Earnings in San Francisco are 45% higher than for the US as a whole according to a report just published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The downside, the report says, is that living costs in the US’s IT and high-tech hub are 25% higher than the norm, particularly for housing.

While $117 400 (R1,5-million) is considered ‘low income’ for a family of four and $73 300 (R980 000) ‘very low income’ in the City by the Bay, across the US as a whole nearly two thirds of American families live on less than $117 400.

Yet in San Francisco families at these ‘low income’ levels may qualify for housing assistance.

The poverty line for a family of four in the US is considered to be $25 100 (R336 000) and of the total population of 326-million, 40-million people in families of all sizes fall into that category.

The median income across the US for a family of four is $91 000 (R1,2-million) and for a family of any size $59 000 (R792 000).