Moving to California from Georgia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Georgia to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Georgia to California, you would find that California is 24.1% more expensive than Georgia. A $75,000 salary in Georgia would need to be roughly $93,491 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. How your spending power changes when you relocate from Georgia to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $93,491 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 18.3% more Groceries pay 19.6% more Transportation pay 16.6% more Housing pay 29.0% more Childcare pay 51.5% more Entertainment and Sports pay 26.6% 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 39% more than cities in Georgia. Compare cities head-to-head How Georgia and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year Georgia 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 Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied Georgia performs better than California across all what about housing? metrics. share of households with internet minutes each way to work Georgia 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 California generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree California performs significantly better than Georgia 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 25% higher than Georgia 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 $23,373 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. Georgia performs better than California across all safety metrics. California performs significantly better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 72°F in Atlanta. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Atlanta gets 49.7 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 Atlanta Sacramento Jan–Mar 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Atlanta Sacramento Jan 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Georgia?
How much money do I need to move to California?
Is California safe?
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What's the weather like in California compared to Georgia?
