City comparison
Houston, TX vs San Francisco, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Francisco, CA are 17.2% higher than in Houston, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Houston, TX would need about $117,200 in San Francisco, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,977 a month in San Francisco, CA versus $1,323 in Houston, TX. On $100,000, that's 48% of take-home pay in San Francisco, CA and 20% in Houston, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in San Francisco, CA than in Houston, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +8.4% moving from Houston, TX to San Francisco, CA ($122,749 → $133,060), while prices change by +17.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −7.5% in real buying power.
- Houston, TX: price level 98.6 (about average)
- San Francisco, CA: price level 115.6 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Houston, TX | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.6 | 115.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $117,220 in San Francisco | $85,310 in Houston |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,323/mo | $2,977/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 48% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,410 | $74,260 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Houston-The Woodlands, TX | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Houston | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.5 | 194.7 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 108.5 |
| Utilities | 95.3 | 172.6 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 106.2 |
| Overall | 98.6 | 115.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Houston, TX → San Francisco, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −14.7%; rent takes 48% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
3 Weak offer
San Francisco, CA → Houston, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +17.2%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Houston, TX is in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX pay area; San Francisco, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Houston, TX to San Francisco, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Houston, TX | San Francisco, CA | Real change, Houston → San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,181 | $77,161 | −7.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $86,123 | $93,358 | −7.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $103,225 | $111,896 | −7.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $122,749 | $133,060 | −7.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $145,052 | $157,236 | −7.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Houston, TX | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco pay in Houston dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $64,500 | $101,860 | $86,896 (+34.7%) |
| Software Developers | $129,440 | $186,640 | $159,222 (+23.0%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $85,090 | $110,730 | $94,463 (+11.0%) |
| Registered Nurses | $99,830 | $186,610 | $159,196 (+59.5%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.