Moving to Oklahoma from California
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from California to Oklahoma — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from California to Oklahoma, you would find that Oklahoma is 17.2% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $54,362 in Oklahoma to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from California to Oklahoma.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $54,362
To maintain the same standard of living in Oklahoma
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.0% less
Groceries
pay 18.4% less
Transportation
pay 11.9% less
Housing
pay 27.8% less
Childcare
pay 20.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.9% less
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 California and Oklahoma 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
Oklahoma performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
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 better than Oklahoma across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Oklahoma performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Oklahoma leads in average commute.
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 Oklahoma 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 better than Oklahoma 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 | Sacramento | Oklahoma City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 55°/33°F (13°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 80°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 60°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Oklahoma City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 49°/28°F (9.3°/-2.5°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 53°/31°F (11.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 71°/48°F (21.5°/9.1°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 80°/58°F (26.4°/14.7°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.4°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 93°/72°F (34.0°/22.2°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 92°/71°F (33.6°/21.5°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 84°/63°F (28.7°/17.1°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 72°/50°F (22.4°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 60°/39°F (15.6°/3.9°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 49°/29°F (9.7°/-1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oklahoma than California?
Generally yes: Oklahoma runs about 28% cheaper than California on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Oklahoma?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $13,590 in Oklahoma for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Oklahoma safe?
Oklahoma performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Oklahoma compared to California?
California performs better than Oklahoma across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Oklahoma compared to California?
The average high temperature in Oklahoma City is 71°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Oklahoma City receives around 32.4 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
