Brooklyn, NY vs San Francisco, CA Cost of Living (2026)

Brooklyn has a cost of living index of 163.9, about 63.9% above the national average. Housing is a major driver here, with a housing index of 281.4. Typical apartment rent is about $4,262 a month, and median home values are around $1,455,950. The median household income is approximately $68,000. This page uses the Brooklyn borough market directly.

A $100,000 salary in an average-cost city buys about $61,000 worth of lifestyle in Brooklyn. That usually means smaller apartments, tighter savings margins, or a longer commute if you want to keep housing costs in check. Outside housing, healthcare and utilities also run above the national baseline.

Grocery prices in Brooklyn run 25 to 35% above the national average, though discount chains like Aldi and C-Town exist in many neighborhoods and partially offset that. Transportation costs depend heavily on how you live: residents who rely entirely on the subway pay around $132 per month for an unlimited MetroCard, while those who own a car add parking, insurance, and alternate-side street cleaning to their expense list. Car ownership in dense Brooklyn neighborhoods costs more in time than in many other cities.

Brooklyn also sits within New York's tax structure, meaning residents pay both state income tax and New York City income tax on top of federal taxes. That combined burden can reduce take-home pay by 12 to 15 percentage points relative to someone earning the same gross salary in a no-income-tax state like Texas or Florida.

San Francisco has a cost of living index of 163.6, about 63.6% above the national average. Housing is a major driver here, with a housing index of 254.1. Typical apartment rent is about $3,828 a month, and median home values are around $1,373,528. The median household income is approximately $136,000.

A $100,000 salary in an average-cost city buys about $61,100 worth of lifestyle in San Francisco. That usually means smaller apartments, tighter savings margins, or a longer commute if you want to keep housing costs in check. Outside housing, utilities and transportation also run above the national baseline.

One specific thing worth knowing: San Francisco's rent control covers older buildings but exempts most units built after 1979, which includes a large share of newer stock. That means tenants in newer buildings face market-rate increases without the protections many assume exist. Buyers face a median home price that has hovered above $1.2 million for most of the past decade. The monthly cost of owning a median-priced home with a standard down payment typically exceeds $6,000.

The city's high wages do exist in certain sectors, particularly tech, finance, and healthcare, but those wages are not evenly distributed. Workers in retail, food service, and care industries often earn $60,000 to $80,000 while facing the same housing market. Anyone doing salary planning here should start with the actual rent or mortgage number and work backward, rather than relying on the median income figure.