Boston vs. San Francisco
Boston, MA · San Francisco, CA
Boston is 32% cheaper than San Francisco overall.
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Home Price
MA: $680,000
CA: $1,350,000
Monthly Rent
MA: $2,750/mo
CA: $3,498/mo
COL Index
MA: 162
CA: 214
Median Income
MA: $89,400
CA: $131,000
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Headline insight
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in Boston has the same purchasing power as $132,099 in San Francisco— based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in San Francisco are 99% cheaper (-$670,000 less). That's a meaningful down-payment and monthly-payment difference.
Renting
Renting in Boston saves $748/month — $8,976 per year. Median rent: $2,750/mo in Boston vs $3,498/mo in San Francisco.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, Boston owners pay roughly $7,208/year vs $8,505/year in San Francisco. That's a $1,297 annual difference.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $89,400 in Boston and $131,000 in San Francisco. Boston residents earn 47% more — but factor in cost of living.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 32 minutes in Boston vs 34 minutes in San Francisco. Commute times are nearly identical.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Boston to San Francisco, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in Boston | Equivalent in San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $66,049 | +$16,049 |
| $75,000 | $99,074 | +$24,074 |
| $100,000 | $132,099 | +$32,099 |
| $150,000 | $198,148 | +$48,148 |
| $200,000 | $264,198 | +$64,198 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
Mortgage Calculator
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Rent vs Buy
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Cost of Living
Full cost of living comparison tool
Home Appreciation
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Affordability Calculator
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Property Tax Calculator
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Boston Calculators
San Francisco Calculators
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Boston vs San Francisco: Common Questions
Is Boston or San Francisco cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Boston is cheaper overall. Boston has a COL index of 162 while San Francisco scores 214 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between Boston and San Francisco?
The median home price in Boston is $680,000 vs $1,350,000 in San Francisco — a difference of $670,000 (99%).
What salary do I need in San Francisco to match my Boston income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Boston is equivalent to $132,099 in San Francisco in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
San Francisco has a lower property tax rate (0.63% vs 1.06%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $7,208/year vs $8,505/year.
How does rent compare in Boston vs San Francisco?
Median monthly rent: $2,750 in Boston vs $3,498 in San Francisco. Annualized: $33,000 vs $41,976.
What is the median household income in each city?
Boston: $89,400/yr. San Francisco: $131,000/yr (Census ACS).
Which city is better for remote workers?
Lower-cost Boston typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.
Where does the data on this comparison come from?
Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.
How often is this comparison updated?
Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.
Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?
No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.
Sources & Citations
- Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
- Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
- Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions
City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].
The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.
Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.
Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.
Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.
Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.
Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed .