Moving to California from United States
What to Expect
Considering a move from United States to California? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from United States to California, you would find that California is 14.6% more expensive than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $75,000 in California to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between United States and California.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,000
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 10.2% more
Groceries
pay 9.3% more
Transportation
pay 12.5% more
Housing
pay 25.1% more
Childcare
pay 24.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.2% 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 by city
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 4% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in California compared to United States.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
California performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
California performs significantly better than United States across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than California across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than United States?
California and United States are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $18,750 for 3 months in California (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from California?
From major California cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and California are what actually decide it long-term.
How is healthcare in California compared to United States?
California performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in California?
Both United States and California share the same official language: English.
