Moving to California from Florida
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Florida to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Florida to California, you would find that California is 21.8% more expensive than Florida. A $75,000 salary in Florida would need to be roughly $86,060 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Florida to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $86,060 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 6.2% more Groceries pay 9.2% more Transportation pay 20.6% more Housing pay 16.0% more Childcare pay 65.5% more Entertainment and Sports pay 29.3% 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 24% more than cities in Florida. Compare cities head-to-head How Florida and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Florida performs better than California across all safety metrics. 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 Florida across all health & wellbeing metrics. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Florida performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Florida 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 Florida 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 California performs significantly better than Florida 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 15% higher than Florida 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 $21,515 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Florida performs better than California across all safety metrics. California performs significantly better than Florida across all health & wellbeing metrics. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 80°F in Tallahassee. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Tallahassee gets 59.2 in. How Far Will Your Money Go?
Cost of living by city
Key Indicator Comparison
Is it safe?
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What's the Climate Like?
Months Tallahassee Sacramento Jan–Mar 68°/43°F (20°/6°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 86°/61°F (30°/16°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 91°/71°F (33°/22°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 73°/48°F (23°/9°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Tallahassee Sacramento Jan 64°/39°F (17.5°/3.9°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 67°/42°F (19.7°/5.5°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 74°/47°F (23.2°/8.4°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 80°/52°F (26.6°/11.3°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 87°/62°F (30.6°/16.4°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 91°/69°F (32.8°/20.8°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 92°/72°F (33.4°/22.2°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 92°/72°F (33.1°/22.3°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 88°/68°F (31.3°/20.1°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 81°/57°F (27.4°/14.1°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 73°/47°F (22.8°/8.6°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 65°/41°F (18.5°/5.1°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Florida?
How much money do I need to move to California?
Is California safe?
How is healthcare in California compared to Florida?
What's the weather like in California compared to Florida?
