Cost of Living: Santa Cruz, CA vs San Francisco, CA
Quick rent-and-take-home comparison
Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Cruz, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Francisco, CA. In the model, rent is about 33.55% of gross in Santa Cruz, CA versus 35.25% in San Francisco, CA, so Santa Cruz, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Cruz, CA and San Francisco, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Cruz, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Cruz, CA
- Lower home prices: Santa Cruz, CA
- Higher median household income: San Francisco, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Cruz, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Francisco, CA: 225.8 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Cruz, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Francisco, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Cruz, CA: $2,187/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Francisco, CA: $2,298/mo
Median rent in San Francisco, CA is $111/mo higher than in Santa Cruz, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Cruz, CA: $1,180,100 · San Francisco, CA: $1,380,500
Median home price in San Francisco, CA is $200,400 higher than in Santa Cruz, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Cruz, CA: $111,427 · San Francisco, CA: $141,446
San Francisco, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Cruz, CA by $30,019.
Santa Cruz, CA overview · San Francisco, CA overview · Popular comparisons