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San Francisco, CA vs San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

A 2-bedroom in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara costs $121 less per month than San Francisco ($3,483 vs $3,604). Median income is $133,780 in San Francisco and $157,444 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara. That's a difference of $1,452 per year in housing costs.

San Francisco, CA
$3,604
2BR Fair Market Rent
32.3% burden
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$3,483
2BR Fair Market Rent
26.5% burden

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricSan FranciscoSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
Studio FMR$2,485$2,621
1BR FMR$2,977$2,982
2BR FMR$3,604$3,483
3BR FMR$4,604$4,602
4BR FMR$4,772$5,010
Median Income$133,780$157,444
Rent Burden32.3%26.5%
Actual Median Rent$2,426$2,794
Median Home Value$1,113,800$1,342,700
Population4.7M2.0M
Renter %44.6%44.3%
Vacancy Rate7%5.7%
Poverty Rate8.7%6.9%
YoY Change+7.3%+11.2%
Min Wage$16.50/hr$16.50/hr

Income Required to Afford a 2-Bedroom

San Francisco, CA
Annual Income Needed
$144,160
Hourly Wage Needed
$69/hr
Min Wage Work Hours/Week
168 hrs
at $16.50/hr (CA min wage)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Annual Income Needed
$139,320
Hourly Wage Needed
$67/hr
Min Wage Work Hours/Week
162.4 hrs
at $16.50/hr (CA min wage)

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is more affordable with a 2BR FMR of $3,483/mo, which is $121 less than San Francisco at $3,604/mo. However, when considering local incomes, San Francisco has a rent burden of 32.3% vs 26.5% in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara.

A 2-bedroom in San Francisco, CA costs $3,604/mo at Fair Market Rent, while in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA it's $3,483/mo, a difference of $121/mo or $1,452/year.

To afford a 2BR without spending more than 30% of income on rent: San Francisco requires $144,160/year ($69/hr). San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara requires $139,320/year ($67/hr).