Cost of living comparison
compared to
Las Vegas vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
Las Vegas is 23.3% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.6% less in Las Vegas
- Groceries
-
pay 18.3% less in Las Vegas
- Transportation
-
pay 7.2% less in Las Vegas
- Housing
-
pay 26.9% less in Las Vegas
- Childcare
-
pay 50.2% less in Las Vegas
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.0% less in Las Vegas
- Clothing
-
pay 26.9% less in Las Vegas
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, groceries, and transportation are lower in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Las Vegas instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 5.6% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$24.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.21
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.3% less for groceries
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$3.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$6.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.66
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$4.39
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$4.36
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$1.91
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$1.69
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.11
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of groceries
pay 7.2% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.79
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$64.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$36,457.52
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$17.22
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of transportation
pay 26.9% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$75.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$1,618.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$1,406.65
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$188.62
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of housing
pay 50.2% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$1,179.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$9,250.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of childcare
pay 28.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$24.38
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$14.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.9% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
Las Vegas
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$42.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$39.46
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$86.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$92.18
|
|
San Diego vs. Las Vegas - 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 Las Vegas 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.