The inland capital of California is a wonderful place to live. Even though its more famous coastal neighbors like Los Angeles and San Francisco surpass it in terms of climate and entertainment, there are several positions that make Sacramento an attractive place for residence. Let’s dig in and see which factors should be considered when choosing between Sacramento vs San Francisco.

Cost of Living Sacramento vs San Francisco

It is a well-known fact that San Francisco is one of the priciest US cities. Still, it attracts thousands of new residents every year because of marvelous business and job opportunities and a wide choice of sports and entertainment. All that does not make the idea of paying a double price for everything any nicer. And that is true for almost everything. Say, the Overall Index in Sacramento is 118.2 vs 269.3 in San Francisco. Median Home Cost in Sacramento is $327,300 vs $1,378,300 in San Fransisco, which is incredible 321.1% more. Other comparable measures vary from 120% to 20% but all not in favor of the Golden Gate City. There is pretty much only one thing that is sort of cheaper in SF – unities. Those are generally about 1% lower.

As you can see, a $100.000 salary in Sacramento should better turn into $250.000. The good thing is that it is most definitely going to happen if you relocate to Golden Gate City and choose to be a techie which is the fastest developing sphere in SF.

Climate and Weather in Sacramento and San Francisco

Winters are generally warmer and milder in San Francisco mostly due to the proximity of the ocean. Summers, on the contrary, are hotter in Sacramento with its continental climate. Both places are picturesque each in their unique way. Sacramento is all surrounded by fields and rivers, San Francisco’s marvelous coastline and numerous hills that go right through the City makes it absolutely magical and almost unreal. Water sports are very popular in Sacramento. Rafting, kayaking, waterskiing, or simple swimming: anything you can think of is available. Maybe except for windsurfing. Windsurfing in SanFrancisco is not an option either unless you want to share your waters with some wild and not so friendly sharks.

Sacramento VS San Francisco – Culture and Entertainment

If you are seeking some cultural life, you’ll find some in both Sacramento and San Francisco. But if your career, professional or personal interests are connected with culture or entertainment, you should probably reconsider in favor of LA or dozens of US cities that are famous for their cultural life.

Let’s see what people, who have some residential experience in either (or both) of the cities have to say:

Marcie Miller, lives in California

If this were 1995, I’d say San Francisco by a long, long mile. But, these days?
If you are wealthy, or high-salaried, and you enjoy a dense, urban environment, SF is better, and, if I had my druthers and money were no object then I would totally love to live in the city. But even back in the days when I was gainfully employed with a good salary (before the Great Recession), when I wanted to move into the city I could just never stomach the rents, and so never made that move. The closest I got was Oakland. And I really did like Oakland.

Joe Vela, lives in Sacramento, CA (1992-present)

Which is the better city to live in Sac or SF depends what you want and what you have?
the job market in the SF Bay Area pays more and more jobs available.
“Sac isn’t a great place to visit bur it’s a great place to live.”
SF Is full of people from all over the world and Sacramento is full of native people who left SF.
I’ve only known one person that was a native to San Francisco and still living in SF.

Ron Gallagher, lives in California (1966-present)

I grew up in and around Eureka, CA. The climate in Eureka includes a lot of rain, fog, and overcast. A warm day growing up in the summer might get to 70, maybe 75 degrees. It was also a slow small town in a rural area. Lots of farming and outdoor type things to do, but not much to do compared to city life.
I always said I was born in the wrong place and time because, although I learned to adapt to living there, I always wanted to live in a city somewhere warm. When I was about 12 years old, I said “When I grow up, I am either going to live in Santa Barbara, San Diego, or Sacramento.

Steven Bird, lives in San Francisco (1982-present)

Sacramento is a nice city if you’re OK with hot weather. I grew up on the SF peninsula, so the rare 90°+ day is as much as I’m willing to deal with. Sacramento gets over 100°F for some period of time every year. It’s not typically humid, though, so it’s generally somewhat bearable (compared to the deep south or east coast, that is). It’s a little provincial, a little rednecky, but not too bad.
However, the ocean is nowhere nearby. In SF, you can be at the beach in half an hour or less. If there’s a heat wave, that matters!

Moving to Sacramento or to San Francisco Advice

If you plan to rent a hose, here is some advice: get nothing short of a 2-year lease with an option for an additional 2 years and cap rent increases to something you can live with. The 10% annual increase (current market trend) equates to a 46 percent increase over those four years. That can eat you alive. In any case, make sure you find something before you plan your moving date. The real estate market is quite tense in both cities, even despite the high prices in SF. once you have a moving date in mind, check out our full catalogue of moving companies nearby. Also, there is a top ten moving companies that successfully operate in the region. You can find out the best ones here. Make a thoughtful decision and good luck with your move!