City profile
San Francisco, CA cost of living
CA · BEA RPP 115.613
Latest official changes
Updates affecting San Francisco, CA
City metrics retain the historical BEA 2024 and HUD FY2027 benchmarks. Change-log entries are dated source notices and do not automatically update those values.
2024 overall RPP
115.613
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
194.718
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
108.465
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$3,697/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where San Francisco, CA sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#1 of 67
+15.6 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+16.1
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#1 of 67
+2,008/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 41860). HUD: San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area (code METRO41860MM7360); counties or county equivalents: Marin County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of San Francisco, CA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the San Francisco, CA metro.
Moved in
102,323
people · 71,423 households
Moved out
133,370
people · 85,042 households
Net
−31,047
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#61 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-31,418
median +371 people
Largest flow share
24% in / 13% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Santa Clara County, CA 24,484
- Los Angeles County, CA 7,824
- San Joaquin County, CA 4,781
- Solano County, CA 4,278
- Sacramento County, CA 3,987
Where residents moved to
- Santa Clara County, CA 17,918
- San Joaquin County, CA 9,974
- Los Angeles County, CA 8,431
- Solano County, CA 7,240
- Sacramento County, CA 7,056
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in San Francisco, CA?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in San Francisco, CA | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $57,807 | $50,000 x (115.613/100) |
| $75,000 | $86,710 | $75,000 x (115.613/100) |
| $100,000 | $115,613 | $100,000 x (115.613/100) |
| $125,000 | $144,516 | $125,000 x (115.613/100) |
| $150,000 | $173,420 | $150,000 x (115.613/100) |
| $200,000 | $231,226 | $200,000 x (115.613/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in San Francisco, CA?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, San Francisco, CA has an overall Regional Price Parity of 115.613 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 15.6% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in San Francisco, CA?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $115,613 in San Francisco, CA, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for San Francisco, CA?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with San Francisco, CA is $3,697 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from San Francisco, CA?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 102,323 people moved into the San Francisco, CA metro and 133,370 moved out — a net loss of roughly 31,047 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Santa Clara County, CA.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to San Francisco, CA, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for San Francisco, CA
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
- San Francisco, CA vs Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA vs Seattle, WA
- San Francisco, CA vs Austin, TX
- San Francisco, CA vs San Jose, CA
- San Francisco, CA vs Denver, CO
- San Francisco, CA vs Portland, OR
- San Francisco, CA vs Sacramento, CA
- San Francisco, CA vs Honolulu, HI
- San Francisco, CA vs Columbia, SC
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside San Francisco, CA's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log