Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Las Vegas Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 44.8% more expensive than Las Vegas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.8% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 23.5% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 9.6% more in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 46.4% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 59.0% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 37.4% more in San Diego
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, groceries, and transportation in San Diego are more expensive than in Las Vegas. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Las Vegas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Las Vegas, you would:
pay 7.8% more for restaurants
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$24.00
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.88
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.21
|
$2.50
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.5% more for groceries
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.97
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.13
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.39
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.36
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.02
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
|
$1.12
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 9.6% more for transportation
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.79
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.00
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,457.52
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.22
|
$19.40
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 46.4% more for housing
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$75.63
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,618.96
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,406.65
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$188.62
|
$205.84
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,179.50
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,250.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 59.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.71
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$24.38
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.00
|
$17.50
|
|
Las Vegas vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 37.4% more for clothing
|
Las Vegas
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.89
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.46
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.09
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$92.18
|
$126.25
|
|
Las Vegas 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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