?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Carmichael, CA vs Fair Oaks, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Carmichael needs about $87,000 in Fair Oaks to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Fair Oaks, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $83,000 in Carmichael.

A few differences

Carmichael vs Fair Oaks · facet by facet
FacetCarmichael, CAFair Oaks, CA
Median home price$579,500$683,000
2-bedroom rent$1,722/mo$1,939/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index124133
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$85,914$116,975
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Carmichael, CA · Fair Oaks, CA
Questions & answers
Is Carmichael cheaper than Fair Oaks?
Carmichael has the lower day-to-day cost index (124 vs 133 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Fair Oaks equals $85,000 in Carmichael?
A household earning $85,000 in Carmichael needs about $87,000 in Fair Oaks to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Fair Oaks lifestyle costs about $83,000 in Carmichael.