2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Arcata, CA vs Albany, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Albany or is it cheaper to live in Arcata?
- Albany is 81.0% more expensive than Arcata.

Which city has more affordable housing, Albany or Arcata?
- Albany housing costs are 220.8% more expensive than Arcata housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Arcata or is Health Care more affordable in Albany.
- Health related expenses are 0.8% less in Albany.
 Arcata, CAAlbany, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock195.5100
 Food & Groceries101.7  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock116.8100
 Housing136.4  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,218,000$338,100
 Utilities88  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock122.7100
 Miscellaneous117.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Arcata    17 Reviews

Pros: Nature hikes Cons: One of highest crime rates in the nation. Opioid epidemic going on (you’ll regularly witness drug deals and ppl doing drugs) No  More

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It takes a special set of preferences to select Arcata. Is this you? - You love clouds and fog. You are happy if you see the sun maybe 10-20 times a year. - Chilly  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived in Humboldt for over 30 yrs and know all the areas well. Arcata is the jewel of Humboldt due to having a university and many liberal creative people. There is  More

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Reviews for Albany    4 Reviews

Albany is one of the best places to live not only in California but the USA. Niche 2023 has ranked Albany the number one suburb in California and is consistently in the  More

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Over 13 years ago

Like many places in the Bay Area, there are some mixed-race couples and gay couples in Albany. What is really striking, though, is the number of families where both  More

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Albany was originally built as a railroad workers' town. So the bad news is that nearly every house was originally two, or at most three, bedrooms with one bath, about  More

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