Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 5.9% more expensive than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.2% less in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 2.9% less in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 6.7% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 2.2% less in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 16.9% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 21.4% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 9.7% more in New York City
The cost of entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, and transportation in New York City are more expensive than in San Francisco. Expenses including restaurants, groceries, and housing are lower in New York City.
New York City vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 8.2% less for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.61
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.9% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.69
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.85
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.26
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.78
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 6.7% more for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$22.39
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.78
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,446.66
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,736.00
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.63
|
$151.98
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 16.9% more for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,236.11
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,000.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 21.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.98
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.64
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$20.00
|
|
San Francisco vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.7% more for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.82
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.67
|
$168.76
|
|
San Francisco 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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