Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. New Jersey Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 27.3% more expensive than New Jersey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 30.3% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 20.8% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 10.8% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 36.9% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 57.0% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.9% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 5.2% more in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in San Francisco are more expensive than in New Jersey.
San Francisco vs. New Jersey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of New Jersey, you would:
pay 30.3% more for restaurants
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.95
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.40
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.60
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.59
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.8% more for groceries
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.09
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.24
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.96
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.81
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 10.8% more for transportation
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.24
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$116.02
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,841.50
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.75
|
$20.31
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 36.9% more for housing
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.68
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,279.92
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,885.98
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$126.74
|
$179.63
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 57.0% more for childcare
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,023.96
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,267.62
|
$42,000.00
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 29.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.95
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.79
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.90
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.52
|
$17.00
|
|
New Jersey vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.2% more for clothing
|
New Jersey
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.64
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.26
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.28
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$136.81
|
$133.67
|
|
New Jersey 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: December 2025
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