Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 35.6% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 36.1% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 30.1% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 13.0% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 48.0% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 74.6% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.8% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 21.9% more in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and clothing in San Francisco are more expensive than in New York.
San Francisco vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of New York, you would:
pay 36.1% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.59
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.1% more for groceries
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.81
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 13.0% more for transportation
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$20.31
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 48.0% more for housing
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$179.63
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 74.6% more for childcare
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$42,000.00
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 25.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$17.00
|
|
New York vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.9% more for clothing
|
New York
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$133.67
|
|
New York 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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