on $100k a year, leaving Portland
changea dispatch from
sacramento
CA
38.58°N
121.49°W
Sacramento is California's capital and California's pantry, sitting at the heart of one of the most productive farm regions on earth. The 'Farm to Fork' food movement isn't marketing here, it's just dinner. Two rivers meet downtown, summer afternoons are dry and hot enough to justify ice cream as a meal, and Tahoe is a two-hour drive when you need elevation. It's quieter than its big-city neighbors and likes it that way.
the verdict
pricier each month than Portland
Sacramento costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
a quick ledger.
$2,226/mo
25% more expensive than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)
9.3%
$46/mo more in state tax than Portland
vs 8.75% in Portland
$5,332/mo
$491 less than Portland
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$589k
5% more expensive than Portland
vs $562k in Portland
2.4M
vs 2.5M in Portland
field notes, weather & such.
211
pleasant days a year, in sacramento.
Portland keeps to 178 pleasant days a year. Bring the AC. 56 days a year clear 95°, well past Portland's 7.
But the calendar thins out: Portland stays 1.5× busier.
75/100
14% lower than Portland
vs 87/100 in Portland
Closest outdoor draw: Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, 33.8 mi.
98/100
2% lower than Portland
vs 100/100 in Portland
28
51% fewer than Portland
vs 57 nonstops in Portland
cities that play in sacramento's register:
compare sacramento with:
