

Sacramento vs Santa Rosa
$415/mo less in Santa Rosa
SacramentoSanta RosaAbout 105 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Santa Rosa costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 244 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $1,724/mo in Santa Rosa. $2,139/mo in Sacramento. −$4,980 a year.
Sacramento
$2,139
left each month
Santa Rosa
$1,724
−$415 vs Sacramento
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 496 households moved Sacramento → Santa Rosa (avg AGI $77,659). 622 went the other way. The whole move →
−$415 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Sacramento | Santa Rosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,042 | $8,089 | +$47 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,102 | $2,121 | +$18 |
| Take-home pay | $5,939 | $5,968 | +$29 |
| Rent | $1,663 | $2,100 | +$437 |
| Getting around | $600 | $574 | −$26 |
| Groceries | $424 | $433 | +$9 |
| Healthcare | $477 | $487 | +$10 |
| Utilities | $265 | $271 | +$6 |
| Everything else | $371 | $379 | +$8 |
| Left over | $2,139 | $1,724 | −$415 |
Salary to match Sacramento
$105,000
Gross pay in Santa Rosa that leaves the same amount as $96,500 in Sacramento.
Tax difference
−$52
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 26.1% in Sacramento, 26.2% in Santa Rosa.
More about Santa Rosa
Sacramento, CA in full
Bay Area access at two-thirds the rent, with California's tax bill intact.
Santa Rosa, CA in full
State income tax topping out at 12.3%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $2,500 and 244 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
The other way
Start in Santa Rosa.
Santa Rosa → Sacramento →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Santa Rosa than Sacramento?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Santa Rosa leaves about $415 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,663 in Sacramento and $2,100 in Santa Rosa.
Does Santa Rosa have state income tax?
Santa Rosa is in California, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Sacramento to Santa Rosa?
The paycheck is taxed in California. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Sacramento and Santa Rosa changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.