Moving to Wyoming from California
What to Expect
Considering a move from California to Wyoming? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from California to Wyoming, you would find that Wyoming is 23.1% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $57,700 in Wyoming to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Cheyenne averages 58°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Cheyenne are about 880 mi apart.
Is Wyoming cheaper than California?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.8% less
Groceries
pay 13.7% less
Transportation
pay 16.7% less
Housing
pay 35.4% less
Childcare
pay 26.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.0% 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.
What salary do you need in Wyoming?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $57,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Wyoming
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Wyoming compared to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wyoming 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wyoming leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Wyoming vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Cheyenne |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 42°/20°F (6°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 79°/52°F (26°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 48°/25°F (9°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Cheyenne |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 40°/18°F (4.2°/-7.8°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 40°/19°F (4.7°/-7.4°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 47°/24°F (8.6°/-4.2°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 55°/31°F (12.7°/-0.7°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 65°/40°F (18.2°/4.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 75°/49°F (24.1°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 83°/56°F (28.6°/13.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 81°/54°F (27.3°/12.3°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 72°/45°F (22.1°/7.1°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 59°/34°F (14.9°/1.1°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 47°/24°F (8.1°/-4.3°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 38°/17°F (3.4°/-8.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Wyoming than California?
On average Wyoming is about 23% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Wyoming?
Budget about $14,425 for 3 months in Wyoming (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Wyoming safe?
Wyoming performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Wyoming compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Wyoming leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Wyoming compared to California?
The average high temperature in Cheyenne is 58°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Cheyenne receives around 15.9 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
