Murrieta vs Sacramento
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $506,300 in Sacramento and $639,800 in Murrieta.
- Households earn more in Murrieta ($114,081 vs $87,321 median).
- Murrieta has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 57°F.
- Sacramento has more scorching days: 90 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 60.
- Commutes are shorter in Sacramento (25 vs 37 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Murrieta, CA | Sacramento, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 114,124 | 536,449 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.8% | +2.2% |
| People per square mile | 3,224 | 5,438 |
| Median age | 36.6 | 36.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $114,081 | $87,321 |
| Median home value | $639,800 | $506,300 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,388 | $1,779 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.4 | 106.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 129.3 | 130.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,800 | $80,000 |
| Homeowners | 70% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 37.4 | 25.3 |
| Work from home | 17% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| Poverty rate | 5.4% | 13.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 47° | 57° / 41° |
| July high / low | 87° / 60° | 94° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 60 | 90 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 4 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 35% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +0.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.9% | +19.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Murrieta: October to June. Sacramento: February to May and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Murrieta weather by month and Sacramento weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $79,800 in Murrieta and $80,000 in Sacramento. Moving from Murrieta to Sacramento, you would need about $75,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Murrieta and Sacramento
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Murrieta and Sacramento.
Which would you pick?
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