Sacramento County, CA vs Essex County, MA: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Essex County, MA is cheaper than Sacramento County, CA.

Moving to Essex County, MA is estimated to save $1,918 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Essex County, MASave about $1,918 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Sacramento County, CA is about $48,515 in Essex County, MA.

Biggest drivers

Transport increases by $628 per year. Healthcare saves $1,964 per year.

Housing: $709 lower in Essex County, MA

Taxes: $122 lower in Essex County, MA

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $1,964 lower in Essex County, MA

Food: $358 higher in Essex County, MA

Transport: $628 higher in Essex County, MA

Sacramento County, CAEssex County, MA
Equivalent salary in Essex County, MA
$48,515
-2.97% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Sacramento County, CA: $103,270
Median Income in Essex County, MA: $125,134
Living Index in Sacramento County, CA 62.49%
Living Index in Essex County, MA 50.04%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Sacramento County, CA to Essex County, MA.

* Living index is estimated as (estimated total cost / area median income) * 100. A living index above 100% means modeled costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary

Moving from Sacramento County, CA to Essex County, MA is estimated to save $1,918 per year. A $50,000 salary in Sacramento County, CA would have similar purchasing power to about $48,515 in Essex County, MA. The largest savings come from healthcare and housing.

This is a 2.97% decrease in modeled annual costs. Healthcare is $1,964 per year lower (28.38%); Housing is $709 per year lower (3.59%).

Below we break down the annual categories behind the difference using Economic Policy Institute 2026 Family Budget data.

What changed the most?

The following cards show the annual category differences that most affect the move to Essex County, MA.

Biggest Cost
Largest annual cost increase when moving to Essex County, MA
Annual Increase:

$628 per year

TRANSPORT has the largest annual increase when moving to Essex County, MA.

Biggest Savings
Largest annual savings when moving to Essex County, MA
Annual Savings:

$1,964 per year

HEALTHCARE has the largest annual savings when moving to Essex County, MA.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing-3.59% lower
Food8.19% higher
Transport5.20% higher
Healthcare-28.38% lower
Other Costs-1.45% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-0.88% lower

In Essex County, MA, modeled annual costs are $62,616 compared with $64,534 in Sacramento County, CA.

Overall, annual costs are lower in Essex County, MA. The category breakdown above shows where the move creates the most room in the budget.

In this case Essex County, MA and Sacramento County, CA are both metropolitan locations.

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How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Sacramento, CA vs Essex, MA Cost Difference