Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Luis Obispo vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary
San Luis Obispo is 37.6% more expensive than Canada overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 31.8% more in San Luis Obispo
- Groceries
-
pay 9.6% less in San Luis Obispo
- Transportation
-
pay 25.1% more in San Luis Obispo
- Housing
-
pay 60.0% more in San Luis Obispo
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in San Luis Obispo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.0% more in San Luis Obispo
- Clothing
-
pay 24.4% more in San Luis Obispo
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports in San Luis Obispo are more expensive than in Canada. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo vs. Canada Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Luis Obispo instead of Canada, you would:
pay 31.8% more for restaurants
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
CA$23.07
|
$24.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.26
CA$14.18
|
$9.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CA$2.77
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.66
CA$2.30
|
$2.58
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.6% less for groceries
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.50
CA$3.46
|
$3.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
CA$7.36
|
$4.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.12
CA$11.23
|
$4.17
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.44
CA$4.75
|
$2.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.30
CA$7.33
|
$4.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
$1.56
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
CA$0.91
|
$0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
CA$2.25
|
$1.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.77
CA$2.44
|
$1.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.15
CA$1.59
|
$0.89
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
CA$1.58
|
$1.09
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of groceries
pay 25.1% more for transportation
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
CA$5.84
|
$4.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.98
CA$91.24
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,583.45
CA$33,995.22
|
$30,323.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.38
CA$22.65
|
$28.87
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of transportation
pay 60.0% more for housing
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.20
CA$84.63
|
$66.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,228.04
CA$1,698.20
|
$2,280.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.76
CA$1,534.63
|
$1,880.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.65
CA$153.02
|
$195.00
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$720.23
CA$995.97
|
$2,300.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,062.51
CA$16,680.65
|
$12,489.48
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of childcare
pay 20.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.23
CA$7.23
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CA$5.04
|
$4.77
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.37
CA$18.49
|
$10.96
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.26
CA$59.82
|
$55.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.18
CA$15.46
|
$12.00
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.4% more for clothing
|
Canada
|
San Luis Obispo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.62
CA$74.15
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
CA$57.07
|
$50.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.13
CA$119.10
|
$120.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
CA$142.43
|
$110.00
|
|
Canada vs. San Luis Obispo - 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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