Moving to California from Colorado
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Colorado to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Colorado to California, you would find that California is 12.0% more expensive than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $82,429 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 65°F in Denver, making it significantly warmer. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Colorado to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $82,429 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 2.6% more Groceries pay 12.1% more Transportation pay 12.9% more Housing pay 14.8% more Childcare pay 34.6% more Entertainment and Sports pay 11.7% 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. Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%). On average, cities in California cost about 18% more than cities in Colorado. Compare cities head-to-head How Colorado and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Colorado generally does better on safety, though California leads in property crime rate. share of people without health insurance share of adults with obesity share of adults with diabetes share of adults who smoke Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in uninsured rate. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Colorado performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Colorado performs better than California across all infrastructure metrics. 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 Colorado generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in gdp per capita. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree Colorado generally does better on family life, though California leads in life expectancy. 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 10% higher than Colorado 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 $20,607 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Colorado generally does better on safety, though California leads in property crime rate. Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in uninsured rate. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Cost of living by city
Key Indicator Comparison
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Denver Sacramento Jan–Mar 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Denver Sacramento Jan 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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