Moving to California from Arkansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Arkansas to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Arkansas to California, you would find that California is 37.3% more expensive than Arkansas. A $75,000 salary in Arkansas would need to be roughly $106,981 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Arkansas to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $106,981 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 15.2% more Groceries pay 34.4% more Transportation pay 51.2% more Housing pay 57.4% more Childcare pay 56.1% more Entertainment and Sports pay 35.2% more Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources. How Arkansas and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Arkansas generally does better on safety, though California leads in violent crime rate. share of people without health insurance share of adults with obesity share of adults with diabetes share of adults who smoke California performs significantly better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Arkansas performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Arkansas generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access. percentage of the labour force without work a broad measure of economic output per person typical annual income of a household share of people below the poverty line California generally does better on employment & economy, though Arkansas leads in unemployment rate. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree California performs significantly better than Arkansas across all family life metrics. Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) Monthly averages — select a city to compare. Avg. annual high / low Avg. annual high / low Data: Day-to-day costs in California run about 43% higher than Arkansas on average; specific cities can swing further. A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $26,745 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Arkansas generally does better on safety, though California leads in violent crime rate. California performs significantly better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 72°F in Little Rock. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Little Rock gets 50.0 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Little Rock Sacramento Jan–Mar 56°/38°F (13°/3°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 80°/61°F (27°/16°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 89°/70°F (32°/21°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Little Rock Sacramento Jan 49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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