Sacramento, CA Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Sacramento, CA: What You Need to Know

The protagonist in the critically acclaimed film “Lady Bird” called Sacramento the “Midwest of California.” The locals take no offense for it’s an apt description of the city’s low-key and no-nonsense vibe. 

The Cost of Living in Sacramento

Sacramento is home to 513,624 people. Like most big cities, it’s expensive. The city’s cost of living, food, and housing costs are 20.5%, 4.1%, and 16.6% higher than the national average, respectively. Sacramento’s median gross rent is $1,179; the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city is $1,947. California’s income tax rate ranges from 1% for the lowest earners to 12.3% for the top earners. The state’s sales tax rate ranges from 7.25% to 10.50%.

Know Your Neighborhoods

Sacramento neighborhoods received ample screen time in the film “Lady Bird” (2017), thanks to actress Greta Gerwig, a Sacramento native, who wrote and directed it. The iconic yellow bridge downtown was shown in the movie. Curious what it’s like to live downtown? You’ll find varied housing options, from bungalows and lofts to condos and high-rise apartments, all within walking distance from shops, restaurants, and farmers’ markets. To get away from downtown hubbub, the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, and Orangevale are all within commuting distance.

Local Job Opportunities

As the capital of California, the state government is one of Sacramento’s key employers. Other big employers are Intel Corp., Kaiser Permanente South, AMPAC Fine Chemicals, and Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. The area also has a thriving agribusiness and food manufacturing cluster, which represents a $3 billion industry in the region. Blue Diamond Growers (almond products manufacturer), Red Rooster Professional Tools (farming implements), and General Produce (produce distributor and exporter) are based in Sacramento.

Getting Around Sacramento

In Sacramento, about 40,000 people take the light rail every weekday while 37,000 passengers take the bus daily. The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) operates more than 80 bus routes, 43 miles of light rail, and paratransit services throughout Sacramento County, which includes service in the cities of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova. Sacramento International Airport is 12 miles away from downtown.

The Local Weather

Although Sacramento’s average of 20 inches of rain annually is lower than the U.S. average of 38 inches, the city is vulnerable to flooding because Sacramento County is low and flat. Bad flooding occurred in February 1986 when a Pineapple Express system hit Northern California. Sacramento received 10 inches of rain over 11 days, flooding 15,000 acres of land in the southern part of the county. On the positive, it doesn’t snow in Sacramento plus it gets 269 sunny days on average annually versus the national average of 205 sunny days.