Cost of living comparison
compared to
Miami vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
Miami is 6.0% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.5% more in Miami
- Groceries
-
pay 3.0% less in Miami
- Transportation
-
pay 4.2% more in Miami
- Housing
-
pay 21.8% less in Miami
- Childcare
-
pay 12.8% less in Miami
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.2% less in Miami
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% less in Miami
The cost of restaurants and transportation in Miami are more expensive than in San Diego. Expenses including housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries are lower in Miami.
Miami vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Miami instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 15.5% more for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$3.45
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.97
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.0% less for groceries
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$3.95
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$6.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$5.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$6.65
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$1.95
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.14
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.52
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of groceries
pay 4.2% more for transportation
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.29
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$103.75
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$33,105.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$19.38
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of transportation
pay 21.8% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$64.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$2,961.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$2,080.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$113.50
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of housing
pay 12.8% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$1,504.55
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$25,375.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of childcare
pay 12.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$61.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$16.00
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.8% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
Miami
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$56.79
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$92.62
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$109.71
|
|
San Diego vs. Miami - 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 Miami 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.