The Cost of Living Diaries: Redding, CA
Locals dish on what it costs to live in the region.
Situated in Northern California, Redding offers an unmatched quality of life. Here, residents are met with a rich history, which started during the California gold rush, a thriving and growing downtown, and ample opportunities to explore the rugged and beautiful outdoors. Plus, the area is quite affordable, especially when compared to other parts of the Golden State. To get a better idea of what it’s like to live in Redding and how it impacts one’s wallet, we sat down with two locals to ask about everything from the cost of groceries to a night out on the town.
Name: Jill Tydor
Age: 39
How long have you lived in Redding?
I’ve been here for about two years. I have lived all over, but previously, I had been living in San Francisco for the past 12 or 13 years. The cost of living in San Francisco is high, and that exacerbated during COVID. I was paying expensive rent and not able to leave my apartment, so after a while, it didn’t seem worth it. I wanted to have different things that I could enjoy at a more reasonable price.
How affordable is rent/a mortgage in Redding?
I’m currently renting, and the affordability here is definitely an appeal. People can afford to buy property. You can’t get anything for under $1 million in San Francisco, even when you get into the condo market. Here, an expensive house in certain neighborhoods may be about $500,000. I have friends that are new parents and first-time homebuyers who also moved here from the Bay Area. Owning a home in San Francisco seems like a luxury, something for only a certain crowd of people, while here, just seeing that it’s more feasible is appealing. I lived in a rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco, but I pay maybe a third of what my apartment would have been.
How would you describe Redding?
Redding is the sunniest city in California — it’s kind of like a hidden playground. There are two lakes close by, there are mountains, we have a wonderful trail that goes along the Sacramento River, so it’s a great place for outdoor enthusiasts. It’s also a place that’s very community minded, and I’ve been able to see that firsthand. People here want to take care of the community and try to improve everything for everyone.
How accessible is Redding?
I just love the accessibility of everything. There are always things happening. It’s nice to be able to go to a ton of community events – art shows and fundraisers and outdoor activities. We just had the opening of our new Bike Depot, which is our introduction to e-bikes in the area. There is a lot of activity in a much less overwhelming way than in the city. Everything here is very accessible.
What amenities did Redding offer that drew you to the area?
I had a wish list of things I wanted to find in a house, and I was able to check off everything on my list. I had lived here a long time ago, and having people that I stayed in touch with in the community was also a draw. It was great to have friends to start with. I love having them just down the street. I was able to get everything I wanted.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Redding, and how much would it be for dinner for two?
We have a thriving food truck scene, which is fun. Every Thursday and Friday evening when the weather is warm, we open The Park — it’s the hub for food trucks downtown, and it has activities for kids and live music, which is really fun. I love this place in town called Janya’s Thai Cuisine, where dinner for two is about $35. Dining in Redding is a more casual scene, but I love Moonstone Bistro, where dinner for two is probably $50, and we do have Jack’s Grill, a classic Redding restaurant. It’s a steakhouse that’s probably one of the oldest in town. It’s an institution where you always run into somebody. Dinner for two runs around $90 with drinks.
What’s your favorite coffee shop, and what do you typically order?
I’m very bougie when it comes to coffee. It’s one of the things that I carried from San Francisco with me! I love Theory Coffee Roasters. I tend to get an Americano — that’s my go-to drink. It’s $4. They’ve done really well, and they’re very friendly and have a good vibe.
Name: Josh Johnson
Age: 40
What brought you to Redding?
I’m a building and real estate developer. I moved to Redding about nine years ago with my wife and four kids from Cincinnati. Our reason for moving here was to have a really family-friendly, affordable place to live in California. Redding hit all the marks – not too big, not too small, just the ideal place to raise our kids. I’m originally from California and grew up in Riverside, so going back to California has always been the hope and dream.
How would you describe Redding and its residents?
One of the things that I realized when I first visited Redding was that I met really interesting people that shared our common values of being invested in the future of the city. They were very well connected, they very much cared about the community, had the value of family and friendships — you felt like you could be one degree separated from anyone you’d need to know. The city seemed to be really welcoming to people from the outside, but also very much honored the tradition and history that the city carried with it, like the rodeo, outdoor activities and some of these things that are part of the culture here and are valuable to the community. It’s a great blend. The city is moving and evolving into a new version of itself that hasn’t forgotten its past.
What are the grocery options, and what do you spend on groceries each week?
We might go to two stores — Trader Joe’s and a place called Save Mart — every week and Costco once or twice a month, and we’re able to get everything we want. We probably spend $800-$900 a month on groceries, excluding household stuff.
How affordable is housing in the area? What do you pay for rent/a mortgage?
I’m a real estate agent, and I get some of the data, so the average sale price of a home is low-to-mid $300,000s. … We rented for about five years before we bought a house. It was between $1,500 and $2,000 a month.
What’s your favorite restaurant in Redding, and about how much would dinner and drinks be for two?
If you’re going out to eat at a nicer restaurant for two with your entree and drinks, it’s probably $125. You can also go fast casual, which obviously costs less. Sometimes, my wife and I will split an entree, which makes the total less, otherwise it’s a lot of food. We love Moonstone Bistro and Mosaic. We will also occasionally go to Kobe, a teppanyaki grill type of place that does a dinner for two for about $50.
This article was sponsored by the Shasta Economic Development Corporation.