Cost of living comparison
compared to
Denver vs. Sacramento Cost of Living Summary
Denver is 5.3% cheaper than Sacramento.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.9% more in Denver
- Groceries
-
pay 9.1% less in Denver
- Transportation
-
pay 13.9% less in Denver
- Housing
-
pay 14.8% less in Denver
- Childcare
-
pay 16.7% less in Denver
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.5% more in Denver
- Clothing
-
pay 2.8% more in Denver
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Denver are more expensive than in Sacramento. Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, and groceries are lower in Denver.
Denver vs. Sacramento Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Denver instead of Sacramento, you would:
pay 10.9% more for restaurants
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.53
|
$2.92
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.20
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.1% less for groceries
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.54
|
$4.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.13
|
$7.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.45
|
$3.91
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.03
|
$5.37
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.43
|
$6.32
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$2.43
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.94
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$2.36
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.08
|
$2.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$1.30
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.07
|
$1.20
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of groceries
pay 13.9% less for transportation
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.75
|
$3.34
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$100.00
|
$88.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$34,514.56
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.91
|
$17.42
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of transportation
pay 14.8% less for housing
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.65
|
$64.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,061.79
|
$2,128.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,652.79
|
$1,704.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$270.98
|
$131.92
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of housing
pay 16.7% less for childcare
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,450.83
|
$1,571.72
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,750.00
|
$16,168.00
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of childcare
pay 3.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.67
|
$5.51
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.25
|
$11.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.46
|
$69.09
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.8% more for clothing
|
Sacramento
|
Denver
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.75
|
$64.26
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$54.83
|
$47.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.07
|
$103.45
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$130.00
|
$134.58
|
|
Sacramento vs. Denver - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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