San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont cost of living
Prices in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area run at 115.6 against a national average of 100, ranking it #1 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 194.7.
What drives the number
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is one of the most expensive places the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures, at 115.6 against a national 100, ranking #1 of 387 metro areas. A 15.6 per cent premium compounds against every category of spending, not just the obvious ones. Against California as a whole it is 4.9 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 194.7 while goods sit at 108.5, a gap of 79.1 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. Goods barely vary across the country because most are shipped and priced nationally, so a place is expensive almost entirely to the extent its housing is. Goods at 108.5 are themselves 8.5 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
A salary offer here is worth less than the same offer somewhere at 100, and the parity is the arithmetic that says by how much. Divide the offer by 115.6 and multiply by 100 to get the nationally comparable figure.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 109,070 | $35,870 | $31,029 | $34,900 |
| Software Developers | 76,900 | $174,910 | $151,306 | $133,080 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 47,330 | $40,470 | $35,009 | $30,480 |
| General and Operations Managers | 42,330 | $152,090 | $131,566 | $102,950 |
| Registered Nurses | 40,750 | $188,020 | $162,647 | $93,600 |
| Cashiers | 40,350 | $39,520 | $34,187 | $31,190 |
| Retail Salespersons | 37,380 | $42,490 | $36,756 | $34,580 |
| Office Clerks, General | 35,750 | $55,790 | $48,261 | $43,630 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 115.6.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 113.6 | 170.4 | #3 |
| Napa | 112.6 | 197.4 | #4 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 111.9 | 179.3 | #6 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 110.5 | 171.1 | #9 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 110.4 | 211.9 | #10 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 109.9 | 164.3 | #11 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: common questions
Is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont expensive?
Prices are 15.6% above the national average, a parity of 115.6 where the country is 100. It ranks #1 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against California as a whole it is 4.9 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
The median worker there earns $73,960, which buys what $63,979 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 194.7 against goods at 108.5. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.