$90,000 in San Francisco ≈ $78,633 in Charleston
$78,633
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (115.6 → 101). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Charleston run −12.6% vs San Francisco for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in San Francisco Chief Executives in Charleston
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in San Francisco Computer and Information Systems Managers in Charleston
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in San Francisco Architectural and Engineering Managers in Charleston
- Financial Managers in San Francisco Financial Managers in Charleston
- Marketing Managers in San Francisco Marketing Managers in Charleston
- San Francisco RPP
- 115.6
- Charleston RPP
- 101
- Price gap
- −12.6%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Charleston run −12.6% 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 $78,633 in Charleston for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Charleston
| In San Francisco | In Charleston |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $52,422 |
| $90,000 | $78,633 |
| $150,000 | $131,055 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (101 ÷ 115.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | San Francisco | Charleston | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 115.6 | 101.0 | 100 |
| Goods | 108.5 | 96.3 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 194.7 | 119.8 | 100 |
| Other services | 106.2 | 98.3 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | San Francisco | Charleston | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $288,690 | $197,220 | $136,730 to $289,930 | 290 | −31.7% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $232,890 | $167,000 | $120,750 to $215,250 | 940 | −28.3% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $221,580 | $174,040 | $150,560 to $216,430 | 730 | −21.5% |
| Financial Managers | $216,150 | $147,170 | $110,410 to $206,720 | 1,420 | −31.9% |
| Marketing Managers | $220,480 | $138,790 | $103,570 to $194,930 | 800 | −37.1% |
| Nurse Practitioners | $219,080 | $127,780 | $117,480 to $133,050 | 1,050 | −41.7% |
| Managers, All Other | $210,080 | $136,370 | $108,890 to $168,090 | 510 | −35.1% |
| Lawyers | $212,500 | $127,280 | $84,210 to $175,390 | 1,590 | −40.1% |
BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.
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FAQ
- What salary do I need in Charleston to match $90,000 in San Francisco?
- About $78,633, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 115.6 and 101. 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.