Cost of living comparison
compared to
Austin vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
Austin is 19.9% cheaper than San Diego.
Austin vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Austin instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 15.0% less for restaurants
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.00 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $15.00 | $11.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.03 | $2.67 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.50 | $2.09 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.7% less for groceries
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.57 | $3.40 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.36 | $6.17 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.78 | $3.93 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.84 | $4.85 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.07 | $5.15 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.22 | $2.20 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.70 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 | $1.96 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.26 | $1.75 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.42 | $1.18 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.12 | $1.24 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of groceries
pay 26.4% less for transportation
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.76 | $2.79 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $72.00 | $41.38 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $31,965.00 | $27,900.00 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.40 | $17.67 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of transportation
pay 31.3% less for housing
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $82.19 | $68.20 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $3,033.00 | $2,134.75 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,538.64 | $1,434.41 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $205.84 | $133.86 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of housing
pay 23.2% less for childcare
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,750.00 | $1,343.18 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $28,750.00 | $22,093.75 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of childcare
pay 15.9% less for entertainment and sports
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.00 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.90 | $5.56 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $12.00 | $9.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $73.21 | $66.33 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $17.50 | $15.00 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 15.6% less for clothing
San Diego | Austin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $60.72 | $52.74 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $58.44 | $43.79 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.68 | $87.55 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $126.25 | $117.47 | |
San Diego vs. Austin - 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
Change currency:
Compare further: San Diego vs. Austin
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 Austin or San Diego. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.