$280,000 in San Francisco ≈ £208,164 in London
Moving to London from San Francisco with a family
Equivalence is solved so household net cash matches across both cities, with taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and travel all included.
What changes: San Francisco → London
- ▴ 10 more vacation days per year in London (statutory)
- ▴ 9 more paid parental-leave weeks (21 vs 12)
- ▴ Universal healthcare in London (no premium / minimal OOP)
- ▴ Childcare drops ~$10k/yr in London (subsidized)
The headline math
| San Francisco household gross | $280,000 |
| San Francisco taxes (26.2%) | −$73,450 |
| San Francisco living costs | −$155,220 |
| San Francisco net cash | $51,330 |
| ≈ | |
| London household gross needed | £208,164($275,714) |
| London taxes (36.1%) | −£75,152 |
| London living costs | −£94,258 |
| London net cash | £38,754 |
Computed at the city-median tech-worker salary, San Francisco (a family with two kids) · effective tax rates: 26.2% vs 36.1%
These numbers use one scenario's assumptions. Plug in your own salary, family size, and lifestyle.
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Moving from San Francisco to London for a family
For a family of four, this comparison produces a different answer than a single-person look at the same cities. Childcare costs, parental leave policy, and the second earner's tax treatment all push the number. With a partner at 60% of the primary salary and two kids in daycare, a $280,000 household in San Francisco needs £208,164 in London to keep the same net cash.
Childcare is the biggest single swing factor in this comparison. San Francisco households pay $38,400 per year; London caps it at £21,200 via subsidy. That difference flows directly to net cash. A standard salary comparison won't show it at all.
Parental leave: London provides 21 weeks paid vs 12 in San Francisco. A new child in the first year of the move is exactly the scenario where that gap shows up as real money (and real stress avoided).
With kids in the house, healthcare is the line that quietly compounds. London runs a universal system, so a rough year doesn't turn into a billing event. The San Francisco side carries $11,324 a year in premiums and out-of-pocket costs, exposure that simply doesn't follow you across.
K-12 schools land near the same level on the OECD's PISA 2022 assessment: USA 489 (math 465, reading 504, science 499), United Kingdom 494 (math 489, reading 494, science 500). Within statistical noise, so the differentiator is local school choice, not country average.
London also adds 10 more vacation days per year (25 vs 15). With kids, that is school breaks actually covered without burning PTO.
The second-earner question is worth running separately. In high-childcare-cost cities, full-time daycare can eat most of a partner's after-tax income. In London, subsidized childcare changes that math entirely: both salaries actually make it to the household. Use the "Partner works in" toggle in the calculator to see what that shift does to your specific numbers.
Common questions
How much do you need to earn in London to match a $280,000 salary in San Francisco?
About £208,164. cityparity solves for the London gross salary whose net cash (after taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, and the rest) equals what you keep in San Francisco. It's an equivalence, not a raw conversion.
How much is childcare in London compared with San Francisco?
Childcare is one of the biggest swings for a family moving from San Francisco to London. cityparity nets each city's daycare cost against any government child allowance, so the figure reflects what you'd actually pay out of pocket.
Is healthcare free in London?
London has universal healthcare, so there are no US-style premiums or large deductibles. cityparity counts that as real money you don't spend, which is part of why the equivalent salary is lower than the raw number suggests.
How much vacation and parental leave do you get in London?
London has about 33 paid days off a year (vacation plus public holidays) and 52 weeks of parental leave. cityparity surfaces these as deltas rather than dollars, because time off is part of the real comparison.
Run your own numbers in the interactive calculator →