Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 5.3% more expensive than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.3% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 7.9% less in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 4.5% less in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 22.7% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9% more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.5% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 5.3% more in San Diego
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, and childcare in San Diego are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 4.3% more for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.50
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.9% less for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.12
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 4.5% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$19.40
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 22.7% more for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$205.84
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 2.9% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 14.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$17.50
|
|
Los Angeles vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.3% more for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$126.25
|
|
Los Angeles 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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