bars show each category’s price level relative to the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). Rent is usually the biggest driver.

The numbers

Metro area
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Price level vs US average
106.7 (New York: 112.6)
Rent vs US average
130.2 (New York: 148.6)
Source
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024

Frequently asked questions

Is Sacramento cheaper than New York?

Yes. Sacramento is 5% cheaper than the New York metro area overall (index 95, New York = 100).

What salary in Sacramento equals $100,000 in New York?

About $94,765 a year buys the same standard of living in Sacramento as $100,000 in the New York metro area, before taxes.

How do rents in Sacramento compare with New York?

Rents and housing costs in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro area are 12% cheaper than the New York metro area (BEA, 2024).

Where does this data come from?

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, which compare the price of the same basket of goods, rents, utilities and services across US metro areas.

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