Live

Can you put a price on beauty like this? | Photo by @teddymorrow

With Sacramento constantly growing and undertaking multiple high-profile developments this year, we figured it was time to talk about the cost of planting some roots in the City of Trees.

The median household income in Sacramento County is $70,684 according to the US Census Bureau. State-wise, California is No. 6 in the country for median income at ~$78,000 per household.

A chart showing the cost of living breakdown in Sacramento, CA — The overall cost of living in Sac is higher than the national average.

The overall cost of living in Sacramento is higher than the national average, but lower than the rest of the state.

In Sacramento, the cost of healthcare is higher compared to other parts of the state + lower than the rest of the US. The cost of groceries, housing, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses in the city have lower average costs than other cities in California, but higher than the country overall.

Breaking down the numbers

Hypothetically speaking, if you live in a household that brings in $50,000 annually – according to experts — you shouldn’t spend more than 30% of your monthly gross income on rent and utilities. Don’t worry, we did the math for you — your max monthly budget would be $1,250. The average monthly rent for an apartment in Sac is $1,851 — putting you over budget.

Take a look at the chart below to see how Sac’s cost of living compares to that of San Diego.

A chart comparing the cost of living between Sacramento and San Diego — Sacramento has more affordable food and groceries than San Diego.

Interested in seeing Sac’s cost of living compared to cities in other states? We played around on NerdWallet’s cost of living calculator, where you can put in any city along with your current pre-tax household income to find out what other cities you could actually afford to live in.

We took a look at the cost of living in Sac compared to San Diego. Here’s what we found:

The cost of living is 19% higher in San Diego.
To maintain our standard of living, we would need to bring in $59,559 to our Sacramento household.
The median cost for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,393, which is $446 more than Sacramento.

Sac also has entities such as the 2-1-1 Sacramento + other government-funded programs to help develop more affordable units.

There are also a number of local development firms working on apartments seemingly all the time — from Mutual Housing California’s Lavender Courtyard in Boulevard Park to the affordable housing development from Mutual Housing and Habitat For Humanity at Cornerstone in South Sacramento.

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EVENTS

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Today

Buddy Guy | Wed., Sept. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. | $73.50+ | Buddy Guy’s latest album says it all: “The Blues Is Alive and Well.”
Wednesdays at Winn | Wednesdays | 3-7:30 p.m. | Winn Park | Free | Wander through the park as food trucks hum, live music plays + wine glasses clink. 🍷

Thursday

Happy Hour with Mind X | Thurs., Sept. 22 | 6-8 p.m. | Torch Club, 904 15th St. | Free | Chill out to the sounds of local musicians jamming some bluegrass + psychedelic rock. 🎸
NeighborGood Market Elk Grove | Thursdays | 5-9 p.m. | District 56 | Free | Support neighborhood artisans, farmers + food trucks at this weekly attraction.

Friday

21st Annual Charity Golf Tournament | Fri., Sept. 23 | 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. | The Ridge Golf Course, 2020 Golf Course Rd. | $250+ | Enjoy a day in Auburn with food, golf, and the chance to win prizes while you raise money to engage California’s youth about the importance of healthy and sustainable forests. ⛳️

Saturday

Country In The Park 2 | Sat., Sept. 24 | 12 p.m. | Heart Health Park | $35+ | Featuring performances from Billy Currington, Jessie James Decker, Gavin DeGraw, and more. 🤠
Weird Al Yankovic & Emo Philips | Sat., Sept. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Mondavi Center, 523 Mrak Hall Dr. | $45+ | Before you see the Daniel Radcliffe-starring biopic, spend an evening with the master of parody songs himself. 🪗
WEUSI Live Music Festival | Sat., Sept. 24 | 12-7 p.m. | Serna Plaza | Free | The first-ever iteration of this festival will feature prizes, food trucks, musical performances + more.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*

100+ MORE EVENTS

NEWS NOTES

Weather

78º | Partly cloudy | 20% chance of rain 🌤

Community

The city has extended its contract with the Sacramento LGBT Center to help pay for shelter and services for people aged 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness. The program, which launched in June 2019, has served 159 clients so far. (Sacramento City Express)

Environment

West Sacramento officials are attempting to salvage the 45-acre lake in the Bridgeway Lakes neighborhood, where water levels are rapidly dropping. The latest plan — priced at $120,000 — would line a nearby canal with a layer of rocks so as to guide water into the lake. (CBS 13)
A new study from UC Davis claims an extreme die-off of amphibians in Panama and Costa Rica that occurred in the 1980s and 2000s may be linked to an increase in malaria cases throughout that same region. 🐸 (UC Davis)

Sacramentan

A local 10-year-old is being hailed as a hero by Sacramento police. The boy — who was not identified — translated questions from the Sacramento Fire Department during his birthday while his parents attempted life-saving measures on the boy’s one-year-old brother. (FOX40)

Open

Nick the Greek‘s second Roseville location has officially opened at the Fountains at Roseville. The San Jose-based eatery specializes in items such as gyros bowls and salads. 🥗 (Sac Biz Journal)

Tech

Davis-based Wind Harvest International Inc. — which specializes in wind turbine technology — is crowdfunding $2.5 million to test its machines. This comes after the company raised $1.4 million last year in a similar campaign. 💰 (Sacramento Inno)

Biz

Sacramento-based clean fuel company Infinium has struck a deal with Amazon to provide fuel to the retail giant’s Southern California delivery trucks beginning as early as next year. Amazon is also one of Infinium’s investors. ⛽️ (Sacramento Inno)

DYK

The nation’s first long-distance telephone calls were between gold miners just outside of Nevada County, after the Ridge Telephone Company built the world’s first long-distance telephone line — which ran 58 miles long. ⛏ (FOX40)

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Travel and Outdoors

“Rain in Sacramento” Starter Pack

A "starter pack" meme for Sacramentans in the rain.

Tag yourself, I’m the guy who just washed his car. | Photo via Reddit

Following up on all the amazing heat wave memes Sacramentans made earlier this month, I am loving this “starter pack” about how we handle the rain. Let’s break it down clockwise starting in the top-left corner:

That driver who doesn’t realize they should have their headlights on during the day
The sucker who always washes their car right before it rains
The person constantly reminding us we’re in a drought (we know)
Your friend who thinks they can still go 50 mph down Watt Avenue (they can’t)
And, of course, the obligatory Reddit post complaining about how people can’t drive in the rain

Never change, Sacramento.

THE WRAP

	Today’s issue was written by Jordan. Editor’s pick: Y’all, that weather Monday night was sheer bliss. It was so relaxing to have the window open, feel the cool breeze and listen to the sounds of rain while watching Monday Night Football. More please. Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We rooted ourselves in plant-based restaurants.
Read More

Connect with us.

Editorial: Jordan Radach, Matt Marcure, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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