While mortgage or rent payments will constitute the biggest expense for most Bay Area residents, there are of course many other cost-of-living factors to consider. Using the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator, which determines how much money a household must make each year to maintain an adequate standard of living, we determined the cost of living in all nine Bay Area counties for single people and for a family with two children.
Costs included in income numbers below include housing, food, health care, child care (if applicable), transportation, other necessities, and taxes, but do not include factors such as saving money or paying off debt.
- Single: $56,505 annual income (monthly housing costs, $1,517)
- Two adults, two children: $121,922 annual income (monthly housing costs, $2,294)
- Single: $58,827 (monthly housing costs, $1,582)
- Two adults, two children: $125,672 (monthly housing costs, $2,393)
- Single: $73,138 annual income (monthly housing costs, $2,074)
- Two adults, two children: $155,031 annual income (monthly housing costs, $3,214)
- Single: $47,365 (monthly housing costs, $1,005)
- Two adults, two children: $102,776 (monthly housing costs, $1,575)
- Single: $64,666 (monthly housing costs, $1,926)
- Two adults, two children: $141,320 (monthly housing costs, $2,984)
San Mateo County
- Single: $73,526 (monthly housing costs, $2,136)
- Two adults, two children: $156,292 (monthly housing costs, $3,310)
Santa Clara County
- Single: $61,549 (monthly housing costs, $1,716)
- Two adults, two children: $129,092 (monthly housing costs, $2,522)
- Single: $51,729 (monthly housing costs, $1,224)
- Two adults, two children: $109,977 (monthly housing costs, $1,843)
Solano County
- Single: $41,817 (monthly housing costs, $874)
- Two adults, two children: $89,441 (monthly housing costs, $1,341)
(Image: iStock/atosan)