City comparison
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 | Palm Springs | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,397/mo | $2,316/mo | 39.7% lower in A |
| Median home value | $504,700 | $1,348,700 | 62.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $67,451 | $136,689 | 50.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 102.2 | 93.4 | 9.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 141.6 | 139.5 | 1.5% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 102.3 | 92.3 | 10.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 102.1 | 86.0 | 18.7% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Palm Springs, you'd need $120,106 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Palm Springs, CA is about 16.7% cheaper overall than San Francisco, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% lower in Palm Springs than in San Francisco. If you earn $80,000 in Palm Springs, you'd need about $96,085 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.