City comparison
Brentwood, CA is about 70 miles (125 km) from San Francisco, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Brentwood, CA to San Francisco, CA takes about 9 min, covering roughly 70 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
San Francisco has a population of 851,036, vs 64,443 in Brentwood — about 13.2× larger by population. By land area, San Francisco covers about 47 sq mi vs 15 sq mi for Brentwood.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Brentwood | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,451/mo | $2,316/mo | 5.8% higher in Brentwood |
| Median home value | $735,500 | $1,348,700 | 83.4% higher in San Francisco |
| Median household income | $134,689 | $136,689 | 1.5% higher in San Francisco |
| Groceries index | 107.4 | 103.9 | 3.3% higher in Brentwood |
| Utilities index | 165.3 | 162.7 | 1.6% higher in Brentwood |
| Transportation index | 104.8 | 102.0 | 2.7% higher in Brentwood |
| Healthcare index | 104.8 | 100.2 | 4.6% higher in Brentwood |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Brentwood, you'd need $103,340 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Brentwood, CA is about 3.2% cheaper overall than San Francisco, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in San Francisco than in Brentwood. If you earn $80,000 in Brentwood, you'd need about $82,672 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.