Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Jersey City Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 26.9% more expensive than Jersey City.
- Restaurants
- pay 42.1% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
- pay 23.5% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
- pay 9.2% more in San Francisco
- Housing
- pay 23.4% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
- pay 60.6% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 26.5% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
- pay 2.9% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. Jersey City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Jersey City, you would:
pay 42.1% more for restaurants
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $30.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.00 | $14.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.28 | $3.30 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.78 | $2.59 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.5% more for groceries
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.05 | $5.06 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.73 | $11.69 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.83 | $5.85 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.33 | $6.26 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.62 | $6.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.87 | $3.22 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.89 | $1.31 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.16 | $2.37 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.37 | $3.23 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.41 | $1.67 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.51 | $1.81 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 9.2% more for transportation
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.30 | $4.89 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $110.00 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,911.24 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.40 | $20.31 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 23.4% more for housing
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $63.75 | $68.78 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $3,437.50 | $3,446.66 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,442.86 | $2,736.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $103.54 | $179.63 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 60.6% more for childcare
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,250.00 | $3,236.11 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,666.67 | $42,000.00 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 26.5% more for entertainment and sports
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.50 | $5.98 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.98 | $14.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $66.00 | $109.64 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $17.00 | $17.00 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.9% more for clothing
Jersey City | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $67.90 | $70.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $63.33 | $48.82 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $77.50 | $102.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $133.75 | $133.67 | |
Jersey City vs. San Francisco - 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: June 2026
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