Cost of living in San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California has about 830,235 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $1,394,500.

We could not match this place to a county, so there is no HUD rent on this page.

California's prices sit at 110.7 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

California taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not San Francisco's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical California home paid 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not San Francisco's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in California was $6.216 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,983.68 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in California shares this price.

Among 982 places we list in California with a rent figure, 202 have higher typical rent than San Francisco.