City comparison
Lansing, MI 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 21.7% higher than in Lansing, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Lansing, MI would need about $121,700 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 $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 48% of take-home pay in San Francisco, CA and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,071 a year higher in San Francisco, CA than in Lansing, MI.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +13.3% moving from Lansing, MI to San Francisco, CA ($117,402 → $133,060), while prices change by +21.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −6.9% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- 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
| Lansing, MI | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 115.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $121,709 in San Francisco | $82,163 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $2,977/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 48% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $74,260 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 194.7 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 108.5 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 172.6 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 106.2 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 115.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → San Francisco, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −17.8%; rent takes 48% of take-home; state tax +$1,071/yr.
3 Weak offer
San Francisco, CA → Lansing, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +21.7%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax −$1,071/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; San Francisco, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to San Francisco, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | San Francisco, CA | Real change, Lansing → San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $77,161 | −6.9% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $93,358 | −6.9% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $111,896 | −6.9% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $133,060 | −6.9% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $157,236 | −6.9% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $72,930 | $101,860 | $83,691 (+14.8%) |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $186,640 | $153,349 (+57.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $110,730 | $90,979 (+14.9%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $186,610 | $153,324 (+81.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.