Cost of Living: Santa Ana, CA vs Sacramento, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Ana, CA versus $3,974/mo in Sacramento, CA. In the model, rent is about 28.78% of gross in Santa Ana, CA versus 24.69% in Sacramento, CA, so Sacramento, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Santa Ana, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Sacramento, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Santa Ana, CA
28.78%
COLI tier: very high-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Sacramento, CA
24.69%
COLI tier: higher-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Ana, CA and Sacramento, CA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Sacramento, CA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Sacramento, CA
  • Lower home prices: Sacramento, CA
  • Higher median household income: Santa Ana, CA

Cost of Living Index

Santa Ana, CA: 142.8 (U.S. = 100) · Sacramento, CA: 118.2 (U.S. = 100)

Sacramento, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than Santa Ana, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Santa Ana, CA: $1,877/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Sacramento, CA: $1,610/mo

Median rent in Santa Ana, CA is $267/mo higher than in Sacramento, CA.

Median Home Price

Santa Ana, CA: $657,800 · Sacramento, CA: $484,600

Median home price in Santa Ana, CA is $173,200 higher than in Sacramento, CA.

Median Household Income

Santa Ana, CA: $88,354 · Sacramento, CA: $83,753

Santa Ana, CA has a higher median household income than Sacramento, CA by $4,601.

Santa Ana, CA overview · Sacramento, CA overview · Popular comparisons