Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 2.6% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.7% less in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 11.5% more in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 6.4% more in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 18.1% less in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7% less in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.7% less in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 2.6% less in Los Angeles
The cost of groceries and transportation in Los Angeles are more expensive than in San Diego. Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, childcare, and clothing are lower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 2.7% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.26
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.5% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.22
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 6.4% more for transportation
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$18.01
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 18.1% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$155.53
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 2.7% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$27,000.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 9.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$18.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.6% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$149.85
|
|
San Diego vs. Los Angeles - 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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