San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + 9% lower cost of living
- + $657/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $14K lower median salary
Moving from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 115.6 to 106.7 (100 = US average), so a San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont salary needs to be multiplied by 0.92 to hold the same purchasing power in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $2,912/month in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to $2,255/month in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom - a lower monthly bill of $657, or $7,884/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $95,708 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont versus $81,568 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom - a raw gap of $14,140 lower. The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom labor market has 1,060,500 tracked jobs against 2,339,300 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom are 477 and 477 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 21.5:1 at origin versus 21.5:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $17,920/year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont versus $17,920/year in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom. Our composite verdict - Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to see what you'd need to earn in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom to maintain the same purchasing power.
Relocation Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom more expensive than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
What are salaries like in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom compared to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom safer than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
How much would I need to earn in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom to match my San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont salary?
What does the "Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.