Looking for more info Sacramento (sales, apartments, rent)

[Pet79]

We are considering relocating to the West and a few places we are considering so far are
Sacramento
Reno, NV
Las Vegas, NV

We don't have any small children, he is 18 and graduating. So it will probably be just me and my husband moving. We are in our late 30s and early 40s.

Is it more expensive to live in Sacramento compared to Reno?

Where can I find current info like the price of gas, renting an apartment (eventually buy a house down the road), just standard cost of living etc...

Thank you!

[humboldtrat]

No state income tax in Nevada - about 9.3% in CA.

[Rob98LS1]

Seems like gas prices have been back on the rise after a good run in the low 3 dollars, now near 4$. Rents have been on the rise last couple years, decent 1 bedroom apartment in Sac is around 1100-1300. Was about 900-1100 a few years ago.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

No state income tax in Nevada - about 9.3% in CA.

nope..not unless you make a lot of money.

A married couple with no kids with taxable income of:
$60,000 Effective state income tax 1.92%
$70,000 Effective state Income tax 2.26%
$90,000 Effective state income tax 3.09%

You have to have taxable income of $900,000 to pay an effective income tax rate of 9.3%
https://smartasset.com/taxes/califor...tor#mRmEh93SHI

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Pet79

We are considering relocating to the West and a few places we are considering so far are
Sacramento
Reno, NV
Las Vegas, NV

We don't have any small children, he is 18 and graduating. So it will probably be just me and my husband moving. We are in our late 30s and early 40s.

Is it more expensive to live in Sacramento compared to Reno?

Where can I find current info like the price of gas, renting an apartment (eventually buy a house down the road), just standard cost of living etc...

Thank you!

Price of gas, try gasbuddy.com

Rent is a little tougher to compare, but checking apartments.com a 1 bedroom apartment in a nice part of Reno in a good complex is around $1000-$1400. Similar apartments in desirable areas in Sac County seem to be close to that with more of them coming in at the higher range. Reno has a lot of lower end apartments and so does Sacramento, you can get a 2 bdrm in parts of either Sacramento or Reno for $800-$900 but most people wouldn't be happy in those complexes.

The thing to look at is the availability, last I heard there were almost no vacant apartments in Reno but you might ask about that in the Reno forum.

I lived in Reno for 14 years and it has it's good points, i.e proximity to winter sports and less traffic than most metro areas in California but what I didn't like was the long cold winters, the wind and the cost of utilities. The rates might be close to those in California but in Sacramento our utility bill is about 1/3 of what it was in Reno due to the heating costs during the winter. Sacramento has a very mild climate with few really cold days.

Las Vegas is bigger than Reno (by far) has cheaper rent and housing prices and they don't have the 35 cent gas tax like they have in Washoe County which makes gas in Reno about the same as California.

If you aren't retiring and need a job make sure you find one BEFORE you move to Reno, a large number of available jobs are in lower paying warehouses or call centers

[49erfan916]

Originally Posted by Pet79

We are considering relocating to the West and a few places we are considering so far are
Sacramento
Reno, NV
Las Vegas, NV

We don't have any small children, he is 18 and graduating. So it will probably be just me and my husband moving. We are in our late 30s and early 40s.

Is it more expensive to live in Sacramento compared to Reno?

Where can I find current info like the price of gas, renting an apartment (eventually buy a house down the road), just standard cost of living etc...

Thank you!

Stay the hell out of Reno. While it's a nice city to visit, it's a ****ty town to live in. From the cities you listed, Sacramento will have the higher COL. Nevada does not have a state income tax while California does. However, the more you make, the more you'll get taxed. My effective rate after itemizing my deductions was 2.3 percent and I maximum salary when I lived in Sacramento was around 58k.

Try gasbuddy as your source for gas prices. I love this app/website.

There's one more thing I want to tell you. Vegas does not offer a strong economy, meaning that it may be hard for you, or your husband, to land good paying jobs. Their economy is mostly service based, and to a lesser extent, Reno as well. Although, I heard they are building more businesses in Reno. While Sacramento's economy isn't that strong, it does have ample amount of state job openings but the key is to actually get your foot in the door. With that said, Sacramento's economy is slowly getting stronger.

Keep in mind that Sacramento is a higher COL so landing good paying jobs is essential here. There's a few COL calculators you can use:

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site
https://www.bankrate.com/calculators...alculator.aspx

or just type in cost of living calculator. While these things aren't totally accurate, it can give you some sort of guide of the cost to live in another city. Good luck to you and keep us updated.

[CAHntr]

For the OP, in general, it costs more to live in CA than in Nevada. Of the 3 cities you've listed, Sacramento is the most expensive, Reno is still a bit in the middle and Las Vegas is cheapest. All 3 cities are very different and provide different amenities and access to different venues. Las Vegas is actually closer to Disneyland but you're also living in a gambling town in the middle of the desert. A lot of Californians have retired to Las Vegas because it is so much cheaper cost of living and commute back to CA if they need something there, such as keeping their doctor or retired medical plan doctor selection.


If you're able to do it, a road trip driving through all 3 cities would be ideal as you can get a much better idea if any or all of these cities are a good fit for you. Reno gets snow while Sacramento and Las Vegas don't. You're within a few hours of snow if you choose Sacramento or Las Vegas so you still have that option. It's one of those things where only you can really know which one works best for you.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by CAHntr

For the OP, in general, it costs more to live in CA than in Nevada. Of the 3 cities you've listed, Sacramento is the most expensive, Reno is still a bit in the middle and Las Vegas is cheapest. All 3 cities are very different and provide different amenities and access to different venues. Las Vegas is actually closer to Disneyland but you're also living in a gambling town in the middle of the desert. A lot of Californians have retired to Las Vegas because it is so much cheaper cost of living and commute back to CA if they need something there, such as keeping their doctor or retired medical plan doctor selection.


If you're able to do it, a road trip driving through all 3 cities would be ideal as you can get a much better idea if any or all of these cities are a good fit for you. Reno gets snow while Sacramento and Las Vegas don't. You're within a few hours of snow if you choose Sacramento or Las Vegas so you still have that option. It's one of those things where only you can really know which one works best for you.

It isn't really that much more expensive to live in California than in Reno, I lived in Reno for 14 years and we are saving least $200 - $250 a month on utilities in Sacramento because the winters are so much milder here.

If you are making 10,000 or more a month and have to pay State income tax then you would come out ahead in Nevada but other than that, there's not much difference.

Median sales price for a home in Sacramento is $311,000 or $222 PSF, Reno $352,000 $215 PSF