Lawyer · San Francisco, CA
Lawyer in San Francisco: $6,813/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median lawyer wage in San Francisco at $212,500 a year. About 18,470 lawyer jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.60). The 10th percentile is $98,280 and the 90th is $375,580. Pay ranks 2nd-highest of 376 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 6.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,635/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $6,813 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 78 miles away, at $10,412 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$6,813
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$212,500
$98,280 to $375,580
Rent (1 bd)
$2,635
$3,137 (2 bd)
Employment
18,470
Location quotient 1.60
Pay rank
2nd of 376
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
6.7×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, lawyer pay of $212,500.
- Taxes$5,846
- Rent$2,635
- Other$2,414
- Left$6,813
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $212,500
- Federal income tax
- −$39,734
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$14,633
- State income tax (CA)
- −$15,790
- Take-home pay
- $142,344
- Effective tax rate
- 33.0%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,635
- Groceries
- $512
- Getting around
- $558
- Healthcare
- $576
- Utilities and internet
- $320
- Everything else
- $448
- Total spending
- $5,049
After tax and rent
$6,813 left/mo
Rank every metro for a lawyer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $10,412/mo.
Lawyer leftover by city →Best cities for lawyers to move to →Lawyer nearby
Compare San Francisco with another city
Other jobs in San Francisco
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a lawyer make in San Francisco?
$212,500 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 18,470 lawyer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a lawyer in San Francisco?
$6,813 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,635, and pay covers 6.7× a year of it.
Where nearby would a lawyer keep more?
San Jose, about 78 miles away, leaves $10,412 a month, more than San Francisco.