Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Kalamazoo Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 2.1 times more expensive than Kalamazoo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 42.2% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 75.7% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 37.7% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 2.3 times more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 4.3 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 96.5% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 44.2% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. Kalamazoo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Kalamazoo, you would:
pay 42.2% more for restaurants
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.59
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 75.7% more for groceries
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.94
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.64
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.83
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.61
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.07
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.81
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 37.7% more for transportation
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$20.31
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 2.3 times more for housing
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$88.32
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,200.00
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$720.83
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$112.10
|
$179.63
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 4.3 times more for childcare
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$660.00
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,136.00
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 96.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.75
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.00
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.00
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.50
|
$17.00
|
|
Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 44.2% more for clothing
|
Kalamazoo
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.33
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.50
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$133.67
|
|
Kalamazoo 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: October 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Kalamazoo vs. San Francisco
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about San Francisco or Kalamazoo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.