santa cruz vs sacramento (rent, coop, utilities)

[faceofdeath]

i also posted this in the sac. forum but im looking for more responses regarding sc.

im interested in moving to santa cruz or sacramento possibly. i will be visiting both in a week but just wanted to ask a few questions. is there much to do in sacramento? obviously in santa cruz there is the beach and other nature things. i am intersted in only getting around by bicycle and public trans. when i have to. as far as rent im looking for someting around 700-900/month. how does the over all cost of living compare? im moving from the midwest so i am not quite sure what to expect. any help or comparisons to the two would be greatly appreciated. also, because im from the midwest, these may be off but here is what i had planned for my budget...feel free to correct me if these seem off. i have an associates in graphic design but im willing to take any job at first just so i have some income.

rent 700-900.00
utilities 100.00
grociers/food 300.00
public trans 50.00

do the utilities, food, and transit seem accurate?

[Petrala]

Santa Cruz is nice but expensive. The rent you quoted means you'll be sharing housing with housemates. It's rare to find a studio in that price range and when you do it's often a converted garage of chicken coop or something. Utilities are off. You often have to pay for garbage/water/sewage, then there's gas/electricity which is often high in winter and then most common households have internet/cable wireless, etc. I'd plan $125-$150 for utililities average in SC. Lots of people bike in SC but lots of people get hit by cars as well. There are some real danger zones, Mission Street is one of them. If you move to SC, avoid that street, avoid mission and Bay intersection. 2 bikers got flattened there last year.