Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 27.5% more expensive than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.9% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 27.8% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 21.3% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 3.1% less in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 89.7% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.6% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 10.1% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in New York City are more expensive than in San Diego. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 2.9% more for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$2.61
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.8% more for groceries
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.78
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 21.3% more for transportation
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$22.39
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 3.1% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$151.98
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 89.7% more for childcare
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 43.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.1% more for clothing
|
San Diego
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$168.76
|
|
San Diego vs. New York City - 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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