Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 46.3% more expensive than Pittsburgh.
- Restaurants
-
pay 35.0% more in San Francisco
- Groceries
-
pay 29.2% more in San Francisco
- Transportation
-
pay 13.6% more in San Francisco
- Housing
-
pay 65.0% more in San Francisco
- Childcare
-
pay 87.2% more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 64.4% more in San Francisco
- Clothing
-
pay 29.9% more in San Francisco
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, clothing, and groceries in San Francisco are more expensive than in Pittsburgh. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in San Francisco.
San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Pittsburgh, you would:
pay 35.0% more for restaurants
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.69
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.12
|
$2.59
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 29.2% more for groceries
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.82
|
$5.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$11.69
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.68
|
$5.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.64
|
$6.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.02
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.69
|
$3.22
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.31
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.77
|
$3.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.71
|
$1.81
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 13.6% more for transportation
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$98.72
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,373.32
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.40
|
$20.31
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 65.0% more for housing
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$75.38
|
$68.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,583.33
|
$3,446.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,009.09
|
$2,736.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$224.61
|
$179.63
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 87.2% more for childcare
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,282.50
|
$3,236.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$34,440.00
|
$42,000.00
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 64.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.96
|
$5.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.00
|
$14.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.43
|
$109.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$17.00
|
|
Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.9% more for clothing
|
Pittsburgh
|
San Francisco
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.40
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$55.14
|
$48.82
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$76.54
|
$102.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$89.17
|
$133.67
|
|
Pittsburgh 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
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 Francisco or Pittsburgh. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.