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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Alameda, CA vs South San Francisco, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Alameda needs about $88,500 in South San Francisco to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from South San Francisco, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $81,500 in Alameda.

A few differences

Alameda vs South San Francisco · facet by facet
FacetAlameda, CASouth San Francisco, CA
Median home price$1,235,700$1,188,800
2-bedroom rent$2,702/mo$2,920/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index174175
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$137,697$136,578
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Alameda, CA · South San Francisco, CA
Questions & answers
Is Alameda cheaper than South San Francisco?
Alameda has the lower day-to-day cost index (174 vs 175 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in South San Francisco equals $85,000 in Alameda?
A household earning $85,000 in Alameda needs about $88,500 in South San Francisco to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of South San Francisco lifestyle costs about $81,500 in Alameda.