Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Arkansas Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 49.7% more expensive than Arkansas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.8% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 32.1% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 55.4% more in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 95.0% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 58.0% more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.3% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 32.4% more in San Diego
The cost of housing, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries in San Diego are more expensive than in Arkansas. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Arkansas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Arkansas, you would:
pay 26.8% more for restaurants
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.64
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.93
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.93
|
$2.50
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.1% more for groceries
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.50
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.55
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.65
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.52
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.12
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 55.4% more for transportation
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.79
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$35.67
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,285.97
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.84
|
$19.40
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 95.0% more for housing
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.56
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,168.77
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$935.60
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$161.48
|
$205.84
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 58.0% more for childcare
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,014.29
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,052.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 48.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.21
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.05
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.35
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.86
|
$17.50
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.4% more for clothing
|
Arkansas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.00
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.19
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.86
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.24
|
$126.25
|
|
Arkansas vs. San Diego - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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