Why is Sacramento more affordable than all the other California cities? (Los Angeles: middle-class, real estate)

[CwEshelman]

Hello Everyone,
I am a young father and husband currently living in Columbus, OH. My wife is finishing her nursing degree (RN) in a little over a year, and we are thinking about relocating to a warmer state. California seems like a great state for people like us who enjoy being outdoors. I first thought San Diego would be our focus, but the price of real estate and salary of professions there don't stack up well. It seems this way for most of California. Sacramento, however, seems a bit more reasonable. I have looked at real estate, and there are many homes that are under 300K that could satisfy our lifestyle. This just leaves me with the question why? Is the only difference being close to the pacific? Of course San Diego is quite a bit larger, but it still seems as though the living expenses are incomparable. Thanks for any information. If you know I am also interested in the average salary of a starting RN, and if jobs in the field are in demand. I am also a current student, but take classes online and won't finish for another two years. My majors are Business Admin. and Human Resources Management. Thank you for any information.

[moved]

Like anywhere else, it will depend on where you live in Sacramento.

[NewToCA]

Mostly it comes down to work and employment. The salary levels here don't support a housing price structure anything close to San Diego, LA or the Bay Area.

Prices are a bit low today, I suspect they "overshot" the "fair pricing" on the way down from their overpriced highs in the mid 2000's.

[wburg]

It may seem odd for someone used to winters in Ohio, but the fact that Sacramento does not have perfect weather year-round is enough to keep people away. In San Diego, weather in the 50s is considered an extreme cold snap except in December/January (then it dips down to the high 40s) and in the peak of summer it rarely gets warmer than 80.

Los Angeles and San Francisco don't have weather quite so wonderful, but they are really the cultural, social and economic capitals of the west coast. I'm about as big a Sacramento booster as you are likely to find, but even I consider LA and SF to be amazing cities that I love to visit (although I don't know if I could live there.)

By comparison, Sacramento is stiflingly hot in summer, chilly in winter, and its middle-class inhabitants seem downright poverty-stricken. Compared to other tertiary cities in the United States, Sacramento looks just fine--but it's hard to shine with those two glamor girls down the road hogging the spotlight.

But...living in San Francisco or Los Angeles can be a bit hectic. They are incredibly expensive, very competitive places. Not as bad as New York, I am told, but Sacramento provides a more comfortable pace of life at a lower cost. Which means it isn't the first choice for those seeking the bright lights and the big bucks.

[Ceece]

Anything closer to the beaches will automatically be more desireable and expensive. Sacramento isn't the least expensive city in the state by a long shot, but it's not as desireable as the other areas you are talking about. And when the housing boom priced people out of those areas the prices in the Sacramento area went up and more developent occured.

[Mr. Ozo]

I always wonder that. I lived in San Fransisco for about a year. But the cost of living is literally 3-4 times higher. I moved back to Sacramento which I really love. I have an entire flat for the price of a room.

But what's strange is Sacramento is even cheaper than many less nice places. Like Stockton, Fresno, Reading and Bakersfield are almost the same cost of living as Sacramento.

[LRobbins]

Sacramento is a great middle size city. The weatther here is mild and you are a couple of hours away from Tahoe, San Fran, Monteray, Yosimite.
I like the fact that our city isnt congested 24/7 like the bigger cities.
If you do decide to come to Sacramento you may want to check out Rocklin, El Dorado Hills and Folsom. It's the best Sac has to offer.
If you like San Diego, there is a affordable place about a hour away called Temecula or Murrieta. It gets a little hot in the summer.

[edwardius]

Housing prices are a function of two different things, average wages and desirability of the area as a place to live. Incomes are higher in bigger cities and that can allow people to pay more for a home, but housing prices are also higher closer to the coast where the climate is the most mild.

Compared to Fresno, Chico or Bakerfield, housing prices are higher in Sacramento because incomes are higher in Sacramento in part because Sacramento is just a much bigger community than those other Valley towns. In Riverside and San Bernardino Counties housing prices are pretty comparable to Sacramento County again because those areas have a larger population base like Sacramento does.


But people are willing to settle for a smaller home to have access to a better climate. In San Diego housing prices drop with distance from the ocean. East San Diego County is much cheaper than the parts of San Diego nearer the ocean.

Housing is more expensive in the bay area coastal areas than in the Southern California Coastal areas because incomes are higher in the bay area.

The cheap places along the California Coast are the places where the local economy is really weak. Housing prices are surprisingly affordable in Crescent City or Arcata but it can be really difficult to find a job in those communities.

[SmartGXL]

One thing I want to mention here, I am originally from ohio as well (Dayton) and whenever I heard "California", I thought of sunny beaches and warm weather, as if the entire state is like something out of a Beach Boys song, but actually northern Cal (which is where Sacramanto is at) is actually just as "far north" latitude-wise, as Columbus is...so the sunlight level there is about the same thing as what Ohio gets.

When I first started going to cali on a regular basis (I met a girl a few years back who lived in cali and I would fly there to see her - long distance relationship), I was shocked to find out how similar to Ohio it actually was, weather wise, once you get inland. San fran is basicly perfect - it is around 69 degrees every day, all year round. In the middle of August, you will need a jacket and a scarf (oh - and it seems like it rains every third day). Because it was "california", I used to think it would be like living in a really hot (pleasant) area. But once you get east or northeast of there, the terrain and vegetation were really just like living in Ohio - hell, even the people and their personalities were similar to what I knew back in Ohio; my experience was that NorCal had weather that was only slightly better than what Ohio had. But while, at the same time, the taxes and other things were way off the chart.

[CwEshelman]

Originally Posted by LRobbins

Sacramento is a great middle size city. The weatther here is mild and you are a couple of hours away from Tahoe, San Fran, Monteray, Yosimite.
I like the fact that our city isnt congested 24/7 like the bigger cities.
If you do decide to come to Sacramento you may want to check out Rocklin, El Dorado Hills and Folsom. It's the best Sac has to offer.
If you like San Diego, there is a affordable place about a hour away called Temecula or Murrieta. It gets a little hot in the summer.

Thanks for the suggestions; I have looked at Temecula and Murrieta. The house prices of both cities seems very reasonable as well (compared to SD or the Bay Area). It amazes me how much hotter it gets there in the summertime than San Diego! Of course, I don't know this from personal experience, but I trust what city-data has recorded. Seems as though I'll have to make a trip sometime soon to look over Sacramento, Temecula, and Murrieta. Any advice on which city would offer the best employment for a starting nurse and employment in business (humans resources or admin)? I know the economy sucks, but I am just curious.