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 | San Francisco | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,316/mo | $2,990/mo | 22.5% lower in A |
| Median home value | $1,348,700 | $1,680,700 | 19.8% lower in A |
| Median household income | $136,689 | $174,506 | 21.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 58.2 | 104.1 | 44.1% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 62.4 | 125.1 | 50.1% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 59.8 | 104.6 | 42.8% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 38.9 | 104.1 | 62.6% lower 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 San Francisco, you'd need $129,099 in Sunnyvale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Francisco, CA is about 22.5% cheaper overall than Sunnyvale, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% lower in San Francisco than in Sunnyvale. If you earn $80,000 in San Francisco, you'd need about $103,279 in Sunnyvale to keep the same standard of living.