Considering moving to Sacramento CA, advice?

leslie56 · Jul 13, 2005

my sister lives in sacramento, and she loves it! she is also a nurse and has lived out there for about 20 years. it is a beautiful state and there are so many things to do out there. yes the cost of living might be more, but i am sure that you would get compensated in your pay. good luck!

danu3 · Jul 13, 2005

I graduate nursing school in one year. I live in TX now, and I want to move to CA. I have researched the cost of living difference, but I don't think real people can put a better picture to reality than numbers and articles. I really want to get away from the Texas mentality, i figured moving while i am still use to a poor college student's existence that the transition may not be as hard to get use to financially. Any advice about CA, and specifically Sacramento would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Elle

Very hot in summer. But you are from TX, that may not be anything. Sort of midway between San Francisco and Lake Tahoo. So you can go into the big city if you like city life or go and ski also. If you are around the SF area, there is also the beautiful wine country. You have some very good university close by like UC Davis, UCSF, UC Berkeley, and further south, Stanford.

No natural disaster except earthquakes.

Population is very diverse. Like a miniture UN. If you enjoy meeting people from different cultures, than it is good. It can make nursing a lot more challenging because the communication styles is different from culture to culture and sometimes they can be subtle. If not, it might be kind of stressful.

Standard of living tends to be high. The money for a big house in TX might only get you a small townhouse, if you are lucky. Weather generally are nice compare to other parts of the country.

That is all I could think off.

-Dan

ps I am not from Sacramento, I just happened to know someone who is.

hipab4hands · Jul 16, 2005

I graduate nursing school in one year. I live in TX now, and I want to move to CA. I have researched the cost of living difference, but I think real people can put a better picture to reality than numbers and articles. I really want to get away from the Texas mentality, i figured moving while i am still use to a poor college student's existence may make the transition easier to get use to financially. Any advice about CA, and specifically Sacramento would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Elle

I live and work in the Sacramento area. The cost of living is slightly lower than other areas of California like San Francisco or Los Angeles, but living in California in general is expensive.

Salaries are lower in the Sac area compared to San Francisco or Los Angeles, depending on what hospital you work at, expect to be paid 20 percent lower than in other areas.

On the other hand, the living /commuting conditions are much better. I was able to buy a home here, after being priced out of the San Francisco Bay area. However, the average cost for a home now is running around 400,000 for a new home. Older homes can be found for about $300,000.

An apartment, depending where you live will cost you, around $600 per month for a studio.

Hopes this helps.

ellescorpio · Jul 16, 2005

I live and work in the Sacramento area. The cost of living is slightly lower than other areas of California like San Francisco or Los Angeles, but living in California in general is expensive.
Salaries are lower in the Sac area compared to San Francisco or Los Angeles, depending on what hospital you work at, expect to be paid 20 percent lower than in other areas.
On the other hand, the living /commuting conditions are much better. I was able to buy a home here, after being priced out of the San Francisco Bay area. However, the average cost for a home now is running around 400,000 for a new home. Older homes can be found for about $300,000.
An apartment, depending where you live will cost you, around $600 per month for a studio.
Hopes this helps.

Thanks, for the advice. Considering the cost of living and pay, since I won't be able to buy for a while, would you recommend living somewhere like San Francisco? San Francisco was my original choice, but sticker shock scared me into Sacramento. Is the cost of living as significantly cheaper in Sacramento as it seems on paper? Thanks for your help.

suzanne4, RN · Jul 16, 2005

San Francisco is very expensive in terms of rent and living expenses. You would be much better off and further ahead to live in another city...........

sky_limit · Jul 18, 2005

Hi ellescorpio:

I'm from Texas, now living in the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland, to be exact....just across the bay). It is very nice here. And it is also very expensive here. Yes, yes, I knew rent would be substantially higher (mine more than tripled), but the thing I didn't realize was that EVERYTHING -- gas, toilet paper, cat food, a can of soup -- is all much, much higher (not a couple of pennies) than in Texas. Also keep in mind that there is a state income tax--something we don't have in Texas--which also comes straight off the top. I believe it's the highest in the country....if not, then it's the second or third highest. Also, the cost of registering your car is unbelievable!

I don't know if you have kids or not, but SF is not exactly a kid-friendly kind of city. If you are in your 20s or 30s with no kids, have an open mind, like an active social life and a fast-paced city, and love fantastic ethnic food, you will likely love it here. If you fit this profile, you might find SF to be, as they say here, a one-way ticket... nothing can compare, and you just can't go back to where you came from. It IS possible to live here, but people all have a roommate, sometimes 2 or 3, and are resigned to renting. If you are more conservative (politically as well as culturally) and like the suburb life, it will not be for you. (However, Sacramento might be more your speed.)

I live in Oakland, which is warmer, sunnier, a bit cheaper (you could swing your own modest apartment in a nice neighborhood on your nursing pay), less densely populated, and more laid back than SF. Berkeley is directly to the north of Oakland and is another nice option. I love it here. I personally believe it to be the best of both worlds. It's also VERY beautiful.

One thing I've had a hard time getting adjusted to is that it's cold here. People wear coats in June! I didn't realize, being from Texas, that I am actually a warm weather baby. I hear others like me complaining that they "can't ever seem to get warm." ... at least this is true 9 months out of the year.

The nursing union is STRONG here in CA... something we don't have in Texas. I have thought of going back to Texas because the cost of living really can be draining and I would like to eventually own a home, but I'm very torn, especially since deciding to be a nurse. I'm still learning about all this, but it seems to me CA nurses have a much better situation what with the patient ratios and all than in TX.

I could write more if you'd like to know more; feel free to ask. Off to work now. :)

tramalady45 · Jul 19, 2005

I graduate nursing school in one year. I live in TX now, and I want to move to CA. I have researched the cost of living difference, but I think real people can put a better picture to reality than numbers and articles. I really want to get away from the Texas mentality, i figured moving while i am still use to a poor college student's existence may make the transition easier to get use to financially. Any advice about CA, and specifically Sacramento would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Elle

Hello! I am from Sacramento, but decided to move due to various complex reasons. I absolutely love Sac and always will but living in a different location in California has allowed me to experience a variety of many things I never expected. I will say that I live in San Bernardino county right now. I started as a new grad IPN nurse just weeks ago on a specialty unit with zero experience at $26 an hour with excellent benefits. I know it is generally unacceptable to talk of pay but lets face it, this move is major and you should be forewarned. I have a freind currently that lives and works in Sac and she only started at $23 an hour. Also, she just purchased a very modest home of only 1400 square feet with a patch of dirst they call a backyard-with NO upgrades to the home and they dished out a whopping $425,000! I just purchased my first home in Southern Cali and it is 1600 square feet with an acre and a built in pool and a guest cottage for $295,000. Also, I drive only 20 minutes to work and I know for fact that traffic in Sac is UNBEARABLE and worse than any day I have yet to have in LA. Also, Sac is getting very densely populated and the crime stats cannot be ignored. I lived there for 18 years so it isn't like I don't know the area. There are some elitist areas that would be great to live but only if you had upwards of $800,000 or more. Try southern California like San Bernardino County, or try certain cities like Rancho Cucamonga (beautiful there) and Norco or Victorville or Redlands. I hope this has been of some assistance. P.S. Also, the shopping in Southern California can almost not be beat. I am a shopping fanatic and I adore it and crave it over Sac any day.Good luck!

ellescorpio · Jul 19, 2005

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice and information! It has all really helped!

sky_limit · Jul 19, 2005

Another thing I just thought of, Elle:

If you live in San Francisco proper (and even some parts of Oakland and Berkeley), you will not need a car. In fact, to have a car in SF is actually a liability. Parking is a HUGE hassle. So you wouldn't have that expense whatsoever.

hipab4hands · Jul 25, 2005

Thanks, for the advice. Considering the cost of living and pay, since I won't be able to buy for a while, would you recommend living somewhere like San Francisco? San Francisco was my original choice, but sticker shock scared me into Sacramento. Is the cost of living as significantly cheaper in Sacramento as it seems on paper? Thanks for your help.

Depends on your personal lifestyle. I worked in the San Francisco area and had to commute from one of the burbs. I couldn't afford to live in the City itself.

I commuted an hour each way and this was working the nightshift. Daytime commuting is hell. At least in Sac, my daily commute is now only 20 minutes.

I do miss the shopping and cultural events that living in the San Francisco area offers. However, I can drive about 2 hrs to San Francisco, if I get "homesick".

The cost of living is cheaper here than in the major metropolitan areas of California. Housing costs are going up fast in this area. I know that I can't afford to move up to another home. If I want a bigger home, I will definately have to move out of the area, and most likely out of state to find affordable housing.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 25, 2005

my sister lives in sacramento, and she loves it! she is also a nurse and has lived out there for about 20 years. it is a beautiful state and there are so many things to do out there. yes the cost of living might be more, but i am sure that you would get compensated in your pay. good luck!

What nurse gets paid enough to buy a $700,000 house? Thats an average house around there now a days. I have family there and the only reason they have houses is because they have been there for over 20 years, they couldn't afford to buy their own house back... my cousin bought a house there a few years ago but he made bank when he sold his house in Sillicon valley, plus he builds computers...