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
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: June 2026
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