Cost of living comparison
compared to
Idaho Falls vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
Idaho Falls is 43.9% cheaper than San Francisco.
Idaho Falls vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Idaho Falls instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 34.0% less for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$27.15
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.16
|
$2.24
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.70
|
$1.58
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of restaurants
pay 48.5% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.31
|
$3.85
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.16
|
$5.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.63
|
$2.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.93
|
$4.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.99
|
$3.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.78
|
$0.98
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$0.56
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$0.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.11
|
$0.95
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.12
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of groceries
pay 15.0% less for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.78
|
$4.09
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,998.00
|
$36,628.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.39
|
$20.90
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of transportation
pay 52.6% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$76.29
|
$64.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,735.00
|
$1,322.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,618.75
|
$1,276.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$164.32
|
$129.69
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of housing
pay 60.5% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,942.94
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,562.50
|
$20,595.56
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of childcare
pay 44.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$4.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.97
|
$5.03
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.16
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$121.54
|
$38.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$11.50
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.3% less for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
Idaho Falls
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.17
|
$42.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.67
|
$45.52
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.08
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$138.64
|
$95.00
|
|
San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: San Francisco vs. Idaho Falls
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 Idaho Falls or San Francisco. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.