Moving to California from New York
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New York to California — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New York to California, you would find that California is 6.6% more expensive than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $81,534 in California to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 58°F in Albany, making it significantly warmer. How your spending power changes when you relocate from New York to California. What does your salary buy? $75,000 → $81,534 To maintain the same standard of living in California The biggest cost differences at a glance Restaurants pay 10.8% more Groceries pay 0.8% more Transportation pay 1.5% more Housing pay 21.2% more Childcare pay 6.4% more Entertainment and Sports pay 2.3% 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 17% more than cities in New York. Compare cities head-to-head How New York and California stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure. incidents per 100,000 people per year incidents per 100,000 people per year New York 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 New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate. typical price of a home typical monthly gross rent share of homes that are owner-occupied New York generally does better on what about housing?, though California leads in homeownership rate. share of households with internet minutes each way to work California performs significantly better than New York 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 New York generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in median household income. average years of life at birth share of adults with a 4-year college degree New York 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 9% higher than New York 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 $20,384 in California for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit. New York performs better than California across all safety metrics. New York generally does better on health & wellbeing, though California leads in adult obesity rate. The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 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 Albany Sacramento Jan–Mar 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) Apr–Jun 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) Jul–Sep 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) Oct–Dec 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) View all months
Month Albany Sacramento Jan 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) Feb 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) Mar 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) Apr 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) May 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) Jun 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) Jul 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) Aug 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) Sep 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) Oct 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) Nov 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) Dec 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) 
National Weather Service Frequently Asked Questions
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What's the weather like in California compared to New York?
