$90,000 in San Francisco ≈ $84,317 in Boston

$84,317

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (115.6 → 108.3). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Boston run −6.3% vs San Francisco for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

San Francisco RPP
115.6
Boston RPP
108.3
Price gap
−6.3%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Boston run −6.3% versus San Francisco on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in San Francisco maps to about $84,317 in Boston for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Boston: $84,317

Live math: salary × (108.3 ÷ 115.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Boston

In San FranciscoIn Boston
$60,000$56,211
$90,000$84,317
$150,000$140,528

Equivalent = origin salary × (108.3 ÷ 115.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSan FranciscoBostonUS
All items115.6108.3100
Goods108.599.7100
Housing (rents)194.7148.4100
Other services106.2103.6100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationSan FranciscoBostonDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Physicians, All Other$294,360$229,870$86,250 to $382,4706,350−21.9%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$232,890$214,960$174,270 to $269,52020,530−7.7%
Marketing Managers$220,480$213,910$169,070 to $269,30011,940−3.0%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$221,580$205,130$167,540 to $226,7706,690−7.4%
Financial Managers$216,150$209,780$164,560 to $292,03021,650−2.9%
Lawyers$212,500$183,350$128,670 to $309,92020,080−13.7%
Managers, All Other$210,080$184,250$150,500 to $231,4809,120−12.3%
Human Resources Managers$209,340$184,990$139,310 to $232,9306,480−11.6%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Boston to match $90,000 in San Francisco?
About $84,317, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 115.6 and 108.3. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.