Overall
- Modesto
- 104.1
Diff +2.6 RPP
Modesto vs Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom is 2.5% more expensive than Modesto.
2.5% more expensive
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA is 2.5% more expensive than Modesto, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 106.7 vs 104.1). A $100,000 salary in Modesto buys about the same as $102,461 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 104.1 (Modesto) vs 106.7 (Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom)
- $100k in Modesto ≈ $102,461 purchasing power in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
- Rents drives the gap (+21.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:CA 104.1→106.7
TIER-NEAR · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- SAME-STATE Same state · CA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Modesto
- 105.2
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Modesto
- 152.3
Diff -1.0 RPP
Rents
- Modesto
- 108.5
Diff +21.8 RPP
| Category | Modesto | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 104.1 | 106.7 | +2.6 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 105.2 | 0.0 |
| Services | 152.3 | 151.3 | -1.0 |
| Rents | 108.5 | 130.2 | +21.8 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Modesto 104.1
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 106.7
Goods
Modesto 105.2
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 105.2
Services
Modesto 152.3
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 151.3
Rents
Modesto 108.5
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom 130.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom is 21.8 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA is 2.5% more expensive than Modesto, CA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.6-point overall gap.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Modesto corresponds to $102,461 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom.
Modesto
104.1
Cost Index
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
106.7
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Modesto would need to be in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom for the same purchasing power:
| In Modesto | In Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,230 | +$1,230 |
| $75,000 | $76,846 | +$1,846 |
| $100,000 | $102,461 | +$2,461 |
| $150,000 | $153,691 | +$3,691 |
$ in Modesto = in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (104.1 → 106.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom more expensive than Modesto?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom is 2.5% more expensive than Modesto. The overall cost index is 106.7 vs 104.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom equals $100K in Modesto?
A $100,000 salary in Modesto has the same purchasing power as $102,461 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Modesto and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom?
Rents in Modesto are indexed at 108.5 while Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom is at 130.2 (national average = 100). Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.