Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Milwaukee Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 49.8% more expensive than Milwaukee.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.1% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 67.1% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 30.2% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 69.3% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 75.6% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 42.4% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 31.2% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. Milwaukee Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Milwaukee, you would:
pay 33.1% more for restaurants
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.50
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.12
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$2.59
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 67.1% more for groceries
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.84
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.79
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.04
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.41
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.99
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.97
|
$1.81
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 30.2% more for transportation
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.01
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,524.95
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.60
|
$20.31
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 69.3% more for housing
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.43
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,578.17
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,210.60
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.38
|
$179.63
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 75.6% more for childcare
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,821.67
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,200.00
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 42.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.09
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.50
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.00
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.72
|
$17.00
|
|
Milwaukee vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.2% more for clothing
|
Milwaukee
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.00
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.50
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.00
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.00
|
$133.67
|
|
Milwaukee 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: Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.