City comparison
Newark, CA is about 60 miles (90 km) from San Francisco, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 70 miles, or about 1 h 15 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 Newark, CA to San Francisco, CA takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 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 47,470 in Newark — about 17.9× larger by population. By land area, San Francisco covers about 47 sq mi vs 14 sq mi for Newark.
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 | Newark | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,644/mo | $2,316/mo | 14.2% higher in Newark |
| Median home value | $1,034,900 | $1,348,700 | 30.3% higher in San Francisco |
| Median household income | $159,465 | $136,689 | 16.7% higher in Newark |
| Groceries index | 108.1 | 103.9 | 4.0% higher in Newark |
| Utilities index | 168.3 | 162.7 | 3.5% higher in Newark |
| Transportation index | 106.1 | 102.0 | 3.9% higher in Newark |
| Healthcare index | 106.0 | 100.2 | 5.9% higher in Newark |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Newark, you'd need $97,560 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Francisco, CA is about 2.4% cheaper overall than Newark, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 1% higher in Newark than in San Francisco. If you earn $80,000 in Newark, you'd need about $78,048 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.