Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Sacramento
You think about retiring in Sacramento but want to get additional information about senior life, living costs, housing situation, entertainment options, safety, public infrastructure and much more before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Sacramento in the following chapters.
Retire in Sacramento – Overview
Living Costs | While living costs in Sacramento are above national average, they are still lower than in the Bay Area or in L.A. |
Housing | Rents in Sacramento have skyrocketed over the past decades and many retirees in Sacramento struggle to find an affordable place to stay. |
Climate | Pensioners in Sacramento can enjoy warm and sunny summers and relatively mild winters. |
Crime | While crime rate in Sacramento is above national average, it is still relatively safe compared to many other big cities in California. |
Opportunities to Socialize | Since Sacramento is an open and tolerant place, it is pretty easy to socialize as a retiree in Sacramento. |
Entertainment | You can watch sports games, visit museums, spend lots of time in nature or do many other nice things in the Sacramento area. |
Public Transport | While public transport is decent near the city center, it becomes increasingly worse in the outskirts of Sacramento. |
Walkability & Bicycling | Sacramento is a pretty bicycle-friendly city and since distances are rather short near the city center, many people who retire in Sacramento don’t even need a car to get around. |
Medical Infrastructure | You will find many good doctors and hospitals in the Sacramento region. |
Supply of Material Goods | Thanks to good public infrastructure, you never have to worry about running out of important material goods as a retiree in Sacramento. |

Reasons to Retire in Sacramento
- Sacramento is a pretty tolerant place
- Retirees are welcome from all over the world
- You can meet many interesting people in Sacramento
- Easy to socialize for retirees in Sacramento
- Pensioners in Sacramento can enjoy great summers
- Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Sacramento
- Sacramento is located at the coast
- Many nice things to do in nature in the Sacramento region
- Retirees in Sacramento can spend lots of time outdoors
- Pensioners in Sacramento can get around by bicycle
- Sacramento is a rather walkable city
- You may not need a car if you live close enough to the city center
- You can stay fit as a retiree in Sacramento
- Decent bars and restaurants in Sacramento
- Decent senior centers in Sacramento
- Sacramento is well-connected to the world
- Easy to get from and to Sacramento
- Decent air quality in Sacramento
- Sacramento is a pretty laid-back place
- Sacramento will be an attractive place to retire for a long time
Sacramento is a pretty tolerant place
One advantage of retiring in Sacramento is that it is a pretty tolerant city where people are usually friendly and outgoing so you will feel welcome in this region pretty quickly and can make many new social connections rather quickly.
Retirees are welcome from all over the world
You also don’t have to worry about your background since you will be welcome in Sacramento no matter where you come from and can have a great senior life in Sacramento as long as you are tolerant yourself and are also willing to help people out once a while.
You can meet many interesting people in Sacramento
Since Sacramento attracts many people from all over the US and even the world, you can also meet many interesting people in this region and can have many discussions about things that are going on in the world so you can get different perspectives on life and can grow as a character in general.
Easy to socialize for retirees in Sacramento
Since it is pretty easy to make really good friends in the Sacramento region, chances are you will also never run out of options when it comes to hanging out with people and this will ensure that you will have company on a regular basis and not feel lonely as a retiree in Sacramento in the long run.
Pensioners in Sacramento can enjoy great summers
Another upside to retiring in Sacramento is that you can enjoy pretty nice summers with many hours of sun and will feel like being on vacation.
Mild winters are attractive to many retirees in Sacramento
Since you can not only enjoy really nice summers but also pretty mild winters, retiring in Sacramento can also make quite a lot of sense for you in case you can’t stand the cold at all. In such a case, you would be far better off to retire in Sacramento compared to retiring in Milwaukee or other places where winters are far colder on average.
Sacramento is located at the coast
Since Sacramento is close to the coast, retirees in Sacramento can spend lots of time at the beach while retirees in Chicago and many other places don’t have this luxury and may secretly envy you in this regard.
Many nice things to do in nature in the Sacramento region
Sacramento is also surrounded by beautiful nature and this is great news for you as a pensioner since you can spend many nice hours in nature for free and can therefore save lots of money on leisure activities in the long run.
Retirees in Sacramento can spend lots of time outdoors
Since the weather is great and there are also many nice things to do in nature, pensioners in Sacramento can also spend lots of time outdoors and can get lots of fresh air which may reduce their chances of suffering from serious health problems.
Pensioners in Sacramento can get around by bicycle
Another benefit of retiring in Sacramento is that you can also get around by bike in a pretty efficient manner and can therefore save lots of money on gas and can also do good for our environment at the same time.
Sacramento is a rather walkable city
Since distances are rather short near the city center, it is also rather easy to get around in Sacramento since you can walk many short distances and can also get many things you need close to your home so you don’t have to worry about running out of important things of daily life.
You may not need a car if you live close enough to the city center
Thanks to decent bicycling infrastructure and the great walkability of the city, you may not even need a car to get around and this can be a big plus for retirees in Sacramento since the older you get, the less likely you will be able to operate a car in a proper manner and once you get to an age when this will no longer be possible, you can still get around by alternative means of transport and stay mobile in Sacramento.
You can stay fit as a retiree in Sacramento
Since you can get around by bicycle in an efficient manner and can also spend lots of time in nature, it is also pretty easy to stay fit as a retiree in Sacramento since you will exercise quite a lot in a pretty natural manner.
Decent bars and restaurants in Sacramento
You will also find many good bars and restaurants where you can hang out with other like-minded people of your age and can also enjoy many delicious meals which can make your senior life in Sacramento much better.
Decent senior centers in Sacramento
There are also senior centers and other places where you can meet up with other retirees and can share valuable information and can also make plans on certain projects that you may want to undertake with fellow pensioners in the future.
Sacramento is well-connected to the world
Since you will have a decent internet connection, you can also stay in touch with your loved ones as a retiree in Sacramento by making video calls or using social media.
Moreover, you can also stay up-to-date with latest developments and can adjust important decisions accordingly in real-time.
Easy to get from and to Sacramento
Thanks to a big international airport, it is also pretty easy to travel to Sacramento and this will make it easy for your family and friends visiting you so you will most likely never feel lonely and have company on a regular basis.
Decent air quality in Sacramento
Compared to many other big cities in the US, people in Sacramento can also enjoy pretty decent air quality and this can be great for you at an older age since the better air quality, the less likely you will suffer from serious pulmonary problems in the long run.
Sacramento is a pretty laid-back place
You should also know that Sacramento is a pretty relaxed place where you can meet many laid-back people who are often less career-focused and friendlier than in other big cities where everything is often just about money.
Sacramento will be an attractive place to retire for a long time
Since Sacramento is a pretty big city and an important economic region in California, chances are that the city will stay pretty popular among people from all over the US and will also be an attractive place to retire for many decades.
As you can see, there are many reasons for retiring in Sacramento.
Yet, there are also some drawbacks of retiring in Sacramento that I want to discuss for you in the following so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to retire in Sacramento or rather want to move to a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Sacramento
- Above-average crime rate in Sacramento
- Rents are barely affordable for many retirees in Sacramento
- Living costs in Sacramento are pretty high
- High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Sacramento
- You may not be able to rely on public transport in an efficient manner
- Lack of real seasons may become annoying
- You may need a really good pension to afford nice things in Sacramento
- Many retirees in Sacramento still have to work at retirement age
- You may have to live in a rather dodgy neighborhood
- Social inequality may become a serious problem in Sacramento
- Sacramento becomes increasingly crowded
Above-average crime rate in Sacramento
One problem with retiring in Sacramento is that crime rates are rather high compared to national average and if you are a careful person, you may be better off moving to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead.
Rents are barely affordable for many retirees in Sacramento
While rents in Sacramento are lower than in L.A., they are still far higher than in many other big cities in the US and many retirees in Sacramento are no longer able to pay rent in a reliable manner and may get evicted or may also have to leave the city sooner or later.
Living costs in Sacramento are pretty high
Also living costs are pretty high in the Sacramento region and you have to spend lots of money on drinks and many other nice things of daily life while retirees in El Paso or other cheaper cities have to spend far less in this regard.
High overall financial pressure for pensioners in Sacramento
Due to high living and housing costs, many people who retire in Sacramento always have to worry about financial problems and this may lower overall quality of life quite a lot and may also lead to all sorts of mental health issues in the long run.
You may not be able to rely on public transport in an efficient manner
Another downside to retiring in Sacramento is that public transport is not great, especially outside the city center and if you can’t afford to live close to the center, you may be less mobile and may need a car to get around in an efficient manner.
Lack of real seasons may become annoying
Since it is pretty warm in Sacramento all year long, you may also get bored with the warm weather sooner or later and may secretly envy people retiring in Detroit or other colder places where they can experience real seasons.
You may need a really good pension to afford nice things in Sacramento
Since everything is pretty expensive, you also need a really good pension to afford many nice things in the Sacramento region and if you don’t have a high pension, you may be better off retiring in Louisville or other cheaper places instead.
Many retirees in Sacramento still have to work at retirement age
Due to high living costs, many people who don’t receive good pensions may still have to work at retirement age and the number of people who have to do this is about to increase since housing becomes increasingly expensive and skyrocketing rents force many people to make money on the side.
You may have to live in a rather dodgy neighborhood
Due to high rents, you may also not be able to afford a nice play to live in a decent neighborhood but may have to live in a rather dodgy district where you may not feel welcome or safe at all.
Social inequality may become a serious problem in Sacramento
Also the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase in the Sacramento region and this may lead to all sorts of social problems and may also contribute to increasing crime rates.
Sacramento becomes increasingly crowded
Another disadvantage of retiring in Sacramento is that since the city becomes increasingly popular all over the US, it also becomes increasingly crowded and there may be too many people living in the Sacramento region soon which may lead to all sorts of infrastructure problems.

Top 10 Retiring in Sacramento Pros & Cons – Summary List
Retire in Sacramento Pros | Retire in Sacramento Cons |
---|---|
Sacramento is close to the coast | Rents are barely affordable for many retirees in Sacramento |
Retirees in Sacramento can spend lots of time outdoors | Living costs in Sacramento are pretty high |
Beautiful nature around Sacramento | Financial pressure is enormous for many pensioners |
Easy to get around by bicycle in Sacramento | Many pensioners complain about poor public transport |
Sacramento is a pretty walkable city | Social inequality may become a problem in Sacramento |
Easy to socialize for pensioners in Sacramento | Crime rates in Sacramento are above national average |
Warm summers and mild winters in Sacramento | Lack of real seasons may get annoying |
Decent medical infrastructure in Sacramento | Sacramento may be overrated |
Retirees in Sacramento don’t run out of material goods | Pensioners in Sacramento often live in rather dodgy districts |
Sacramento has decent air quality | Sacramento becomes increasingly crowded |
Is Sacramento A Good Place To Retire?
While retiring in Sacramento can be great since you will have decent medical infrastructure and will find everything you need to live a happy and comfortable senior life, you should also know that living and housing costs are pretty high and many pensioners in Sacramento become increasingly desperate since they are no longer able to pay their bills.
Alternative Cities To Retire
If you don’t want to retire in Sacramento, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Albuquerque
Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Tucson
Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Fresno
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sacramentocountycalifornia
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.