$90,000 in San Francisco ≈ $86,497 in Seattle

$86,497

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (115.6 → 111.1). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Seattle run −3.9% vs San Francisco for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

San Francisco RPP
115.6
Seattle RPP
111.1
Price gap
−3.9%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Seattle run −3.9% 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 $86,497 in Seattle for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Seattle: $86,497

Live math: salary × (111.1 ÷ 115.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Seattle

In San FranciscoIn Seattle
$60,000$57,664
$90,000$86,497
$150,000$144,161

Equivalent = origin salary × (111.1 ÷ 115.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSan FranciscoSeattleUS
All items115.6111.1100
Goods108.5104.0100
Housing (rents)194.7151.3100
Other services106.2106.8100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationSan FranciscoSeattleDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$288,690$370,000$260,990 to $481,1802,060+28.2%
Physicians, All Other$294,360$330,560$248,540 to $383,8803,590+12.3%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$232,890$214,680$171,550 to $299,56013,170−7.8%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$221,580$204,340$171,360 to $219,3004,390−7.8%
Financial Managers$216,150$185,550$149,530 to $228,3608,500−14.2%
Marketing Managers$220,480$175,850$129,990 to $230,7406,720−20.2%
Human Resources Managers$209,340$171,360$136,590 to $219,0003,200−18.1%
Managers, All Other$210,080$168,980$133,490 to $213,7007,110−19.6%

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 Seattle to match $90,000 in San Francisco?
About $86,497, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 115.6 and 111.1. 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.