Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 2.0 times more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 62.9% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
- pay 93.2% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
- pay 15.9% more in San Francisco
- Housing
- pay 2.5 times more in San Francisco
- Childcare
- pay 4.1 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 64.1% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
- pay 14.2% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 62.9% more for restaurants
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $14.45 NZ$25.59 | $30.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.14 NZ$16.18 | $14.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.11 NZ$3.73 | $3.30 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.02 NZ$3.57 | $2.59 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 93.2% more for groceries
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.74 NZ$3.08 | $5.06 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.88 NZ$6.88 | $11.69 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.34 NZ$11.22 | $5.85 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.96 NZ$10.55 | $6.26 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.01 NZ$7.09 | $6.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.18 NZ$2.09 | $3.22 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.95 NZ$1.69 | $1.31 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.29 NZ$2.29 | $2.37 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.11 NZ$3.74 | $3.23 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.85 NZ$1.51 | $1.67 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.80 NZ$1.41 | $1.81 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 15.9% more for transportation
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $6.08 NZ$10.77 | $4.89 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $74.52 NZ$131.98 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,777.66 NZ$43,885.34 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.81 NZ$31.55 | $20.31 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 2.5 times more for housing
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $50.00 NZ$88.55 | $68.78 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $978.36 NZ$1,732.83 | $3,446.66 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $810.06 NZ$1,434.75 | $2,736.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $95.66 NZ$169.44 | $179.63 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 4.1 times more for childcare
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $635.34 NZ$1,125.30 | $3,236.11 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,463.91 NZ$23,846.82 | $42,000.00 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 64.1% more for entertainment and sports
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.04 NZ$10.70 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.35 NZ$5.94 | $5.98 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $23.12 NZ$40.96 | $14.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.72 NZ$66.81 | $109.64 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.72 NZ$18.99 | $17.00 | |
New Zealand vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.2% more for clothing
New Zealand | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $65.22 NZ$115.52 | $70.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $39.23 NZ$69.49 | $48.82 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $90.28 NZ$159.90 | $102.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.43 NZ$211.53 | $133.67 | |
New Zealand 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: June 2026
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