San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Boston-Cambridge-Newton
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + 7% lower cost of living
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $12K lower median salary
Moving from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to Boston-Cambridge-Newton shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 115.6 to 108.3 (100 = US average), so a San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont salary needs to be multiplied by 0.94 to hold the same purchasing power in Boston-Cambridge-Newton. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $2,912/month in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to $2,941/month in Boston-Cambridge-Newton - a higher monthly bill of $29, or $348/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $95,708 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont versus $83,802 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton - a raw gap of $11,906 lower. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton labor market has 2,639,240 tracked jobs against 2,339,300 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont and Boston-Cambridge-Newton are 477 and 309 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 21.5:1 at origin versus 12.3:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $17,920/year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont versus $20,571/year in Boston-Cambridge-Newton. Our composite verdict - Strongly Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont to see what you'd need to earn in Boston-Cambridge-Newton to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton more expensive than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
What are salaries like in Boston-Cambridge-Newton compared to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton safer than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
How much would I need to earn in Boston-Cambridge-Newton to match my San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont salary?
What does the "Strongly Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.