$90,000 in San Francisco ≈ $80,657 in Chicago
$80,657
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (115.6 → 103.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Chicago run −10.4% vs San Francisco for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in San Francisco Chief Executives in Chicago
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in San Francisco Computer and Information Systems Managers in Chicago
- Physicians, All Other in San Francisco Physicians, All Other in Chicago
- Marketing Managers in San Francisco Marketing Managers in Chicago
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in San Francisco Architectural and Engineering Managers in Chicago
- San Francisco RPP
- 115.6
- Chicago RPP
- 103.6
- Price gap
- −10.4%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Chicago run −10.4% 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 $80,657 in Chicago for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Chicago
| In San Francisco | In Chicago |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $53,772 |
| $90,000 | $80,657 |
| $150,000 | $134,429 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (103.6 ÷ 115.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | San Francisco | Chicago | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 115.6 | 103.6 | 100 |
| Goods | 108.5 | 107.3 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 194.7 | 112.0 | 100 |
| Other services | 106.2 | 100.5 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | San Francisco | Chicago | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $288,690 | $344,960 | $197,530 to $428,710 | 3,610 | +19.5% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $232,890 | $173,760 | $138,190 to $214,880 | 24,950 | −25.4% |
| Physicians, All Other | $294,360 | $94,820 | $81,360 to $321,350 | 16,950 | −67.8% |
| Marketing Managers | $220,480 | $165,340 | $127,450 to $213,290 | 17,400 | −25.0% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $221,580 | $163,430 | $133,100 to $200,400 | 6,670 | −26.2% |
| Financial Managers | $216,150 | $168,810 | $131,120 to $220,150 | 41,590 | −21.9% |
| Lawyers | $212,500 | $165,660 | $106,980 to $232,270 | 28,320 | −22.0% |
| Human Resources Managers | $209,340 | $156,770 | $121,230 to $200,710 | 10,810 | −25.1% |
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 Chicago to match $90,000 in San Francisco?
- About $80,657, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 115.6 and 103.6. 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.