City comparison
Sacramento, CA is about 100 miles (175 km) from San Francisco, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Sacramento, CA to San Francisco, CA takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
San Francisco has a population of 851,036, vs 523,600 in Sacramento — about 1.6× larger by population. By land area, Sacramento covers about 99 sq mi vs 47 sq mi for San Francisco.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Sacramento | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,592/mo | $2,316/mo | 45.5% higher in San Francisco |
| Median home value | $450,500 | $1,348,700 | 199.4% higher in San Francisco |
| Median household income | $78,954 | $136,689 | 73.1% higher in San Francisco |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 103.9 | 1.1% higher in Sacramento |
| Utilities index | 148.9 | 162.7 | 9.2% higher in San Francisco |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 102.0 | 1.4% higher in San Francisco |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 100.2 | ≈ equal (Sacramento slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Sacramento, you'd need $123,973 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sacramento, CA is about 19.3% cheaper overall than San Francisco, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 49% higher in San Francisco than in Sacramento. If you earn $80,000 in Sacramento, you'd need about $99,178 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.