California

Living wage in San Francisco, California

Most of San Francisco is in San Francisco County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $92.85 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.

Pay needed, before taxes$92.85/hrSan Francisco County standard
At San Francisco's middle rent$92.85/hrstudio rent $2,470 a month
Check a job's pay hereAll the numbers for San Francisco County

Across the 38 ZIP codes in San Francisco with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,240 to $3,430 a month. At the middle rent, $2,470, a full-time job would need to pay $92.85 an hour before taxes.

Parts of San Francisco are also in San Mateo County.

ZIP codes in San Francisco

What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.

ZIPCountyStudio rentPay needed
94102San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94103San Francisco County$2,740/mo$103.72/hr
94104San Francisco County$2,420/mo$90.69/hr
94105San Francisco County$2,940/mo$111.64/hr
94107San Francisco County$3,430/mo$132.60/hr
94108San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94109San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94110San Francisco County$2,350/mo$87.66/hr
94111San Francisco County$2,690/mo$101.77/hr
94112San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94114San Francisco County$2,870/mo$108.87/hr
94115San Francisco County$2,900/mo$110.06/hr
94116San Francisco County$2,840/mo$107.68/hr
94117San Francisco County$2,790/mo$105.70/hr
94118San Francisco County$2,390/mo$89.39/hr
94119San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94121San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94122San Francisco County$2,370/mo$88.52/hr
94123San Francisco County$3,240/mo$124.42/hr
94124San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94125San Mateo County$2,740/mo$103.72/hr
94126San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94127San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94128San Mateo County$2,740/mo$103.72/hr
94129San Francisco County$2,570/mo$97.07/hr
94130San Francisco County$2,490/mo$93.72/hr
94131San Francisco County$2,800/mo$106.09/hr
94132San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94133San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94134San Francisco County$2,240/mo$82.89/hr
94140San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94141San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94146San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94147San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94158San Francisco County$3,430/mo$132.60/hr
94159San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94164San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr
94188San Francisco County$2,470/mo$92.85/hr

Questions

How much do you need to make to live in San Francisco, California?

Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in San Francisco needs to pay at least $92.85 an hour before taxes, about $193,130 a year. That is the figure for San Francisco County, where the typical studio rent is $2,470 a month.

Does it vary by neighborhood?

Yes. Across the 38 ZIP codes in San Francisco with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,240 to $3,430 a month. At the middle rent of $2,470, the pay needed would be $92.85 an hour.

How does that compare with the minimum wage?

The minimum wage in San Francisco County is $16.90 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.5 times that.

The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads