Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 55.9% more expensive than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.2% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 36.7% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 30.9% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 69.7% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 63.6% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 26.8% more in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in San Francisco are more expensive than in North Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 50.2% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.59
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 36.7% more for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.81
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 30.9% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$20.31
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 69.7% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$179.63
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$42,000.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 63.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$17.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.8% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$133.67
|
|
North Carolina 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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