RateHerald

No link on RateHerald pays us today. When some do, they'll say so, and they'll never change a ranking. How we make money

San Francisco, CA Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the San Francisco, CA area are 15.6% above the US average, and housing 94.7% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 13.5% lower than in San Francisco, CA, so $75,000 in San Francisco, CA buys what $64,879 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$64,879
Prices overall
-13.5%
Housing costs
-48.6%

San Francisco, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items115.615.6% above
Housing194.794.7% above
Goods108.58.5% above
Utilities172.672.6% above
Other services106.26.2% above

What $75,000 in San Francisco, CA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$73,054−2.6%
Los Angeles, CA$73,702−1.7%
Chicago, IL$67,215−10.4%
Dallas, TX$66,890−10.8%
Houston, TX$63,971−14.7%
Washington, DC$70,653−5.8%
Philadelphia, PA$66,566−11.2%
Atlanta, GA$64,944−13.4%
Miami, FL$74,092−1.2%
Phoenix, AZ$67,020−10.6%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is San Francisco expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 15.6% above the US average; housing is 94.7% above.

What salary do I need in San Francisco, CA?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $86,700. The area's median household income is $136,027.

How much is rent in San Francisco, CA?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,474 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does San Francisco, CA compare with New York?

New York prices are −2.6% relative to San Francisco, CA: $75,000 here equals $73,054 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • San Francisco, CA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the San Francisco, CA area is $2,474 a month including utilities, which takes 22% of the median household income ($136,027). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $98,960 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.