Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Diego vs. Minnesota Cost of Living Summary
San Diego is 33.8% more expensive than Minnesota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.7% more in San Diego
- Groceries
-
pay 11.3% more in San Diego
- Transportation
-
pay 25.1% more in San Diego
- Housing
-
pay 89.0% more in San Diego
- Childcare
-
pay 33.0% more in San Diego
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.6% more in San Diego
- Clothing
-
pay 28.1% more in San Diego
The cost of housing, childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants in San Diego are more expensive than in Minnesota. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in San Diego.
San Diego vs. Minnesota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Diego instead of Minnesota, you would:
pay 23.7% more for restaurants
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.17
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.25
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$3.03
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
|
$2.50
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.3% more for groceries
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.28
|
$4.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.34
|
$7.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
|
$5.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.61
|
$6.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.28
|
$2.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.69
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.48
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$1.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$1.12
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of groceries
pay 25.1% more for transportation
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,149.01
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.56
|
$19.40
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of transportation
pay 89.0% more for housing
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.48
|
$82.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,182.19
|
$3,033.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,123.71
|
$2,538.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$135.87
|
$205.84
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of housing
pay 33.0% more for childcare
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,260.39
|
$1,750.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,591.00
|
$28,750.00
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of childcare
pay 26.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.52
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.90
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.69
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.95
|
$73.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.88
|
$17.50
|
|
Minnesota vs. San Diego - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 28.1% more for clothing
|
Minnesota
|
San Diego
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.07
|
$60.72
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.44
|
$58.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.05
|
$105.68
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.44
|
$126.25
|
|
Minnesota 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
Change currency:
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 Diego or Minnesota. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.