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 Far Will Your Money Go?
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
Calculate with your salary →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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Arkansas and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
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.
How's the healthcare?
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.
What about housing?
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.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arkansas generally does better on infrastructure, though California leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
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.
Is it good for families?
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)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| 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) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Arkansas?
Day-to-day costs in California run about 43% higher than Arkansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to California?
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.
Is California safe?
Arkansas generally does better on safety, though California leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in California compared to Arkansas?
California performs significantly better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to Arkansas?
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.
