Population
Boston
663,972
San Francisco
836,321
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
San Francisco
$141,446
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
San Francisco
$1,380,500
Rent
Boston
$2,093
San Francisco
$2,419
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
San Francisco
5.96
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
San Francisco
252.5
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
San Francisco
56°F
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
San Francisco
5.6%
How Similar Are Boston & San Francisco?
San Francisco is Boston's #18 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
San Francisco
836,321
San Francisco has a 21% larger population than Boston.
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
San Francisco
5.96
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
San Francisco
39.29
San Francisco has a 49% higher property crime than Boston.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
San Francisco
15.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Boston has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
San Francisco
5.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
San Francisco
$141,446
San Francisco has a 33% higher median income than Boston.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
San Francisco
$1,380,500
San Francisco has a 49% higher home values than Boston.
Education
Boston
38.0%
San Francisco
48.1%
San Francisco has a 21% higher education than Boston.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
San Francisco
40.5%
Boston has a 15% higher demographics than San Francisco.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
San Francisco
252.5
San Francisco has a 28% higher cost of living than Boston.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and San Francisco differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
San Francisco
San Francisco leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Boston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBoston scores 272.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in San Francisco. Boston scores 180.6 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 252.5 in San Francisco. Boston has a living wage (family of 4) of $187,809 vs $262,560 in San Francisco (28% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a median property tax of $4,335 vs $9,412 in San Francisco (54% lower). San Francisco has a median home value of $1,380,500 vs $710,400 in Boston (49% higher). San Francisco has a single-family homes of 30.5% compared to 18.2% in Boston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Francisco leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Francisco has a poverty rate of 10.6% compared to 16.9% in Boston. San Francisco has a per capita income of $90,285 vs $60,001 in Boston (34% higher). San Francisco has a median household income of $141,446 vs $94,755 in Boston (33% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRBoston has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.78 compared to 6.37 in San Francisco. San Francisco has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.90 compared to 4.72 in Boston. Boston has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.26 compared to 2.67 in San Francisco.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — San Francisco leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoSan Francisco: 19.3" vs Boston: 38.6" for annual rainfall. San Francisco gets 89 more sunny days per year than Boston. San Francisco averages 50°F, about 7°F cooler than Boston.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — San Francisco leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Francisco has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.1% compared to 38.0% in Boston. San Francisco has a high school diploma or higher of 57.2% compared to 50.8% in Boston.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Francisco has a population of 836,321, about 1.3x the size of Boston (663,972). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 39.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
San Francisco
Healthcare — Boston leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoston: 3.7 vs San Francisco: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — San Francisco leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Francisco has a bicycle of 3.3% compared to 2.1% in Boston. San Francisco has a work from home of 27.5% compared to 18.8% in Boston. Boston has a drive alone of 34.1% compared to 28.6% in San Francisco.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.